Rhetorical devices - part 1

A
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of similar sounds, generally at the beginning of words and usually by
means of consonants or consonant sound clusters in a group of words. (“The willfull waterbeds
help me thrall, / the laving laurel turned my tide.”)

Allusion
In literature, this is a reference to another work. (In the Police song “Wrapped Around Your
Finger”, Sting writes, “trapped between the Scylla and Charybdis” in reference to Homer’s
Oddyssey.)

Anecdote
A very short personal story that is told to make a point.

Assonance
Is the repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words.
(Hear the mellow wedding bells. — Edgar Allan Poe, "The Bells" or And murmuring of
innumerable bees - Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Princess
VII.203)

Anaphora

Anaphora is the repetition of a word or sequence of words at the beginning of successive

Not to be mistaken with a simple repetition as anaphora is the repetition of the first part
of successive clauses.
Antonym

A word in opposite meaning to another. Ex. Good-Bad.

C
Consonance
is the repetition, at close intervals, of the final consonants of accented syllables or important
words especially at the ends of words
(as in blank and think or strong and string or Lady lounges lazily and Dark deep dread.)
Contraction

A contraction is a literary device used to make your writing less formal and more
conversational. Since contractions approximate the “sounds” of spoken words used in
informal conversation, they're interpreted in your reader's minds as written language that's
more relaxed and easier to digest

E
Ellipsis

An ellipsis is the narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the
reader to fill in the narrative gaps. The ellipsis punctuation mark is three consecutive dots
used to demonstrate: A pause for effect to increase tension. An unfinished thought, or one
where some meaning is implied and not spelled out

F
Flashback
A scene in a short story, a novel, a narrative poem, or a play that interrupts the action to show
an event that happened earlier.

Foreshadowing
The use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come. Writers use
foreshadowing to create interest and build suspense.

H
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an exaggeration of fact used either for serious or comic effect. (“Her eyes opened
wide as saucers.”)

I
Imagery
Imagery refers to the way words create or suggest pictures in the reader’s mind – what we see,
hear, smell, feel, or taste.
(“The pungent fragrance of orange blossoms sweetly drifted through the air.” / ‘The stunning
blue waters sparkled with brilliant clarity.’)

Irony
A contrast or an incongruity between what is stated and what is meant or between what is
expected to happen and what actually happens. The three kinds of irony are verbal irony, in
which a writer or speakers says one thing and means something entirely different, dramatic
irony, in which a reader or an audience knows something that a character in the story or play
does not know,and irony of situation, in which the writer shows a discrepancy between the
expected result of some action or situation and its actual result. (“It was ironic when the
marriage counselor himself got a divorce.”
M
Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison that is only suggested or implied, with no clear indication of a
relation between the two items. (“Her face is a wrinkled leaf.”)

Motif
A reoccurring feature, such as a name, an image, or a phrase, in a work of literature. A motif
generally contributes in some way to the theme of a short story, novel, poem, or play.

O
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the use of a word in which the sound imitates or suggests its meaning. (Hiss,
clang, snap buzz.)

Oxymoron
A phrase where two or more words are diametrically opposed. (Ex.: sweet sorrow, wise fool,
honest thief, short eternity, less is more)

P
Paradox
A statement that reveals a kind of truth, although it seems at first to be self-contradictory and
untrue.

Personification
A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities.(“Grey mist on the
sea’s face”)

Proverb

A proverb is a short sentence that people often quote, which gives advice or tells you
something about life. An old Arab proverb says, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend. '
Synonyms: saying, saw [old-fashioned], maxim

R
Rhyme

A correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are
used at the ends of lines of poetry.

Repetition
Using repetition as a rhetorical device is simply the author's way of using key words or
phrases to command attention or to say to the reader, ''Hey, pay attention!'' It may also be
used to convey or evoke certain emotions. Repetition, like many other literary devices,
comes in all different styles ex. Anaphora
Rhetorical question

A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point, rather than get an answer.
If you have ever been late, someone might say: 'What time do you call this? ' This
person doesn't want an answer to the question. They are making the point that you
have arrived at an unacceptable time.

S
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is an ironic or satirical remark tempered by humor. Mainly, people use it to say the
opposite of what's true to make someone look or feel foolish.

Simile
A figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of words “like” or
“as”. (My love is like a rose)

Symbol
Any object, person, place, or action that has a meaning in itself and that also stands for
something larger than itself, such as a quality, an attitude, a belief, or a value. Such as a rose if
often a symbol of love.

Synonym

Is a word meaning exactly or almost exactly the same.

Synonyms can be any part of speech, as long as both words belong to the same part of speech.
Examples:

 noun: drink and beverage

T
Tricolon

A tricolon is a rhetorical term for a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses. Plural:
tricolons or tricola. Adjective: tricolonic. Also known as a triadic sentence. For example, this
tricolonic advice for speakers is generally credited to President Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Be
sincere, be brief, be seated." One of the most powerful rhetorical devices.

Dorothy Parker:
I require three things in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid.