Identifying Rhetorical Devices

Understatement

After a huge crash: "Well… that wasn't ideal."

Syntax

"I cannot go" vs. "Go I cannot." Same words, different effect.

Symbol

A dove symbolizing peace.

Syllogism

All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

"Sarcasm

"Great job breaking it—really smooth."

Simile

"She was as bright as the sun."

Rhythm

Poems with steady meter like iambic pentameter.

Rhetorical Question

"Do you think money grows on trees?"

Repetition

"Never give up. Never."

Polysyndeton

"He ran and cried and screamed and fell."

Personification

"The wind whispered through the trees."

Parody

Scary Movie parodying horror films.

Parallel Structure

"She likes reading, writing, and running."

"Paradox

"Less is more."

Oxymoron

"Bittersweet."

Metaphor

"Her voice is velvet."

Overstatement

"This backpack weighs a ton."

Mood

A stormy night creates a tense mood.

Juxtaposition

A bright neon sign over a crumbling building.

Jargon

"We need to refactor the codebase."

Irony

A fire station burns down.

Imagery

"The air smelled of pine and cold stone."

Idiom

"Kick the bucket.."

Hyperbole

"I've told you a million times."

Euphemism

"He passed away" instead of "died."

Double Entendre

Marriage is a great institution… if you like institutions."

Diction

Calling someone "youthful" vs. "childish."*

Denotation

"Home" = a place where you live.

Connotation

"Home" connotes comfort, warmth, safety.

Colloquialism

"That test was a piece of cake."

Asyndeton

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

Cacophony

"Cracked, splintered branches snapped beneath our feet."

Antithesis

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Assonance

"The mellow wedding bells."

Anaphora

"We fight for justice. We fight for freedom. We fight for tomorrow."

Analogy

Running a business is like tending a garden—neglect it, and it dies."

Ambiguity

"He saw her duck." (animal or action?)

Allusion

"He met his downfall—classic Icarus moment."

Alliteration

"Silent Snakes Slipped through the Sand."