Rhetorical Terms List 2

Parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

Periodic sentence

A sentence that is deliberately structured with the main point, clause or predicate at the end in order to emphasize a point or to create suspense.

Repetition

Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

Theme

Central idea of a work of literature

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Style

the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

Loose sentence

A complex sentence in which the main clause comes first and the subordinate clause follows

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as, a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions

Syntax

Sentence structure

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Antimetabole

repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order

Antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

Imagery

language that appeals to the senses

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

rhetorical question

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

Synecdoche

using one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to a car simply as "wheels")

Zeugma

use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous, meanings

archaic diction

old-fashioned or outdated choice of words

imperative sentence

A sentence that requests or commands.

Inversion

inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order)

figurative language

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.