Chapter 1-5 Rhetorical Devices

parallelism

the presentation of several ideas of equal importance by putting each of them into the same kind of grammatical structure

chiasmus

a type of parallelism in which the balanced elements are presented in reverse order rather than in the same order

antithesis

contrasts two ideas by placing them next to each other, almost always in a parallel structure

climax

the presentation of ideas in the order of increasing importance

asyndeton

omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses in a list

polysyndeton

the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause; the structural opposite of asyndeton

expletive

a word or short phrase, often interrupting a sentence, used to lend emphasis to the words immediately before and after the __________

Example: Clearly, he was lying through his teeth.

irony

involves a statement whose hidden meaning is different from its surface or apparent meaning

understatement

deliberately expresses an idea as less important than it actually is

litotes

a form of understatement, created by denying the opposite of the idea in mind

hyperbole

exaggeration; the opposite of understatement

metabasis

consists of a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow

procatalepsis

anticipates an objection that might be raised by a reader and responds to it, thus permitting an argument to continue moving forward while taking into account opposing points

ex: You might say that this policy is too expensive, but the long-term benefits will outweigh the initial costs.

hypophora

involves asking one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length

distinctio

the presentation of a specific meaning for a word (or reference to the various meanings of a word) in order to prevent ambiguity or confusion

exemplum

provides a specific example

amplification

consists of restating a word or idea and adding more detail

ex:The subway car came to a halt with a jolt; a wrenching, neck-snapping jolt.

metanoia

qualifies a statement or part of a statement by rejecting it or calling it back and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way