APEL rhetorical devices

A story or character that represents a broader idea or moral.

Example: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell (farm animals symbolize political figures).

Allegory

Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Example: "She sells sea shells by the sea shore."

Alliteration

Reference to a well-known event, book, or figure.

Example: "Plan ahead: it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."

Allusion

A word or phrase with multiple meanings.

Example: "I saw her duck."

Ambiguity

A comparison showing similarity between two things.

Example: "Life is like a box of chocolates."

Analogy

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of clauses.

Example: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times."

Anaphora

A short, personal story.

Example: A teacher telling a funny story about a student.

Anecdote

The word a pronoun refers to.

Example: "John lost his book." (John = antecedent of his)

Antecedent

Contrasting ideas in parallel structure.

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

Antithesis

A brief statement of general truth.

Example: "Actions speak louder than words."

Aphorism

Addressing someone absent or an abstract idea.

Example: "O Death, where is thy sting?"

Apostrophe

Omitting conjunctions for effect.

Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Asyndeton

The mood or feeling of a work.

Example: Dark clouds create a gloomy atmosphere.

Atmosphere

Harsh, discordant sounds.

Example: "Grunt, clash, screech."

Cacophony

Reversing the order of words in parallel phrases.

Example: "Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You."

Chiasmus

A grammatical unit with subject and verb.

Example: "She runs." (independent clause)

Clause

Logical and clear arrangement of ideas.

Example: Step-by-step instructions in a recipe.

Coherence

Informal, conversational language.

Example: "Y'all" instead of "you all."

Colloquialism

An extended or unusual metaphor.

Example: Comparing love to a compass.

Conceit

Implied meaning or emotion of a word.

Example: "Home" suggests warmth, not just a building.

Connotation

Reasoning from general to specific.

Example: All humans are mortal; Socrates is human; Socrates is mortal.

Deduction

Literal dictionary meaning.

Example: "Snake" = a reptile (no emotion attached).

Denotation

Repetition after an intervening word.

Example: "We will do it, I tell you; we will do it."

Diacope

Author's word choice.

Example: Formal vs. informal language.

Diction

Writing intended to teach a moral.

Example: A fable teaching honesty.

Didactic

Listing parts or details.

Example: "I love her eyes, her hair, her smile."

Enumeratio

Repetition at the end of phrases.

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

Epistrophe

Emphasis using a word or phrase.

Example: "Indeed, this is remarkable."

Expletive

Mild or pleasant expression for something harsh.

Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."

Euphemism

Explaining or interpreting a text.

Example: Analyzing metaphors in a poem.

Explication

Writing that explains or informs.

Example: A science textbook passage.

Exposition

A metaphor developed throughout a work.

Example: Comparing life to a journey across multiple paragraphs.

Extended Metaphor

Non-literal, imaginative language.

Example: "Time is a thief."

Figurative Language

A device producing figurative language.

Example: Simile, metaphor, personification.

Figure of Speech

Category of literary work.

Example: Novel, poetry, drama.

Genre

A moral or spiritual lecture.

Example: A sermon about kindness.

Homily

Exaggeration for effect.

Example: "I've told you a million times!"

Hyperbole

Asking a question then answering it. Example: "What makes a king out of a slave? Courage!"

Hypophora

Language appealing to the senses.

Example: "The golden sun warmed my face."

Imagery

Reasoning from specific to general.

Example: "This swan is white; that swan is white; all swans are white."

Induction

A logical conclusion from evidence.

Example: Seeing dark clouds, you infer it will rain.

Inference

Strong, abusive language.

Example: "You cowardly fool!"

Invective

Contrast between expectation and reality.

Example: A fire station burns down.

Irony

Specialized language of a group.

Example: Legal terms like "habeas corpus."

Jargon

Placing elements side by side for contrast.

Example: Wealthy neighborhood next to a slum.

Juxtaposition

Perfect timing for a statement.

Example: Delivering a joke at just the right moment.

Kairos

Understatement using negation.

Example: "He's no fool" (meaning he's smart).

Litotes

Main idea first, followed by details.

Example: "I went to the park, enjoying the sun, listening to birds, and feeling free."

Loose Sentence

Comparing without using "like" or "as."Example: "Time is a thief."

Metaphor

Substituting a related term.

Example: "The White House announced" (meaning the President).

Metonymy

Emotional effect of a work.

Example: A scary story creates suspenseful mood.

Mood

Telling a story.

Example: A short story about a hero.

Narrative

Statement that doesn't logically follow.

Example: "She drives a car; she must be rich."

Non-sequitur

Words that imitate sounds.

Example: "Buzz," "hiss."

Onomatopoeia

Contradictory terms combined

.Example: "Deafening silence."

Oxymoron

Contradictory but true statement.

Example: "Less is more."

Paradox

Repeated grammatical structures.

Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Parallelism

Imitation for comic effect.

Example: "Scary Movie" parodies horror films.

Parody

Overly scholarly or detailed.

Example: Correcting every minor grammar mistake.

Pedantic

Main idea at the end.

Example: "Excited by the news, I jumped up and shouted."

Periodic Sentence

Giving human traits to non-human things.

Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."

Personification

Using extra conjunctions.

Example: "We laughed and sang and danced and ate."

Polysyndeton

Perspective of narration.

Example: First person: "I walked home." Third person: "He walked home."

Point of View

Adjective describing the subject after a linking verb.

Example: "The sky is blue."

Predicate Adjective

Noun renaming the subject after a linking verb.

Example: "My brother is a doctor."

Predicate Nominative

Ordinary written language.

Example: A novel or essay.

Prose

Repeating words or phrases.

Example: "Never, never, never give up."

Repetition

The art of effective writing or speaking.

Example: Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Rhetoric

Types of writing (exposition, argumentation, description, narration).

Rhetorical Modes

Question not meant to be answered.

Example: "Isn't life strange?"

Rhetorical Question

Bitter or cutting remark.

Example: "Great job cleaning up this mess!"

Sarcasm

Using humor or irony to criticize.

Example: "Animal Farm" satirizes totalitarianism.

Satire

Study of meaning in language

Example: Understanding "cool" as temperature vs. style.

Semantics

Author's choices in language and structure.

Example: Hemingway's terse style vs. Faulkner's elaborate style.

Style

Cannot stand alone; depends on main clause.

Example: "Although it rained, we went outside."

Subordinate Clause

Deductive reasoning with premises.

Example: All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; Socrates is mortal.

Syllogism

Object or action representing a larger idea.

Example: A rose symbolizes love.

Symbolism

Part stands for whole or vice versa.

Example: "All hands on deck."

Synecdoche

Arrangement of words in sentences.

Example: Short, choppy sentences vs. long, flowing sentences.

Syntax

Central idea of a work.

Example: The importance of friendship in Of Mice and Men.

Theme

Main argument in expository writing.

Example: "Social media has more negative than positive effects."

Thesis

Author's attitude.

Example: Sarcastic, serious, humorous.

Tone

Words linking ideas.

Example: "However," "therefore," "meanwhile."

Transition

Three parallel elements in a sentence.

Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Tricolon

Presenting something as smaller than it is.

Example: "It's just a scratch" (for a large cut).

Understatement

Hidden attitude beneath the surface.

Example: A cheerful story with a dark undertone.

Undertone

Clever or inventive language.

Example: "I can resist everything except temptation."

Wit

A word applies to multiple nouns in different ways.

Example: "She broke his heart and his car."

Zeugma