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Alliteration

The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in several consecutive or neighboring words.

Allusion

A reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place or thing.

Analogy

A comparison between two things intended to show how they are alike.

Anaphora

The repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses; it helps to establish a strong rhythm and produces a powerful emotional effect.

Anecdote

A short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.

Antithesis

A device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.

Asyndeton

The deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Connotative Diction

Words chosen deliberately for the feelings and attitudes associated with them.

Euphemism

The use of a word or phrase that is less expressive or direct but considered less distasteful or offensive than another.

Hyperbole

A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration used for either serious or comic effect.

Irony

The use of words to convey a meaning that is different than what is expected.

Jargon

The language, especially the vocabulary, specific to a particular trade, profession, or group.

Juxtaposition

A device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, often creating an effect of surprise and wit.

Metaphor

A comparison of two unlike things not using like or as.

Paradox

A statement containing contradictory elements that may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd but which actually have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth.

Oxymoron

A form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression.

Parallelism

A grammatical or structural arrangement of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased.

Personification

A kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis—to highlight quantity or mass of detail or to create a flowing, continuous sentence pattern; it slows the pace of the sentence.

Repetition

A device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and to create emphasis.

Rhetorical Fragment

A sentence fragment used deliberately to emphasize a specific point.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply.

Rhetorical Shift

A turn, a change, or a movement in a text resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker or writer.

Simile

A stated comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words like or as.

Statistics

Numerical facts or data used as evidence.

Testimonial

A statement in support of a particular truth, fact, or claim.

Understatement

A kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is.

Ethos

An appeal to credibility or trustworthiness of the speaker or writer of a text; achieved by who you are and what you say.

Logos

An appeal to reason by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up.

Pathos

An appeal to sympathy or empathy in an attempt to emotionally motivate the audience in a particular way (ex, positives might be values, desires, or hopes while negatives might be fears or prejudices)

Audience

The specific listener, viewer, or reader of a text; may have more than one.

Concession

Acknowledgment of the opposing argument as true or reasonable. A strong argument might have a concession paired with a refutation (segment to challenge the validity of the opposing argument).

Counterargument

An opposing argument to the one the writer is putting forward. A strong writer will usually address this to help strengthen his/her claim.

Persona

The personality that a speaker assumes to help reach the audience.

Exclamation

Use of strong emotion to help the author move the audience; generally has an exclamation.

Hypophora

The speaker asks a question and then continues to answer the question for the audience as a way of controlling their thought.

Restatement

Repeating the ideas of what has been said using different words.

Epiphora

Repetition of words at the ends of lines.

Invective

Abusive and negative language that attacks, insults, or denounces a person, topic, or institution.

Trope

A figure of speech in which the words carry a meaning other than their literal sense. (These are all of the figures of speech - the figurative language - you know and love: simile, metaphor, personification, pun, hyperbole, and apostrophe.)