Rhetorical devices

flores english clas

Abstract

Language that refers to concepts, ideas, or qualities rather than specific objects or events.

Anecdote

A short story used to illustrate a point or make a connection.

Antithesis

Presentation of two contrasting images with ideas structurally balanced

Aphorism

A short observation/statement that contains a general truth or belief

Colloquialism

Words or phrases often used in informal settings (slang)

Concrete Language

Language referring to actual people place or things

Connotation

The implied meaning of a word based on associations we make with our own mind

Diction

Word choice

Pathos

An appeal to emotions, aiming to persuade an audience by eliciting feelings such as sympathy, fear, or joy.

Euphemism

Metaphors used to describe things that are unpleasant or taboo

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration used to induce humor or emphasize

Inference

A conclusion based on supporting details

Jargon

Words that are very specific to a certain field of study/institution

Logos

Logical appeal - an attempt to appeal to people using logic, statistics, and sound reasoning

Mood

Emotional attitude of a work

Paradox

A statement that spears to contradict itself, but turns out to have rational meaning

Parody

A written or multimedia composition that imitates the style of another well known work by imitating or exaggerating

Satire

A work (fiction or nonfiction) that makes fun of stupid things humans do, sometimes by portraying it in an extreme way

Syllogism

A form of reasoning where a conclusion is drawn from a major premise and a minor premise

Tone

The attitude of an author towards the characters, subject, or audience

Understatement

The opposite of exaggeration

Synesthesia

A description involving crossing the senses

Pedantic

Very formal scholarly writing that is filled with jargon

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word or idea with a related word or concept, often used with body parts

Synecdoche

A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of it’s parts.

Chiasmus

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words are reversed

Oxymoron

When apparently contradicting terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if taken seriously

Polysydenton

When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by a conjunction in order to slow down the pace of writing or to cause emphasis