Rhetorical Device Vocabulary 1

**Imagery** - Vivid descriptions that appeal to a reader’s 5 sense

**Juxtaposition** - Putting two contrasting elements together that are so unlike that the effect is surprising, witty, or even startling

**Metaphor** - Comparison without using “like” or “as”

**Denotation** - The dictionary definition of a word

**Diction** - An author’s word choice

**Connotation** - An attitude of feeling associated with a specific word

**Euphemism** - A mild or pleasant term used in place of an unpleasant or offensive one

**Tone** - The attitude or emotion of an author shown in their writing

**Inference** - A logical assumption or educated guess based on facts or observed knowledge

**Parallelism** - several parts of a sentence or several sentences expressed in a similar grammatical form to show that the ideas are equal in importance. Can add balance, rhythm, and emphasis to ideas (Often occurs with anaphora, epistrophe, and/or juxtaposition.)

**Purpose** - The reason an author writes a text: usually to inform, persuade, or entertain

**Understatement** - A statement that says less than it means; often used for comedic effect

**Alliteration** - The repetition of the first consonant sound, occurring close together in a series

**Anecdote** - A usually short narrative (story) of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident

**Rhetorical Question** - A question posed for effect, not requiring an answer

**Verbal Irony** - A statement that expresses the opposite of the literal meaning of the words. Often used for humorous or sarcastic effect

**Allusion** - A brief reference to a famous person or event - often from literature, history, Greek mythology, or the Bible. Can help simplify complex ideas

**Theme** - An underlying message about life or human nature that an author wants you to take away from a text

**Symbolism** - using concrete objects, images, or characters to represent a larger, more universal idea

**Paradox** - A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition that, when investigated or explained, may prove to be well-founded or true

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