stylistic terms

abstract nouns

especially ones ending in io

alliteration

repetition of the same letter or consonantal sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

anaphora

repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences

assonance

the repetition of the same vowel sound in nearby or connected words

asyndeton

two or more clauses or phrases used without any connecting word or not subordinated to each other

balance

two or more phrases placed in the same order (e.g noun + verb, noun + verb) opposite of chiasmus

chiasmus

inversion in the second of two parallel phrases of the order used in the first (e.g noun +verb, verb +noun) opposite of balance

choice and position of words

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clausular ending

rhythmical endings of sentences

enclosing order

where two words which agree with each other are put at the beginning and the end of a longer phrase or sentence, thus enclosing all the other words. Often consists of four words

hendiadys

the use of two separate words to form one composite idea

homoioteleuton

repetition of the same sound at the end of words

juxtaposition

two words placed next to each other for emphasis, often combined with asyndeton

litotes

an understatement, consists of two negatives to express a mild positive

metaphor

a word not used in its original sense but resembling it

play on words

when two similar words of different meaning are used for humorous effect

pleonasm

the use of more words than is necessary

polyptoton

the repetition of a word with the same root, but in a different case or different part of the speech

sarcasm

a feature, though not really stylistic

sibilance

use of the letter s

simile

stating that one thing is like another

superlative

superlative adjective or adverb for emphasis

tautology

use of two words of the same or similar meaning

tricolon

three successive phrases, clauses or sentences, the last of which is usually the longest (tricolon crescendo)

variatio

variation in the way two or more parallel ideas are expressed or in the use of synonyms