AP English - Rhetorical Devices Definitions

Allegory

A story where characters and events stand for bigger ideas or have a hidden meaning

Alliteration

Words close together that start with the same sound or letter

Allusion

When a story or text mentions something well-known (like a famous person, book, or event) to make a point.

Anaphora

When a writer repeats the same word or phrase at the beginning of several sentences or lines for effect.

Anecdote

A short, simple story someone tells to make a point or share an example

Antithesis

When two opposite ideas are placed close together to show contrast. Has to have the same sentence structure for a few sentences to make the comparison between the two examples given.

Assonance

When words close together have the same vowel sound. Could be rhyming.

Chiasmus

When a sentence repeats ideas in reverse order

Imagery

Descriptive language that helps you picture something using your senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)

Juxtaposition

When two things are placed side-by-side to show their differences

Metaphor

When you say one thing is another to show a strong comparison

Parallelism

When a sentence uses the same pattern or structure to make ideas clear and balanced

Personification

When you give human qualities to something that isn’t human

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to make a point, not to get an answer

Synecdoche

When a part of something stands for the whole, or the whole stands for a part

Synesthesia

When a description mixes two different senses (like sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell)

Tricolon

When a writer uses three parts or phrases in a row for emphasis

Zeugma

When one word is used to describe two different things in different ways