Rhetorical Devices: Techniques in the Art of Persuasion

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key rhetorical devices, definitions, and stylistic techniques used in persuasive speech and writing.

Rhetorical Device

Any stylistic device or resource of language that an author or speaker uses to help persuade or make a desired impact on their audience.

Simile

A comparison between two things using "like" or "as."

Metaphor

A comparison between two things without using "like" or "as."

Personification

Assigning human qualities to something that is not human.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer.

Allusion

A brief reference to a famous person or event—often from literature, history, Greek myth, or the Bible—that can help to simplify complex ideas.

Hyperbole

An obvious and deliberate exaggeration used to emphasize something or for humorous purposes.

Euphemism

A mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive.

Anaphora

Intentional repetition of the first word or words in successive sentences or clauses.

Epistrophe

Intentional repetition of words at the end of sentences or clauses; the exact opposite of anaphora.

Parallelism

Successive words, phrases, or clauses expressed with the same or very similar grammatical structure, adding balance, rhythm, and emphasis.

Understatement

A statement that minimizes the significance of something or says less than it means, often used for comedic effect.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that pairs two words (or sometimes one word) of opposite meaning for dramatic, comedic, or provocative effect.

Paradox

A figure of speech in which a statement appears to contradict itself (more than two words) while revealing a bigger truth.

Anastrophe

Inverting the usual order of words or phrases, such as placing an adjective after a noun instead of before it.

Antithesis

A rhetorical device where opposite words or statements are contrasted (juxtaposed) using a parallel grammatical or sentence structure.

Hypophora

A device that occurs when a writer asks a question and immediately follows the question with the answer.

Polysyndeton

Joining phrases, clauses, or sentences with a conjunction repeated over and over.

Asyndeton

Joining phrases, clauses, or sentences without the use of a conjunction.

Syllepsis

A device where a writer plays on the multiple meanings of a word.

Isocolon

Parallel phrases, clauses, or sentences of similar length in succession (two are called bicolon, three are tricolon, and four are tetracolon).

Diacope

Consistent repetition of a word or words, either back to back or with a few words in between.

Syllogism

A logical argument where a conclusion of ideas is drawn from two previous statements.

Rhetorical Climax

Purposely ordering words, phrases, or sentences so that the most important element comes last.