Rhetorical Terms

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause

anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Onomatopoeia

words that are used to show sound

personification

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

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

Parallelism

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

Antithesis

a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with each other

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in reverse order

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences

Litotes

A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite

Polysyndeton

deliberate use of a series of conjunctions

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality

Epithet

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned

Oxymoron

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

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Zeugma

using one word to modify two other words, in two different ways

Understatement

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

Euphemism

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

Hypophora

a figure of speech in which a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer to that question

Malapropism

the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar

Apostrophe

figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love