Advanced English 2 Rhetorical Devices

Simile

Comparison between two things using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

Comparison between two things without using “like” or “as”

Analogy

Comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of an aspect

Onomatopoeia

Written representation of sounds

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant sounds

Alliteration

Consistent sounds at the beginning of a word

Assonance

Repeating of internal vowel sounds

Consonance

Repetition of internal consistent sounds

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration

Synecdoche

Using a part to represent a whole thing

Oxymoron

A word or phrase that contains opposites

Paradox

A phrase that seems to contradict itself

Allusion

Reference to something well known by a wide audience

Symbolism

An object/image used to represent an abstract idea

Personification

Attributing human like qualities to nonhumans

Repetition

Repeating a word/phrase for impact

Parallel structure

Pattern of sequence structure to create rhythm

Rhetorical Question

A question or statement that leads to an implied answer

Isocolon

Type of parallelism that uses syllable length to create a rhythm in multiple clauses of a sequence

Juxtaposition

Placement of two unlike things side by side to being out their differences and show contrast

Anaphora

Recitation of the same word or phrase at the beginning of a clause

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions within a list or set

Polysyndeton

Use of conjunctions between every item within a list or set

Understatement

Down playing the extent of something, usually sarcastically

Litotes

Specific type of understatement that tells what something is by describing what it is not

Antithesis

A pair of statements or images in which one reverses the other

Ambiguity

Intentional confusion created by a word or phrase within multiple meanings

Chiasmus

Reputation of thematic elements in reverse order

Apostrophe

Addresses someone/something that is no longer there

Ellipsis

Omission of words that will not take away from the overall meaning of a clause

Kenning

Replaces an ordinary noun with a metaphor

Metonymy

Replaces words with related words

Zeugma

One verb serves two clauses, which may have totally different meaning

Aphorism

Simple statement used to illustrate a commonly held belief or advice

Anadiplosis

Beginning a clause with the same words or phrases as the previous line