Rhetorical Devices

Understatement

"I have to have this operation. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain."

Prose

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." 1984 by George Orwell

Juxtaposition

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Rhetorical

(of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information.

Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

Irony

A fire station burns down.

Hyperbole

A ton of worry was lifted from the beggar's back when he received the alms.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Colloquial

A word, phrase, or form of pronunciation that is acceptable in casual conversation but not in formal, written communication. It is considered more acceptable than slang

Imagery

Glittering white, the blanket of snow covered everything in sight.

Metaphor

My brother was boiling mad.

Simile

Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

Alliteration

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Euphemism

The substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh or blunt one, as in the use of "pass away" instead of "die."

Personification

The wind whispered through dry grass.

Dialect / Vernacular

Vernacular is the use of ordinary, everyday, and plain language in speaking or writing. Dialect is related to a particular region, geographical area, a particular social class, or an occupational group.

Paradox

You can save money by spending it.

Aphorism

a famous quotation

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa "wheels on a car"

Idiom

a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light ).

Literary Conceit

a kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way. = extended metaphor

3rd Person Point of View Omniscient

a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story

Anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Proverb

a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice "A bad workman always blames his tools."

Maxim

a statement that gives behavioral advice

Allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

Parody

an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.

Expository

are used in exposition, which is a literary device used to introduce background information about events, characters and other elements of a work to the audience

Jargon

defined as the use of specific phrases and words in a particular situation, profession, or trade. These specialized terms are used to convey hidden meanings accepted and understood in that field

Euphonious

defined as the use of words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create

Analogy

exploring a topic by explaining it in terms of another seemingly unlike but more commonplace and less complicated object, or experience

1st Person Point of View

first person is someone telling you his or her story, and second person is you being told how you should do something

Allegory

is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events

Narrative

is a report of related events presented to listeners or readers, in words arranged in a logical sequence

Passive Voice

is a type of a clause or sentence in which an action (through verb), or an object of a sentence, is emphasized rather than its subject. Simply, the subject receives the action of the verb. The emphasis or focus is on the action, while the subject is not known or is less important.

Invective

is insulting or abusive language used to express blame or severe disapproval

3rd Person Point of View Limited

is writing from from the outsider's perspective, and uses pronouns like he, she, it, or they.

Figurative Language

language that uses nonliteral figures of speech (such as simile, hyperbole, and metaphor) to convey an idea in an imaginative way.

Epithet

nickname "Magic" Johnson

Ambiguity

open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.

Abstract

refers to a short summary or outline of a longer work. As an adjective applied to writing or literary works, abstract refers to words or phrases that name things not knowable through the five senses

Cacophonous

refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing, and unmelodious sounds - primarily those of consonants - to achieve desired results

Anachronism

something out of the proper time

Apostrophe

speaking to a non-living thing "I said to love"

Metonymy

the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant "crown for royalty"

Satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

Oxymoron

two contradictory words, "sweet pain"