AP Language Rhetorical Devices

Antithesis

two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

periodic sentence

sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end

loose sentence

A complex sentence in which the main clause comes first and the subordinate clause follows

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Litotes

speaker avoids making a claim directly, and denies its opposite or an understatement

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Parallelism

using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure, sound, meaning, or meter

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences

euphony

pleasant, harmonious sounds in poetry, or beauty in the language

cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds or words, resulting in an unpleasant effect or a tongue twister

Asyndeton

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions

anastrophe

rearranging the order of words in a poem, to show emphasis and creativity

Chiasmus

when the words or other elements are repeated with their order reversed

Zeugma

one part of a speech in a sentence which affects two or more parts of a sentence

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Synesthesia

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

aphormism

a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

rhetorical question

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer