Rhetorical Devices and Tone Words

Vocabulary flashcards covering core rhetorical devices, tone terms, and stylistic concepts.

Rhetorical device

A language technique used to influence how an audience thinks or feels.

Alliteration

Repeating the same beginning consonant sound in nearby words.

Allusion

A brief reference to a well-known person, event, story, place, or idea.

Analogy

A comparison that explains one idea by showing how it is like another.

Anaphora

Repeating a word or phrase at the BEGINNING of successive clauses or sentences.

Anecdote

A short story about a real or specific experience used to make a point.

Antimetabole

Repeating words in reverse order.

Antithesis

Putting contrasting ideas into a balanced or parallel structure.

Assonance

Repeating vowel sounds in nearby words.

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions such as and/or between words or clauses.

Closing by return

Ending by returning to an image, idea, or statement from the beginning.

Colloquialism

Casual, everyday language that sounds like normal speech.

Connotation

The feelings or associations a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning.

Euphemism

A softer or more pleasant phrase used instead of a harsh one.

Figurative language

Language that goes beyond the literal meaning, such as metaphor, simile, or personification.

Flow

How smoothly and logically sentences and ideas connect.

Framing words

Transition words that organize or introduce parts of an idea.

Hortative sentence

A sentence that urges, advises, or calls people to action.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for effect.

Imagery

Language that creates a sensory picture using sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.

Imperative sentence

A sentence that gives a direct command or instruction.

Irony

A contrast between what is said, expected, or appears true and what is actually meant or happens.

Juxtaposition

Placing two things close together so their similarities or differences stand out.

Metaphor

A direct comparison that says one thing IS another.

Metonymy

Using something closely associated with a thing to stand for the whole thing.

Oxymoron

Two contradictory words placed together.

Parallelism

Using the same grammatical pattern for equal or related ideas.

Periodic sentence

A sentence that delays its main clause or main point until the end.

Personification

Giving human traits or actions to nonhuman things or ideas.

Polysyndeton

Using many conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect, not because the writer expects an answer.

Satire

Using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize a problem or behavior.

Simile

A comparison using like or as.

Symbol

A concrete person, object, place, or image that represents a larger idea.

Synecdoche

Using a PART to represent the WHOLE, or the whole to represent a part.

Understatement

Deliberately making something seem less important, serious, or intense than it really is.

Tone

The writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Zeugma

One word, usually a verb, connects to two other words in different ways.

Satiric

Mocking or humorous in order to criticize.

Whimsical

Playful, quirky, and imaginative.

Dramatic

Intense, emotional, or theatrical.

Learned

Scholarly and highly knowledgeable.

Informative

Focused on explaining facts or information.

Sombre (somber)

Serious, gloomy, or sad.

Urgent

Pressing; suggests action is needed now.

Confident

Sure, certain, and self-assured.

Objective

Neutral and fact-focused; avoids personal bias.

Diffident

Shy, hesitant, or lacking confidence.

Ironic (Tone)

Expresses a contrast between appearance and reality.

Didactic

Teaching or trying to deliver a lesson.

Pert

Boldly cheeky, lively, or slightly sassy.

Factual

Based mainly on facts.

Restrained

Controlled; avoids strong emotional display.

Disdainful

Shows contempt; treats something as beneath respect.

Pedantic

Overly focused on rules, details, or showing knowledge.

Indignant

Angry because something seems unfair or wrong.

Bantering

Playfully teasing back and forth.

Flippant

Too casual or unserious about something important.

Condescending

Talks down to others as if superior.

Sympathetic

Shows understanding, concern, or support.

Inflammatory

Designed to provoke strong anger or conflict.

Candid

Honest, direct, and open.

Patronizing

Seemingly kind but actually treats others as inferior.

Mock-serious

Pretends to be serious for humorous effect.

Benevolent

Kind, generous, and well-meaning.

Burlesque

Comically exaggerated or mocking imitation.

Fanciful

Highly imaginative, dreamy, or unrealistic.

Detached

Emotionally distant or uninvolved.

Cynical

Distrustful of people's motives; expects selfishness.

Scornful

Openly contemptuous or disrespectful.

Effusive

Very enthusiastic and openly expressive.

Colloquial

Casual and conversational.

Compassionate

Caring and concerned about others' suffering.

Impartial

Fair and unbiased.

Pretentious

Trying too hard to seem important or sophisticated.

Vibrant

Lively, energetic, and full of life.

Sentimental

Strongly emotional, nostalgic, or tender.

Moralistic

Focused on right and wrong, often in a preachy way.

Taunting

Mocking in order to provoke or upset.

Angry

Mad, hostile, or irritated.

Turgid

Overly complicated, inflated, or heavy in style.

Insolent

Boldly rude or disrespectful.

Mood

The feeling created in the reader/audience.

Denotation

Literal dictionary meaning.