English SOAPSTONE test

Rhetorical questions

A question asked to make a point or express an emotion rather than to get an answer

Ex. Do you think money grows on trees? (Meaning – money is limited and hard to earn

Parallelism

Using the same grammatical structure for words, phrases, or clauses that match in a sentence

Ex. I saw, I came, I conquered (all verbs in the past tense)

She likes hiking, dancing, and swimming (all words ending in -ing)

Repetition

A writer or speaker uses the same word sound phrase or sentence multiple times to add emphasis great rhythm or make a point memorable

Ex. I have a dream speech

Anecdote

A short, interesting, or amusing story about a real incident or a person used to make a point or grab an audiences attention

Ex. “ Last week, I forgot to set my alarm clock. I woke up 20 minutes before work, ran out the door with my shirt, inside out, and swallowed my coffee and one burning gulp. I made it to the office on time, but now I double check my phone alarm every single night.”

Syntax

The set of rules that covered how words and phrases are arranged to form correct and meaningful sentences

Ex. “The dog bit the man” (Here The dog is doing the biting, and the man is getting bit.)

“The man bit the dog” (now the man is doing the biting, and the dog is getting bit. The meeting is reversed, just by changing the order of the words.)

Diction

A writers or speakers choice of words. It helps set the tone, establishing mood, and revealed a character, characters or authors style.

Ex. “ The dog sat by the window” (Basic)

“ The exhausted hound slumped heavily against the glass” (Descriptive Diction)

Anaphora

A word or freeze is repeated at the beginning of successive sentences, clause, or lines

Ex. “ We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills…..”

The repetition of the phrase we shall fight, creates rhythm, build emotional intensity, and emphasizes the speakers message

Epistrophe

Rhetorical literary device, where the same word, or phrases repeated at the end of the successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or lines

Ex. “…. And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”

Polysyndeton

Multiple coordinating conjunctions (like and, or, or but) and close succession where are they are not strictly needed

Ex. We ate roast beef and squash and biscuits and potatoes and corn and cheese and cherry pie

Asyndeton

Where a writer or speaker leaves out conjunctions (like an, but, or or) between words, phrases, or clauses

Ex. I came, I saw, I conquered

Metonymy

I figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else that is closely related to it

Ex. “Suit” For a business executive or corporate worker (the suits make a final decision)

Telegraphic Sentence

A very short sentence, usually five words or less, that leaves out small grammar words, and keeps only the most important words

Ex. “Want milk” (instead of- I want milk)

Mission accomplished (instead of- The mission had been Accomplished)

Periodic Sentence

A sentence that places its main idea or independent clause at the very end

Ex. “ Despite the blinding snow, the freezing temperatures, in the howling wind, the rescue team continued.” (The main clause “the rescue team continued” is saved for the absolute end. The beginning details only describes the harsh conditions, making you wait for the main point.

Cumulative Sentence

Starts with a complete main idea and adds extra details, phrases, or clauses at the end

Ex. The lunch bell rang for lunch, sending students rushing to the cafeteria, grabbing their lunchboxes, and hurrying to find seats at the tables

Alliteration

repetition of the same initial consonant sound in neighboring or closely connected words

Ex. She sells seashells by the seashore

Apostrophe

where a speaker or writer directly addresses a speaker or writer directly addresses an absent, dead, or imaginary person, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea as if it could respond

Ex. "O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done..."
— From Walt Whitman’s poem mourning the death of Abraham Lincoln.

Assonance

repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words that do not rhyme

Ex. "Go with the flow" – Repeats the long "o" sound.

"The need for speed" – Repeats the long "ee" sound.

Antithesis

puts two opposite or contrasting ideas together in a balanced sentence

Ex. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." (Contrasts two completely different states of an era side-by-side.)

Declarative Sentence

a sentence that makes a statement, gives information, expresses an opinion, or states a fact, and it always ends with a period

Ex. "The sky is blue."

"I love reading books."

Inverted sentence

a sentence where the normal word order—usually subject then verb—is reversed, putting the verb or auxiliary verb before the subject

Ex. Normal order: The subject comes first, followed by the verb (e.g., "The dog ran").

Inverted order: The verb or helping verb comes before the subject (e.g., "In ran the dog").

imperative sentence

An imperative sentence tells someone to do something. It can be a strong order or a soft request. Key Features: start with a base verb, the subject is almost always “you” but it is hidden and understood, and end with a period or an exclamation mark

Ex. Do not touch that

Close the Door

tricolon

a rhetorical device that uses a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses in a row to create a powerful, rhythmic, and memorable effect

Ex. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." — Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence