Syntax-Based Rhetorical Devices (Schemes)

anadiplosis (balance)

• “to double back” - the repetition of the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next

• “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

anaphora (repetition)

• “carrying back” — the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

• commonly in conjunction with climax & parallelism

• “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.”

antithesis (balance)

• “setting opposite” — the creation of a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure

• “To err is to human; to forgive, divine.”

asyndeton (balance & emphasis)

• a deliberate omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses

• “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

antimetabole/chiasmus (balance & emphasis)

• repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order

• “Ask not what your country can do for you—- ask what you can do for your country.”

climax (drama)

• “ladder” — the arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences in the order of increasing importance, weight, or emphasis

• parallelism usually forms a part of the arrangement because it offers a sense of moving up the ladder of importance.

• “I think we’ve reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation, not only for all humanity, but for life upon the earth.”

epanalepsis (balance & emphasis)

• the repetition of the first word of a clause or sentence at the end of the sentence.

• “In the world, ye shall have trials, but be of good cheer—- I have overcome the world.”

epistrophe (balance & emphasis)

• the repetition of the same term at the ending of successive clauses

• “[g]overnment of the people, by the people, for the people…”

hypophora (drama & transition)

• raising 1 or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length

• a common usage is to ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph & then use that paragraph to answer it

• actually answers the question explicitly (unlike rhetorical question)

• “Who shall say that the American dream is ended? For myself, I believe that all we have done upon this continent…”

parallelism (balance & emphasis)

• any structure that displays recurrent syntactical similarity

• “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessing; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

polysyndeton (balance & emphasis)

• the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause

• structurally the opposite of an asyndeton

• “If there be cords, or knives, poison, or fire, or suffocating streams, I’ll not endure it.”

procatalepsis (anticipating & argument)

• the rhetorical act of anticipating an objection + answering it

• “it is again objected to as a very absurd ridiculous custom…. But this Objection is, I think, a little unworthy so refined an age as ours. Let us argue this matter calmly…”

anadiplosis (balance)

• give a sense of logical progression

• used for emphasis of the repeated word or idea, since repetition has a reinforcing effect

• focuses the reader’s attention

anaphora (repetition)

• creates especially strong emphasis + sense of continuity between rhetorical points

• (A)

antithesis (balance)

• useful for making relatively fine distinctions + clarifying differences which might otherwise have been overlooked

asyndeton (balance & emphasis)

• speed up the rhythm of speech

• create the effect of an improvisational speech

• make an idea more memorable

antimetabole/chiasmus (balance & emphasis)

• pleasing to the ear

• expresses a truth through complement/contrast in order to provoke thought in the reader

climax (drama)

• creates a sense of tension or grandeur, ultimately placing rhetorical emphasis on the final word, phrase, or clause

epanalepsis (balance & emphasis)

• creates rhetorical emphasis + continuity (almost poetic)

epistrophe (balance & emphasis)

• creates especially strong emphasis + sense of continuity between rhetorical points

• (E)

hypophora (drama & transition)

• allows the speaker to anticipate + answer questions the listener may already have

  or

• allows the speaker to convince the listener of the importance of questions they may have never considered

parallelism (balance & emphasis)

• the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance

• adds balance, rhythm, + clarity to the sentence (clarity is most important)

polysyndeton (balance & emphasis)

• multiplicity, energetic enumeration, building up

procatalepsis (anticipating & argument)

• permits an argument to continue moving forward….

• while taking into account points/reasons opposing the train of thought/its final conclusions