Literary Devices and Syntax Techniques

Juxtaposition

implies comparison or contrast by placing two opposites side by side

Antithesis

When something or someone is in direct contrast or the obverse of another thing/person

Oxymoron

pairing two contradicting words together

Paradox

a statement that first seems contradictory but upon reflection makes sense

Anadiplosis

beginning and ending a phrase/clause with the same word/words

Epanalepsis

is used at the end of a sentence

Alliteration

occurrence of the same letter at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Asyndeton

the omission/absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence

Polysyndeton

the repeated use of coordinating conjunctions to connect different items in a sentence

Apostrophe

a direct address, usually to someone/something not present

Allusion

reference in a work of literature to something outside of it (Cultural, Historical, Biblical, Mythological)

Ellipsis

a word (or several) not necessary for two complete understandable constructions

Foreshadowing

to indicate/hint at something that will follow or appear later in a story

Synesthesia

to present something in a manner so that it appeals to one sense at a time

Rhetorical Question

a question asked for effect, not in expectation of a reply because there's only one possible answer

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration or an overstatement

Understatement

the presentation of something being smaller, or less important than it is

Parallelism

repetition of a grammatical element in writing/speaking such as words, structure, etc.

Epistrophe

repetition of word/Phrase at end of sentences/clauses/phrases

Simile

directly expressed comparison using 'like' or 'as'

Metaphor

a comparison expressed without use of 'like' or 'as'

Analogy

Creates comparison by two seemingly different things using a bigger point or to explain

Personification

endows the non-human characteristics with human characteristics

Pun

play on words using similar or identical sounds but different meanings

Euphemism

Use of indirection to avoid offensive bluntness

Malapropism

the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar one for humor

Aphorism

A pithy observation that contains a general truth

Metonymy

Uses a related word or phrase to refer to something

Synecdoche

part of something used to signify the whole or vice versa

Antimetabole

the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order

Chiasmus

Reversing grammatical structures in phrases or clauses

Balanced Sentence

a sentence made up of two parts that are roughly equal in length, importance, and grammatical structure

Cumulative Sentence

an independent clause followed by one or more modifiers

Periodic Sentence

a sentence that places the main idea at the end, after one or more important side points

Ethos

appeal to ethics (credibility, authority)

Pathos

appeal to emotion (personal testimonies, descriptions)

Logos

appeal to logic (data, research, facts)