Rhetoric Terms

allusion - a direct or indirect reference to previous literature or history

anadiplosis - word ends one sentence or phrase and begins the next

anaphora - repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence

asyndeton - short direct sentences using no conjunctions

chiasmus - two clauses or sentences where the phrasing is exactly or almost exactly the opposite of the clause before

diacope - the repetition of a word or phrase after a brief pause

double epithet - using two words with almost identical definition joined by a conjunction

epistrophe - repetition of a word at the end of multiple sentences

epizeuxis - the immediate repetition or a word or phrase

isolcolon - two clauses or sentences in identical form, stating opposites or two different ideas

litotes - double negative or negating the opposite to express a positive statement

merism - a figure of speech where you list all the parts of something

paradox - stating two inherently opposing ideas “all cops are criminals, all sinners are saints”

periphrasis - using fancier language to make something sound more complex than it actually is

polyptoton - using a word in multiple parts of speech

polysyndeton - long, complex sentences using lots of conjunctions

preterition - acting like you’re not drawing attention to something when you actually are

rhetorical question - a question where you are not supposed to answer

syllogism - transient property - a=b b=c a=c

transferred epithet - where the adjective is applied to the wrong noun

tricolon - a list of three distinct parts

tricolon crescens - a list of three distinct parts in increasing order of size or importance