Rhetorical Device Study Guide
antimetabole
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
Anadiplosis
"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
amplification
"The dog is an excellent breed, full of intelligence, loyalty, and overall healthfulness" rather than "The dog is an excellent breed"
Enthymeme
"With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good" Or: "Where there is smoke, there is fire"
epistrophe
"government of the people, by the people, for the people"
anaphora
"let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops... Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains... Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies..."
apostrophe
"twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are"
ad hominem
(attacking character)
red herring fallacy
(distracting)
non sequitur fallacy
(does not relate logically to what comes before it)
Band Wagon Appeal
(if everyone is doing it)
Strawman Fallacy
(oversimplifying)
circular reasoning
(repeats claim as evidence)
Syllogism
All cars have wheels. I have a car. My car has wheels.
synecdoche
Check out my new wheels.
distinctio
Complete this task within 3 minutes. Rather than simple: Complete the task. (creates specifics to prevent confusion or ambiguity)
inductive reasoning
Every time you eat peanuts, you start to cough. You are allergic to peanuts.
appeals to pathos (emotion)
If you don't adopt the puppy, he may never find a home
periodic sentence
In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued.
deductive reasoning
It's dangerous to drive on icy streets. The streets are icy now, so it would be dangerous to drive.
antithesis
Love is an ideal thing; marriage is a real thing. Or: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
appeals to logos (data)
People who eat chocolate are 72% happier than those who don't
zeugma
She broke his car and his heart; I caught a fish and a cold.
isocolon
Signed, sealed, delivered; or : Finders, Keepers, losers, weepers
appeals to ethos (credibility)
The New York Times stated that "..."
exemplum
The boy who cried wolf. (a type of exemplum used as an example for people in order to teach them to be honest)
oxymoron
The comedian was seriously funny. Or: It's a love hate relationship.
metonymy
The pen is mightier than the sword; Or: Let me give you a hand
Polysndeton
They have food and money and candy and shoes and toys and homework and a test...
asyndeton
They wake up, brush teeth, make coffee, get the mail, fix dinner, watch tv.
chiasmus
We walked tiredly; drowsily, we ambled along toward the hotel.
cumulative sentence
You can pass all your classes with good study habits and good attendance.
metanoia
You will pass the test if you do your homework; no, not just do it, but do it well.
litotes
Your room is not unclean. Or: The ice cream was not too bad.
appositive phrase
the hero, Captain America, saved the world
paradox
wise fool; Or: "I can resist anything but temptation"