Rhetorical Devices - 7

1. Allegory: When a text (or chunk of a text) has a completely symbolic level.

1. Example: As soon as I get home from school I take a long nap

1. Alliteration: When words close together in a sentence have the same letter or sound.

1. Example: School sucks when Sandy stalks.

1. Anachronism: An object that is out of place for the time period.

1. Example: The teacher was wearing a monocle on her right eye.

1. Allusion: When someone references another work (could be a movie, poem, book, etc) indirectly

1. Example: When your teacher tells you to "Get Your Head in the Game"

1. Ambiguity: a sentence that can be interpreted in more than one way

1. Example: When your teacher tells you to bring colored pencils, markers, and/or crayons for the activity tomorrow

10. Syllogism: An argument or reasoning that arrives at a conclusion derived from two premises.

10. Example: A school lab holds students; students use lab equipment; thus, a school lab contains lab equipment.

10. Invective: Hurtful, disparaging language used insult or verbally abuse.

10. Example: Charlie was called "chicken" after refusing to do the dare.

11. Understatement: the presentation of something smaller than it really is.

11. Example: As I walked out of my english class, I asked my friends how hard the math test was. They said it was easy, however I failed the test miserably even though I studied all week.

11. Transition: Words that connect sentences or other forms of writing so that they flow.

11. Example: Consequently, Kaeden was caught cheating and got ISS.

11. Tone: The general attitude of a situation, piece of literature, or voice.

11. Example: In the dead of night, Amesha ran through the abandoned school and was attacked by a crazy teacher lady. It was a very tragic day indeed.

11. Theme: The main or recurring idea in a piece of literature.

11. Example: The teacher gave the theme of school for the quizlet assignment.

12. Semantics: The analysis of meaning in Human Language.

12. Example: A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

12. Hyperbole: An obvious exaggeration to place emphasis.

12. Example: My math homework will take a million years.

12. Style: The manner in which an author expresses themselves through their writing.

12. Example: The car pulled up, nearly taking off my side view mirror. The Challenger, coated with a Stygian purple from bumper to bumper, pulled up mere inches away from my side view mirror.

12. Imagery: Descriptive language used to explain a situation.

12. Example: The crowded halls were flooded with masks in a multitude of colors.

13. Appeals to Emotion: Using a person's feelings to change the way they may feel about a topic.

13. Example: A student begged for an extension on the assignment because a family member was in the hospital.

13. Appeals to Logic: Using facts and evidence to prove your point.

13. Example: Studies show that studying every night will help you learn the material better.

13. Appeals to Authority: Using someone who has knowledge of a topic to prove a point.

13. Example: The student that took the class last year says that math class is easy.

2. Aphorism: A blunt phrase containing a true statement or wisdom.

2. Example: An A in school does not mean an A in life

2. Apostrophe: When a character speaks to someone or something that is not living, in the way that they would if it were living.

2. Example: Ashley as she is looking at her exam, " Oh, you are going to be the reason I fail this class."

2. Analogy: An analogy is the comparison between two like things to relate a possibly foreign idea into something familiar.

2. Example: If you don't study, your tests will be like trainwreck.

2. Antithesis: Antithesis means opposite. It is used when two different ideas are put near each other in a sentence to create contrast.

2. Example: Teachers must speak and students must listen.

3. Colloquial/ Colloquialism: Words and sayings that are not formal and used in everyday conversation.

3. Example: Going nuts- going crazy, gonna- going to, ain't- are not, y'all- you all "All this homework is making me go nuts."

3. Atmosphere: The mood, emotion, or feeling that an author creates in a story.

3. Example: I sat in my seat, tapping my foot and fidgeting with my pencil, as I waited for the teacher to place my final calculus exam on my desk.

3. Conceit: Is when two different objects are compared in an extended metaphor.

3. Example: On the first day of school, finding classes is difficult and makes students feel lost in the woods.

3. Caricature: An exaggeration of characteristics of a certain thing or person to make it funny and distorted.

3. Example: The teachers ears were smoking as she gave another student an F on the health test.

4. Denotation: The dictionary meaning of a word; voiding the feelings associated with the word used.

4. Example: On today's exam, I was good enough to get all the answers correct.

4. Didactic: Writing that does not include opinionated thoughts, and focuses on strict facts.

4. Example: Professor Jean's lesson was full of instructional material but lacked the stereotypical Harry Potter references.

4. Diction: The specific word choice a writer uses depending on the audience.

4. Example: The math class was so lit today because Mr. Walker is the goat at teaching.

4. Connotation: When a word has additional meaning or expressions along with its literal meaning.

4. Example: The student was sitting in class longing for the warmth and coziness of her home.

4. Doppelganger: Someone or something (such as a ghostlike apparition) that resembles a living person but is not biologically related to them.

4. Example: When the student walked in the door, the teacher thought she had Elvis Presley as a student because of the way he looked.

5. Euphemism - an inoffensive word or phrase that is used to replace something harsh, blunt, or unpleasant

5. Example - Although he's not the sharpest pencil in the box, he sure does give it his all in class.

5. Extended Metaphor - A metaphor which identifies and compares two unlike things and is conveyed by the author through multiple lengthy linked meanings. (lengthy metaphor)

5. Example - The scavenger bird, a cheater on a test, scouring over its prey, quietly watching. Observing and waiting for the right time to swoop in and take what it needs. They must be patient but careful not to stir up too much of a commotion. They're success rate depends on it. Finally, after surveying the conditions and risks, they get what they came for and move on.

5. Figurative language: An umbrella term for whenever a word or phrase is used in a different way than the its normal everyday, usage. This can be used to provide a deeper meaning(hyperboles and symbolism), work as sound devices such as onomatopoeia or create a comparison (similes and metaphors)

5. Example: We had a mountain of homework last night. The school is like a prison.

5.Figures of speech: A type of figurative language in which words or phrases rely on a implied or suggested meaning instead of a their dictionary or literal meaning. Figures of speech include idioms and proverbs.

5.Example: I passed my math test with flying colors

6. Semantics: any word or text's true meaning or word relations.

6. Example: A student asks a teacher, "Can I use the bathroom?" and the teacher responds with, "May you use the restroom". Although they both mean the same thing, one is more polite than the other.

6. Style: Defines the way the author uses words in the text. This is influenced by the author's word choice, sentence structure, and the use of figurative language.

6. Example: Edgar Allen Poe's style of writing is very descriptive and gothic.

7. Metonymy: Replacing a phrase with a characteristic or word associated with it.

7. Example: I had to read Shakespeare for class.

7. Synecdoche: A figure of speech that uses a part (of an object) to represent the whole.

7. Example: My teacher said that this school year we would "be in good hands".

7. Verbal Irony: When a speaker says one thing but means the complete opposite.

7. Example: The student spilled their coffee all over their homework and then exclaimed "this is absolutely fantastic!"

7. Situational Irony: When the outcome of a situation is something that was not expected at all.

7. Example: The teacher tried taking her own test and failed.

8. Mood: The atmosphere or feeling the author creates in a piece of writing

8. Example: During the test, the classroom was cold, quiet, and bleak. No one dared to make a noise, as they felt their score would be invalidated if they did. The air was filled with fear and regret; Barely anyone had studied the night before.

8. Narrative: A story an author wants to tell. Narratives usually have characters, dialogue, and most importantly, a plot.

8. Example: Johnny looked around the school in terror. A few moments ago, he had noticed a hole in the bottom of his backpack. Across the hall, he heard "Help! It's coming towards me!" He now knew that it was an incredibly bad idea to bring his pet tarantula to school.

8. Paradox: A statement that is logical but contradicts itself.

8. Example: Nobody goes to the cafeteria because it's always crowded.

8. Oxymoron: A phrase made up of words that are opposite in meaning to convey a message.

8. Example: While doing the math homework I let out a silent scream.

9. Personification: applying human characteristics or nature to something nonhuman, or to have someone abstract be represented in human form. Usually done with verbs.

9. Example: The bell was yelling on the top of its lungs, signaling them all to leave for the day.

9. Parody vs. Satire: both create a comic effect. Parodies mimic a well known work in a silly or exaggerated way primarily just for humor, but satire uses humor and exaggeration to make a deeper point about/bring disapproval upon a problem in humanity.

9. Example: The student tried to make others laugh by saying, "one test, two test, red test, blue test" when the teacher assigned the second quiz in a week. (parody) To make a point about his underpayment, the teacher pointed to his new pens and said, "Only 5 hours' work for those!" (satire)

9. In media res: beginning a story in the middle of the action/after events have already taken place, skipping a detailed introduction. Details about prior events are then revealed throughout the story through flashbacks, dialogue, and thoughts.

9. Example: The teacher said he wanted to tell us all about his day. He started by saying, "I stormed into the lunchroom seething with anger."

9. Repetition: Repeating a simple word or phrase over and over in order to show and secure emphasis on an idea or action.

9. Example: The teacher's phone rang again, again, and again, and they still didn't answer it.

7. Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something that the characters in the story don't.

Example: Andres thinks he aced his test because the class average is an A, but the audience knows Ms. Rook gave him an F.

6. Litote: When a double-negative statement is used to explain something positively, so that the negatives cancel out.

Example: "I heard that teacher isn't half bad."

10. Third Person Omniscient Point of View: Telling a story through an all-knowing narrator who is not a character.

Example: Ally wanted to take Grace's spot on the debate team this year, but vowed to never tell her. However, Grace still had her suspicions about Ally's motives.

14. Comedy: As a literary device it is a tool that is used to make the audience or reader laugh. Comedy can be conveyed in a variety of ways from hyperboles to puns and much more.

Example: As the dads gathered around the grill Bill pulled out his best dad joke saying "Yesterday I ate a clock, it was very time consuming."

10. First Person Point of View: Telling a story through a character who is also the narrator.

Example: Ashley liked the red notebooks, but I preferred the blue ones.

7. Syntax: Grammatical rules that determine how words are put together to form sentences.

Example: Correct syntax would be "I failed the test", rather than "Me fail test".

10. Prose: Writing that is arranged in sentences and paragraphs and has no specific structure, often used in everyday conversation.

Example: Everyone was silent and sullen on the walk to class, for the semester exam would be upon them once they arrived.

10. Third Person Limited Point of View: Telling a story through an outside narrator who only knows the thoughts and feelings of one or a few characters.

Example: Mr. Leroy had been angry at Jerry for the past week, and Jerry still had no idea why.

7. Metaphor: An indirect and not literal comparison between two words or phrases that aren't alike, but have something in common by stating one thing is another thing.

Example: School is a prison.

6. Bildungsroman: A novel or book that is written around the concept of someone's coming of age, or growth through, usually, their early life.

Example: The book To Kill A Mockingbird.

14. Dialogue: Direct conversational exchange between two or more people or characters

Example: The boy begged his teacher saying "Please let me turn my essay in one second late." However, his teacher turned him away explaining "Go back and look at your syllabus."

14. Juxtaposition: Opposing concepts placed side by side to bring out their differences- often times seeming unusual in their comparison like they would otherwise never be together.

example: The teacher bounced about the class eager for the lesson while the students slumped solemnly in their seats dreading the day ahead.