Rhetorical Devices

CHS Honors English

Alliteration

the recurrence of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

a reference to a well-known event, place, person, or work.

Amplification

repeats a word or idea while adding detail to emphasize or clarify its meaning

Analogy

explains one thing by showing how it is similar to another, usually to clarify a relationship or idea.

Anaphora

repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Antimetabole

repeats words or phrases in reverse order.

Antithesis

places contrasting ideas side by side in parallel phrasing.

Appositive

places a noun or noun phrase next to another noun to provide additional description or clarification.

Connotation

refers to the emotional or cultural associations attached to a word beyond its literal definition.

Epithet

a descriptive word or phrase expressing a quality or characteristic of a person or thing.

Extended Metaphor

a metaphor developed over multiple lines or throughout an entire work.

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration.

Metaphor

compares two unlike things by stating one is the other.

Metonymy

substitutes the name of something closely associated with an idea or institution for the thing itself.

Oxymoron

pairs contradictory words for effect

Parallelism

uses similar grammatical structures to show that ideas are equal or connected.

Repetition

repeats words or phrases to emphasize or add importance.

Rhetorical Question

asked to make a point rather than get an answer.

Similie

compares two things using like, as, or than.

Understatement

downplays the importance or seriousness of something for effect.