LA - U2 Rhetorical Devices (Examples)

absolute language

"Everyone knows this is the only correct answer."

ad hominem fallacy

"Your argument is wrong because you're lazy."

allusion

"This plan is our Trojan Horse."

anadiplosis

"Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate."

analogy

"Studying is like planting seeds—you get results later."

anaphora

"We will fight, we will rise, we will win."

antimetabole

"You should eat to live, not live to eat."

antiphrasis

"Nice job," said to someone who failed miserably.

antithetical language

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

aphorism

"Actions speak louder than words."

argumentum ad baculum

"Agree with me or lose your job."

bandwagon appeal

"Everyone else is buying it, so you should too."

chiasmus

"Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."

conditional sentence

"If you study, you will pass."

connotation

Using "slim" instead of "skinny."

cumulative sentence

"The house stood quietly, surrounded by trees, warmed by sunlight, softened by age."

declarative sentence

"The test is tomorrow."

double entendre

"The chef's cooking is hot."

either-or fallacy

"You're either with us or against us."

epistrophe

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

exclusive language

"Those people don't belong here."

generalization

"Teenagers are always on their phones."

hyperbole

"I've told you a million times."

imperative sentence

"Close the door."

inclusive language

"We all share responsibility for the outcome."

metaphor

"Time is a thief."

narrative pace

"He ran. He stumbled. He fell."

parallelism

"She came, she saw, she conquered."

periodic sentence

"Despite the rain and the traffic, I made it on time."

polysyndeton

"He laughed and cried and screamed and danced."

pun

"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

qualified language

"This solution will probably help in most cases."

reductio ad absurdum

"If we ignore homework, society will collapse."

rhetorical question

"Who wouldn’t want free money?"

salutation

"Dear Senator,"

satiric tone

"Oh yes, because ruining the planet is exactly what we needed."

slippery-slope fallacy

"If you miss one assignment, you'll fail the class, fail school, and ruin your life."

syllogistic reasoning

"All humans are mortal; Socrates is human; therefore, Socrates is mortal."

tense (past vs. present; perfect; progressive)

past: "She walked." present: "She walks." perfect: "She has walked." progressive: "She is walking."

zeugma

"She broke his car and his heart."