Rhetorical Devices

Repetition

A literary device in which a word or phrase is repeated twice or more.

Parallel Structure

The repetition of the same grammatical structures within a sentence.

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Syntax

The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Imagery

Sensory details in a work; use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds or vowel sounds within a formal grouping.

Juxtaposition

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effects.

Allusions

A brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create resonance or symbolic meaning.

Metaphors

A figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things.

Comparisons

A consideration of the similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people.

Personifications

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by giving it human qualities.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Anecdotes

A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Analogies

A comparison between two things, typically for explanation or clarification.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory elements.

Counterargument

An argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory.

Paradox

A statement or situation that may be true but seems impossible or difficult to understand due to containing two opposite facts.

Extended Metaphor

When a metaphor goes on for multiple sentences, paragraphs, or throughout an entire work.

Anaphora

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