Rhetorical Devices: Vocab set 9

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art; can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical.

Allusion (ex:)

“Plan ahead: it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark”

Analogy –

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Analogy (ex:)

Her smile was like sunshine—brightening everything in its path

Anaphora –

repetition where the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.

Anaphora (ex:)

Life is short, life is fragile, life is precious

Anecdote –

(of an incident in one's life) A short narrative, typically focusing on a single interesting episode or event.

Anecdote (ex:)

“As a child, I once climbed a tree to retrieve a kite and found myself stuck, leading to a neighborhood rescue mission.”

Antecedent –

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Antecedent (ex:)

“Darleen didn’t come to school today. She must be sick.”

Antithesis —

a rhetorical and literary device with parallel grammar structure but creates opposition in ideas and/or characters. (for emphasis)

Antithesis (ex:) —

“the hare was fast, and the tortoise was slow”

Analysis

 break into parts and put the parts back together in a framework that makes sense —your interpretation of the piece or your thesis.

Analysis (ex:) —

“She wrote an analysis on tangled and the effects of a narcissistic parent.”

Asyndeton –

A list that removes conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unplanned multiplicity.

Asyndeton (ex:) —

“I came, I saw, I conquered”

Chiasmus —

this is a type of parallel structure where two successive phrases or clauses have the same syntax (sentence type/ arrangement) but reversed word order

Chiasmus (ex:) —

“Pleasure’s a sin and sometimes sin’s a pleasure.” “She’s hurting those who love her and loving those who hurt her.”

Clause –

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. (dependent clause: can not stand alone; independent clause: can stand alone)

Colloquial/colloquialism –

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. (gives the impression of a conversational or familiar tone)

Colloquial (ex:) —

“All that glitters, isn’t gold”

Connotation –

The words, images, or attitudes associated with a word, the implied, suggested meaning.

Connotation (ex:) —

“She was feeling blue.”

Denotation —

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.

Denotation (ex:) —

“She likes the color blue.”

Diction –

Related to style, diction refers to the words a writer chooses, especially in terms of their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. (complements the authors purpose)

Diction (ex:) —

Jonathan Edwards utilizes scary diction to manipulate his audience.

Ethos –

One of three of Aristotle’s modes of persuasion, ethos deals with a writer’s credibility and character. (how does author create/destroy ethos and why do they want this credibility and how do they do it.)

Euphemism –

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

Euphemism (ex:) —

saying “she passed” instead of “she died”

Ethos (ex:) —

Jay utilized Artistotles teaching in TYFA, to establish his ethos.

Hyperbole –

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

Hyperbole (ex:) —

“I’m so hungry I could eat a cow.”

Imagery –

 The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or create sensory response. (normally related to the five senses: smell, touch, taste, hear, and see)

Imagery (ex:) —

The smell of strong perfume wafted in the air.

Inverted syntax –

A reversal in the syntactical or typical order of a sentence

Inverted Syntax (ex:) —

Never have I seen such a breathtaking sunset.' (places emphasis on the sunset. by placing the verb before the subject.)

Irony —

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant