rhetorical devices

Parallelism

parts of a sentence have the same structure to make it clear and balanced. (listing)

"She likes running, swimming, and biking."

Isocolon

A sentence or phrase with parts that are the same length and structure.

"Buy one, get one"

Antithesis

When two opposite ideas are put together to show contrast.

"hot and cold"

Anastrophe

When the normal word order is changed to sound interesting or poetic.

"Strong is the force." (Instead of "The force is strong")

Parenthesis

Extra information added into a sentence (often in brackets, dashes, or commas).

"My brother (who just turned 10) loves soccer."
"She finally answered — after two hours — the phone."

Apposition

When two nouns or noun phrases are placed next to each other to describe the same thing.

My dog, Buddy, is very playful. ("Buddy" gives more information about "my dog")

Ellipsis

When words are left out because they are understood from the context.

I went to the mall, and she to the park. (Full sentence would be: I went to the mall, and she went to the park.)

Asyndeton

Leaving out and, or, or other connecting words in a list.

"I came, I saw, I conquered" (theres no "and" after "I saw)

Polysyndeton

Using many connecting words like and or or in a list.

I bought bread and milk and cheese and eggs. (The word "and" is repeated a lot.)

Alliteration

When words close together start with the same sound.

She sells seashells by the seashore. (The "s" sound repeats.)

Assonance

When vowel sounds repeat in nearby words.

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. (The "ai" sound repeats.)

Anaphora

When the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of several sentences or lines.

"I hate school... I hate school... I hate school..."

Epistrophe

When the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of several sentences or lines

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."(The phrase "no evil" is repeated at the end.)

Epanalepsis

When a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and end of the same sentence.

"Annoying ppl will be annoying."

Anadiplosis

When the last word of one sentence or phrase is repeated at the start of the next.

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate."

Climax

Arranging ideas in order of increasing importance or intensity, often building up to a final point.

"She came, she saw, she conquered." So much aura wowie

Antimetabole

When words in one phrase or sentence are repeated in reverse order in the next.

"Ask not what your girlfriend can do for you; ask what you can do for your girlfriend."

Chiasmus

When ideas or words are repeated in reverse order, but not exactly the same words.

"Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you."

Polyptoton

When words with the same root but different endings are repeated close together.

"Choosy hooligans choose to fail."(The words choosy and choose come from the same root.)

Metaphor

When you say something is something else to show a similarity (without using "like" or "as").

"Time is a thief." (It means time steals moments from us.)

Simile

When you compare two things using "like" or "as."

"She is as dumb as a 5 yr old"

Synecdoche

When you use a part of something to represent the whole, or the whole to represent a part.

"Can you give me a hand. I'd appreciate 10 million dollars?" ("Hand" means help.)

Metonymy

When you use a word that's closely related to something to represent it.

"School loves seeing kids stress over their work."
("School" means teachers)

Antanaclasis

When a word is repeated but with a different meaning each time.

"Your argument is sound, nothing but sound."(The first "sound" means strong or good, the second means noise.)

Personification

When you give human qualities to something that isn't human.

"The wind whispered through the trees."

Apostrophe

When you talk to someone or something that isn't there or can't respond.

"O Death, where is thy sting?" (Here, I am speaking directly to Death as if it's a person.)

Hyperbole

When you use a big, exaggerated statement to make a point.

"I'm so hungry I could eat an obese cow."

Litotes

When you say something by using a negative to mean a positive (or the opposite).

"She's not bad at singing." (It means she sings well, but in a mid way.)

Rhetorical Question

asking a question, not for the purpose of eliciting an answer but to assert or deny an answer implicitly

Irony

When what happens is the opposite of what you expect, or when you say something but mean the opposite.

A fire station burns down.

Oxymoron

When two opposite words are put together to make a new meaning.

"Jumbo shrimp"
"Bittersweet"

Paradox

A statement that seems to contradict itself but is true.

"Less is more"

Paronamasia

A joke or play on words that sound alike but have different meanings.

"I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough."

Syllepsis

When one word is used in two different ways in the same sentence.

"He stole my heart and my wallet." ("Stole" is used both literally for the wallet and figuratively for the heart.)

Anthimeria

When you use a word in a new way, often changing its part of speech (like using a noun as a verb).

"Let me Google that." (Using the noun Google as a verb.)

Periphrasis (autonomasia)

Using a longer phrase or a special name instead of a simple word.

Saying "the city that never sleeps" instead of "New York."

Allusion

When you mention something famous or well-known without explaining it.

"He's a real Romeo with the ladies."