Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration

Repetition of the same letter or sound. (e.g.: Saly said her salams.)

Anaphora

Repetition of the first part of the sentence throughout the piece. (e.g.: Everything…; everything…; everything…)

Anecdote

A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. (e.g.: “When I was seven, I mistakenly…”)

Antithesis

Two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. (e.g.: Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.)

Aphorism

A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. (e.g.: We all boil at different degrees.)

Climax

Figure of repetition in which words or phrases or sentences are arranged in order of increasing intensity or importance.

Diction

Choice of words that influences mood, attitude, dialect, and style of writing.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor. (e.g.: I'm so hungry, I could eat an elephant.)

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses.

Irony

Use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts. (e.g.: All's fair in love and war.)

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms. (e.g.: Awfully good.)

Parallelism

Two or more words, phrases, or clauses, that are similar in length and grammatical form. (e.g.: She likes hiking, dancing, and swimming.)

Personification

A nonhuman object being given human qualities; similar to metaphor. (e.g.: The moon smiled at the lonely boy.)

Rhetorical question

A question that is asked in order to make a point rather than to elicit an answer. (e.g.: What’s not to like?)

Simile

Makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things, using like or as.

Ethos

Appeals to credibility.

Pathos

Appeals to emotion.

Logos

Appeals to logic.

Exigence

The part of a rhetorical situation that inspires, provokes, or prompts a writer or speaker to create a text.