RHETORICAL CHOICES/ STRATEGIES

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words, especially when employed for stylistic effect

Shelly sells seashells by the sea shore

I've been devalued, dismissed, denied...

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference especially in literature

"That's my Achilles heel"

"He's a cool guy, but he becomes a lovesick Romeo every time he's around her."

"She has the Midas touch"

Ambiguity

A word or expression that can be understood in two or more possible ways

I saw her duck.

I gave her cat food.

Analogy

A comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect

Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you're gonna get.

Finding a good man is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect

"This is the way the world ends / this is the way the world ends / this is the way the world ends / not with a bang, but with a whimper"

Antithesis

The rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences

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

Give me liberty, or give me death!

Assonance

Repetition of vowels without repetition of consonants (as in stony and holy) used as an alternative to rhyme in verse

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Asyndeton

Omission of the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses

I came, I saw, I conquered

Without looking, without making a sound, without talking...

Cacophemism

A word or expression that's generally perceived as harsh, impolite, or offensive, although it may be used in a humorous context

She kicked the bucket

You're a pig

Colloquiallism

A local or regional dialect expression

Y'all vs you all vs youse guys

Pop vs soda

"Bless her heart"

Connotation

The suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes. Usually positive, negative, or neutral.

Chilly vs Frigid vs Crisp

Scorching vs balmy

Denotation

A direct, specific (or dictionary) meaning of a word

Diction

Choice of words, especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

Formal: "The man spoke with a refined and articulate manner."

Informal: "He talked like a real pro."

Colloquial: "He was cool with the plan."

Double Etendre

A word or expression capable of two interpretations with one usually risqué

Deathless death

"My pump well flowered"

Sandy Cheeks / Bikini Bottom

Euphemism

The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

She's passed on to a better place

Between jobs

Let go

Hyperbole

Extravagant exaggeration

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse

I must have 1,000 pages of homework to do tonight

This bag weighs a ton

Idiom

An expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its element or in its grammatically atypical use of words

Up in the air = undecided

Give way

"That's how the cookie crumbles"

Imagery

A figurative language technique in which descriptive language is used to appeal to one or more the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell)

Irony

The use of words to express something other than (and especially the opposite) of the literal meaning

A fire station burns down.

A marriage counselor files for divorce.

"Oh great, you broke my new camera!"

(Sarcasm)

Jargon

1 the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group

2 obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words

"Habeas corpus"

Bandwidth

Juxtaposition

The act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect

War and peace

Fire and ice

Life and death

Metaphor

An expression that describes a person or object by referring to something that is considered to possess similar characteristics

"Time is a thief."

"The world's a stage."

"He has a heart of stone."

Mood

The general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates in the reader

The night was dark and stormy.

The abandoned house loomed, silent and gloomy

Overstatement

To state in too strong terms, to exaggerate

I have a ton of homework.

I'm dying of laughter.

This is the best thing ever!

Oxymoron

A combination of contradictory or incongruous words

Bittersweet

Deafening silence

Paradox

A statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true

Less is more.

This is the beginning of the end.

I know one thing: that I know nothing.

Parallel Structure

A grammatical technique used in literature that involves repeating words or phrases with similar grammatical structures and meanings within a sentence or paragraph

She likes cooking, jogging, and reading.

He was a wise, considerate, and generous man.

Parody

A literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule

Scary Movie

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Personification

Attribution of personal qualities or characteristics on an object or idea

The wind whispered through the trees.

The flowers danced in the breeze.

Polysyndeton

Repetition of conjunctions in close succession

We have ships and men and money and stores.

I wore a sweater, and a hat, and a scarf, and a pair of boots.

He ran and jumped and laughed for joy.

Repetition

Repeating words, phrases, lines, or stanzas in a piece of writing or speech for an effect

"Equal pay, equal pay"

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Rhetorical Question

A question not intended to require an answer

"Are you kidding me?"

Why bother?

Can you imagine that?

Rhythm

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of writing, which creates a beat and pace

Sarcasm

Using satirical or ironic language with an opposite meaning of the intended message for the effect of humor or to cause pain

"I just LOVE grading papers on my weekend off"

"I love it when students talk over me"

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as

He's as brave as a lion.

Her smile was as bright as the sun.

Syllogism

A deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion

Every virtue is laudable; kindness is a virtue; therefore kindness is laudable

Symbol

Something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance especially a visible sign of something invisible

Syntax

The order in which linguistic elements (such as words) are put together to form constituents (such as phrases or clauses)

To the store, I will go.

She sang beautifully

Understatement

A statement that represents something as smaller or less intense, or less important than it really is

It's just a scratch (but has a gaping wound)

I did okay (but got a perfect score)