Rhetorical Devices

Anecdote

A brief story or tale

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it. Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword." (Pen refers to written words, and sword to military force.)

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Analogy

Comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both examples of this device. "Like sand through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives."

Epistrophe

Ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words.

Restatement

Expressing the same idea in different words to clarify and stress key points

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Thesis (Claim)

Focus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.

Imagery

Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. Involves any or all of the five senses.

Rhetorical Devices

Techniques writers use for Argumentative/Persuasive writing and speaking

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. Sentence structure.

Audience

The person(s) reached by a piece of writing.

Author's Purpose

The reason the author has for writing. ( Inform, persuade, express, & entertain)

Parallelism

Use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter.

Connotation

What is implied by a word or the feelings associated with a word. Can be negative, positive, etc.

Allusion

a brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object that the audience should be familiar with

Metaphor/Extended Metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things/the comparison happens for an extended time (throughout a poem or throughout a novel)

Metaphor

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. (Does NOT use like or as.)

Theme

a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work

Pathos: Emotional appeal

attempts to affect the listener's personal feelings

Logos: Logical appeal

attempts to persuade the listener through use of deductive reasoning, logic, or intelligence

Ethos: Appeal to authority or ethics

either claims to be an expert or relies on information provided by experts, makes audience want to "do the right thing"

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Repetition

the action of repeating something that has already been said or written.

Personification

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines Ex: "Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better."