Rhetorical Devices

Sententia: A fancy term for a quotation, maxim, or wise saying.

A word to the wise is sufficient.

Anadiplosis: Uses the last word of a sentence or phase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase. Conduplicatio:Takes an important word from anywhere in one sentence or phrase and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase.

Anadiplosis: In education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom. Conduplicatio: This law destroys the fruits of thirty years of struggle, bringing us back to a less enlightened time. Law should be evolutionary, building up rather than tearing down.

Anaphora: A device in which the writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences. Epistrophe: A device in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences. Symploce: A device that combines both of the above devices to complete a type of complete parallelism.

Anaphora: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; Epistrophe: When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Symploce: We enjoy life when we know ourselves to be free of temptation and sin, but we enjoy life also when we give ourselves completely to temptation and sin.

Asyndeton: A stylistic device that leaves out conjunctions in a list or between clauses. Polysyndeton: A stylistic device that puts conjunctions between all items in a list and between all clauses.

Asyndeton: It was a great prize, a reward for years of service. Polysyndeton: The runner passed the ten-mile mark and the fifteen and the twenty, and the finish line loomed in front of him.

Rhetorical question: Something of a cousin to hypophora, a rhetorical question asks a question with an answer that is merely implied.

Do you really think that's a good idea?

Climax: A way of organizing ideas in your writing so that they proceed from the least to the most important.

From concept, to pan, to fully developed paper...

Parenthesis: A device that is used to insert an aside or additional information into the main flow of your writing. Most teachers recommend not actually using parenthesis marks.

Here is where you will learn how to handle supplemental material, material that helps to expand and clarify your ideas.

Enumeratio: Refers to the act of supplying a list of details about something. It is used structurally to expand on a central idea, lending force to that idea by enumerating its many different facets.

I went to the mall, the park, the river, the salon, and, finally, home.

Aporia: A device a writer uses to express doubt about an idea.

It's possible this device should not come next, but we'll give it a try.

Eponym: Similar to an allusion, an eponym refers to a specific famous person to link his or her attributes with someone else.

Keep moving through these devices, and soon you'll be a regular Hemingway.

Procatalepsis: Another relative of hypophora, procatalepsis deals specifically with objections, and it usually does so without even asking the question.

Many other experts want to classify Sanskrit as an extinct language, but I do not.

Parallelism: Consists of using the same general structure for multiple parts of a sentence, or for multiple sentences, in order to link them all. Chiasmus: A special form of parallelism that flips the original form around.

Parallelism: The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessing; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Parallelism vs Chiasmus: He smiled happily and laughed joyfully. He smiled happily and joyfully laughed.

Apostrophe: A device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object.

So we near our conclusion, and I must ask you, my wise reader, to bear with me for one more small digression.

Hypophora: Asking a question, then proceeding to answer it.

So what is this rhetorical device? Read on, and you will see.

Synecdoche: The use of a part of something to represent the whole. Metonymy: Allows you to refer to something closely related to the actual object, and use that as a way of referring to the object itself.

Synecdoche: The rancher boasted about how many head of cattle he owned. Metonymy: The White House answered its critics.

Antithesis: Makes use of a contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas.

That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Analogy: Makes use of a concept that is already well known to explain something that is more complex.

The analogy is as important to the writer as the computer model is to the builder.

Epithet: A stylistic device that involves attaching a descriptive adjective to a noun to bring a scene to life or evoke a particular idea or emotion.

The clear-eyed pilot safely landed the plane.

Antanagoge: A way of ordering points to downplay negative points so that the reader feels less strongly about them.

The formal names of these devices might be confusing, but certainly their use is extremely important for someone who wants to be a top-notch writer.

Metabasis: A device used to sum up a body of work that has come before, so that you can move on to a new point.

The previous passages explain when they got here, and who brought them. The next quotation shows how and why they made the journey.

Metaphor: A close relative to a simile, which compares something to another, metaphor speaks of one thing as though it actually were another.

The sun, a curious child, peered over the top of the mountain.

Hyperbaton: A device in which you arrange the words in your sentence in an unexpected order.

The water, cold, chilled me to the bone.

Parataxis: Involves listing a series of clauses with no conjunctions.

Think of a topic, jot down your ideas, write your essay.

Amplification: A device in which writers repeat something they've just said, while adding more detail and information to the original description.

This is an important device--more than mere repetition--it's an actual expansion of the information already give.

Hyperbole: Uses exaggeration to give emphasis to a statement.

This is the most popular and commonly used rhetorical device in the entire world of rhetorical devices!

Distinctio: A rhetorical form in which the writer elaborates on the definition of a word, to make sure there is no misunderstanding.

This will be a most informative section -- informative in the sense that you will learn some new ideas, as well as clarify some things you might have thought you already knew.

Zeugma: A device that links unexpected items in a sentence together by a shared word.

Without Zeugma: The runner lost the race. The school then canceled his scholarship. With Zeugma: The runner lost the race and his scholarship.

Litotes: Similar to understatement, emphasizes its point by using a word opposite to the condition.

Without litotes: The trip was a hard journey. With litotes: The trip was no easy easy journey.

Simile: A device in which the writer compares two things that are already somewhat related, using "like," or "as."

Without simile: The sun lit up the mountain. With simile: The sun peered, like a curious child, over the top of the mountain.

Allusion: A reference to some well-known event, place, or person.

You don't have to be Holden Caulfield to appreciate a good allusion.

Understatement: A rhetorical form in which the force of a descriptive statement is less than what one would normally expect.

You might find this device somewhat helpful.

Exemplum: Provides the reader with an example to illustrate your point.

You'll find this device to be very useful, especially in research papers, for example, when you want to cite specific authorities or quote specific sources.

Personification: The act of giving human attributes to something that is non-human.

Your writing will spring to life and energize your readers with fire-breathing ideas.