English - Rhetorical Devices

**Repetition**

the deliberate repeating of a key word or phrase within a single sentence or successive sentences

**Parallelism**

the use of a common grammatical structure or “formula” in a series of segments within a single sentence or in a series of sentences

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(person + action + emotion)

**Anadiplosis**

It refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause. (doubling back)

Anticlimax

a special type of parallelism where each segment becomes increasingly less significant in terms of importance

Climax

a special type of parallelism where each segment becomes increasingly more significant in terms of importance

Balance

the use of a common grammatical “formula” in a sentence that is physically cut in two (by a comma, semicolon, or conjunction), creating two equally significant halves

Antithesis

a special type of balance where the two equal halves of the sentence contain contrasting ideas

Chiasmus

when the word order in the second half of a sentence is an inversion of the word order in the first half

Anaphora

the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence

Polysyndeton

the deliberate inclusion of the coordinating conjunctions (*and, but, or, nor*) between the segments within a sentence

Asyndeton

the deliberate omission  of the coordinating conjunctions (*and, but, or, nor*) between the segments within a sentence

**Allusion**

indirect reference to a well-known event, person, thing, place or literature

**Cliché**

a phrase, expression or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty

**Hyperbole**

an extravagant exaggeration

**Idiom**

expressions that do not have a literal meaning; rather, they establish their connotation by how they are used in speech

**Understatement**

creates the reverse effect (and adds a touch of irony) by making the fact seem less significant

**Metaphor**

compares two unlike things without the use of *like* or *as*; requires more interpretation

**Simile**

compares two unlike things using *like* or *as*

**Paradox & Juxtaposition**

Contrasts two or more ideas, concepts, or themes.

**Oxymoron**

the placement of words that mean the opposite of one another side by side so that they create new meaning

**Irony**

when what is said or what is happening is the opposite of what is expected

**Rhetorical Question**

a question not answered by the writer because the answers are obvious; intended to make the reader think

**Wit**

a type of intellectual or clever humour

**Personification**

giving an object/non human things human like characteristics

**Alliteration**

repetition of initial sounds at the beginning of a series of words

**Imagery**

detailed description of what something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels like

**Argumentative Essay**

to convince you of the validity of the writer’s point of view (thesis) through logic and presented in the order of importance

usually presents both sides but convinces you to take one side more forcefully than the other. Uses a lot of contrasts.

**Descriptive Essay**

to describe a person, place, or event with sensory details to allow the reader to visualize the subject

**Expository Essay**

to explain a subject, theory, idea, or phenomenon to the audience; to inform

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to “ex-pose” or “ex-plain”

**Narrative Essay**

to narrate a sequence of events, tell a story, or outline a plot usually in chronological order. Author may remember his/her past, memorable person or event from that past, or even observe the present.  Usually makes a point

**Persuasive Essay**

To change the reader’s attitude or to motivate the reader to take action through emotional appeals.

**Literary Essay**

To explore the meaning and construction of literary work. Focuses on / analyzes elements of literature such as theme, character, setting, style, tone, etc.

Thesis

The **main point** or concept that the author is trying to convey.

Can be found anywhere

Inductive Reasoning

Theory → Hypothesis → Observation → Confirmation → Theory

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(General)

Deductive Reasoning

Observation → Pattern → Tentative Hypothesis → Theory → Observation

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(Specific)

LAAVISH

Methods of Proof

Literary Reference

reference to a piece of literary/written work (i.e. Bible, great novel, play, poem, etc.)

**Appeal to Authority Figure**

reference to an expert in the field

**Attempt to Draw in Reader**

use of the pronoun “you” to grab reader’s attention

**Verifiable Fact**

any statistic, number, fact, etc. that can be looked up and confirmed

**Illustrations Using Contrast**

use of two contrasting examples (i.e. natural teas are nutritious, however, coffee is superior because of its taste)

**Statement of Author’s Opinion**

personal belief; strong, yet biased opinion

**Historical Reference**

to an actual person/event