rhetoric schemes and tropes

parallelism

similar patterns of grammatical structure and length

isocolon parallelism

two parallel structures

tricolon parallelism

three parallel structures

antithesis

contrary ideas in a balanced sentence; contrast of opposites

zeumga

single verb refers to two different objects even though it logically only is appropriate for one of the two

anastrophe

inverted order of words or events

ellipsis

implied omission; "..."

asyndeton

no conjunctions, concise, speed and simplicity

polysyndeton

many conjunctions, overwhelming effect

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds

anaphora

repetition of beginning clauses

epistrophe

repetition of a concluding word or endings

anadiplosis

repeating the last word of a clause at the beginning of the next

antimetabole

repetition in reverse order

chiasmus

inversion of word order involving parallelism in a "crisscross" pattern

erotema

rhetorical question; implies an answer, but does not provide one

hypophora

rhetorical question followed by its answer

epiplexis

speaker reproches the audience

metaphor

implicit comparison

simile

explicit comparison using connectors (as, like, than, seems)

synecdoche

part of a whole

reverse synecdoche

whole of a part

metonymy

substitution of a related clause for another with the same or similar subjects

periphrasis

expressing a short idea with more words than necessary

personification

attribution of human characteristics to something non-human

anthimeria

using a different part of speech to act as another

lidotes

understatement that negates the contrary

paradox

sentence that appears to be self-contradictory but ends up making sense

oxymoron

condensed form of paradox in which two contradictory words are used together

irony

discrepancy between what appears to be true and what is actually true

situational irony

appearances do not always reflect realities

verbal irony

saying something different from what is actually meant

satire

human vice or folly is ridiculed in an effort to correct it

dramatic irony

reader/viewer knows more about a situation than the character

cosmic irony

writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character