Rhetorical Devices Review

These flashcards cover various rhetorical devices along with their definitions and examples for effective review.

What is Adynaton?

A comparison with something impossible to express emphasis.

What is Alliteration?

Repetition of the same sound at the beginning of several words.

What is Anacoluthon?

A lack of grammatical sequence; a change in construction within a sentence.

What is Anadiplosis?

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next.

What is Anaphora?

Repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive phrases/lines.

What is Antistrophe?

Repetition of the same word/phrase at the end of successive clauses.

What is Antithesis?

Opposition/contrast of ideas in a balanced grammatical construction.

What is Aporia?

An expression of doubt about what to say or do.

What is Aposiopesis?

Stopping abruptly in the middle of a sentence due to strong emotion.

What is Apostrophe?

A sudden turn to address a specific person or thing.

What is Archaism?

Use of an older or obsolete form of language.

What is Assonance?

Repetition of vowel sounds in words close to each other.

What is Asyndeton?

Lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases.

What is Catachresis?

A harsh or 'impossible' metaphor; straining words beyond their usual use.

What is Chiasmus?

Two corresponding pairs arranged in inverted order.

What is Climax?

Arrangement of words/phrases in order of increasing importance.

What is Congeries?

Using long lists unnaturally.

What is Consonance?

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

What is Tautology?

Repetition of an idea in a different word or phrase.

What is Tricolon?

A list of three equal parts.

What is Polysyndeton?

Repetition of many conjunctions in close succession.

What is Polyptoton?

Repetition of a word in different forms.

What is Rhetorical Question?

Asking a question for effect with no answer expected.

What is Simile?

Explicit comparison using 'like' or 'as.'

What is Synaesthesia?

Describing one sense in terms of another.

What is Synecdoche?

Using a part to represent the whole (or vice versa).

What is Parataxis?

Simple sentences connected by coordinating conjunctions.

What is Paradox?

A statement that seems contradictory but may contain truth.

What is Periodic Sentence?

A long sentence where the main point is at the very end.

What is Personification?

Attributing human personality to an impersonal thing.

What is Pleonasm?

Use of redundant words that don't add new info.

What is Metaphor?

Implied comparison between two unlike things without 'like' or 'as.'

What is Metonymy?

Substituting a word for another which it suggests.

What is Neologism?

The creation of a new word.

What is Onomatopoeia?

Words that imitate natural sounds.

What is Oxymoron?

Apparent paradox achieved by putting contradictory words together.

What is Paralipsis?

Drawing attention to something by pretending to pass over it.

What is Hypophora?

Asking a rhetorical question and immediately answering it.

What is Hypotaxis?

Complex sentence structure with many subordinate clauses.

What is Irony?

Expressing something contrary to the intended meaning.

What is Isocolon?

Parallel structures that are grammatically identical and equal in length.

What is Litotes?

Understatement, often using a double negative.

What is Euphemism?

Substituting a mild term for one that is harsh or offensive.

What is Geminatio?

Immediate repetition of a word for dramatic effect.

What is Hendiadys?

Expressing a single complex idea by using two words joined by 'and.'

What is Hypallage?

Shifting an adjective from the word it actually modifies to another.

What is Hyperbaton?

Disruption of normal word order.

What is Hyperbole?

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis.

What is Correctio?

Amending a statement just made by adding further detail.

What is Diacope?

Repetition of a word at the beginning and end of a phrase.

What is Ecphonesis?

An emotional exclamation.

What is Epistrophe?

Ending sentences with the same word/phrase.

What is Epizeuxis?

Repeating the same word three times in a row for emphasis.