Rhetorical Devices with examples

analogy (str.)

A comparison, makes use of something already well known to explain something that is less well known. ex: Just as a parent is liable for damages caused by his minor children, so too should a dog owner be responsible for his dog.

sententia (str.)

a quotation, maxim, or wise saying ex: As is often said, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

allusion (str.)

a reference to some fairly well-known event, place, person. ex: The new war was Vietnam all over again.

antanagoge (org.) (an tan a GO je)

a way of ordering points to downplay negative points so that the reader feels less strongly about them. ex: She can be quick to anger, but when you're in need, she'll always be there.

zeugma (style) (ZOOG ma)

broad device in which unexpected ties in a sentence are linked together by a shared word. ex: The runner LOST the race and his scholarship.

symploce (analysis) (SIM ple see)

combines both anaphora and epistrophe. ex: We enjoy life when we know ourselves to be free of temptation and sin, but we enjoy life also when we give ourselves to temptation and sin.

aporia (analysis)

device a writer will use to express doubt about an idea. ex: I'm unsure whether to be in favor of harsher penalties or opposed to them, as the arguments on both sides seem very strong.

rhetorical question (str.)

device in which the answer to the question asked is merely implied. ex: How can we expect a man to give more than we ourselves are willing to give?

understatement (str.)

device in which the force of a descriptive statement is less than what one would normally expect ex: The Middle East is currently having some troubles.

epistrophe (analysis)

device in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the END of multiple clauses or sentences. ex: When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child...

hyperbaton (style)

device in which the words in the sentence are arranged in an unexpected order. ex: You have to admit it was a long year, but bearable.

apostrophe (org.)

device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object. ex: So we near our conclusion, and I must ask you. my wise reader, to bear with me for one more small digression.

simile (str.)

device in which the writer compares two things that are already somewhat related (like, as) ex: The sun peered, like a curious child, over the top of the mountain.

distinctio (str.) (dis TINK she oh)

device in which the writer elaborates on the definition of a word, to make sure there is no misunderstanding. ex: At this point, we have a short time left - a short time being less than fifty years.

anaphora (analysis) ( a NAF ora)

device in which the writer repeats a word or phrase at the BEGINNING of multiple clauses or sentences. ex: To every thing 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...

metaphor (str.)

device that connects one subject with another that may not be obviously related and speaks of one thing as though it actually were another ex: She is a snake.

hyperbole (str.)

device that consists of exaggerating some part of a statement in order to give it emphasis or focus ex: The planet is getting so crowded we may have to take turns sitting down.

procatalepsis (str.) (pro-cat-a-lep'-sis)

device that deals specifically with OBJECTIONS, and it usually does so without even asking the question. ex: Many other experts want to classify Sanskrit as an extinct language, but I do not.

litotes (str.) (lie TOE teez)

device that emphasizes its point by using a word opposite to the condition. ex: The trip was no easy journey.

antithesis (str.)

device that makes use of a contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas. ex: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

parallelism (org.)

device that uses the same general structure for multiple parts of a sentence, or for multiple sentences

parenthesis (org.)

device used to insert an aside or additional information into the main flow of the writing. May use parenthesis symbols ( ), but more often will not. ex: The governor - fool that he is - vetoed the bill even after it passed both houses of the legislator unanimously.

metabasis (org.) (met a BAY sis)

device used to sum up a body of work that has come before in order to move on to a new point. ex: The previous passages explain when they got here, and who brought them. The next quotation shows how and why they made the journey.

conduplicatio (org.)

form of repetition that takes an important word from ANYWHERE in one sentence or phrase and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase ex: 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.

anadiplosis (org.) (an'-a-di-plo'-sis)

form of repetition that takes the LAST WORD of a sentence or phrase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase. ex: In education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom.

polysyndeton (style)

form that INSERTS a conjunction between every item to add stylistic force ex: His hair AND face AND eyes AND mouth combined to form an image of absolute power.

asyndeton (style)

form that LEAVES OUT conjunctions in a list or between clauses to add stylistic force. ex: He was tall, dark, handsome.

epithet (style)

involves attaching a descriptive (often unexpected) adjective to a noun to bring a scene to life or evoke a particular idea or emotion. ex: A healing wind blew through the diseased hospital.

parataxis (analysis)

involves listing a series of clauses with no conjunctions ex: I came, I saw, I conquered.

exemplum (str.)

provides the reader with an example to illustrate or clarify a point.

eponym (str.)

refers to a specific famous person to link his or her attributes with someone else ex: A modern day Moses, he led his nation to a new beginning.

metonymy (style)

refers to something CLOSELY RELATED to the actual object to refer to the object itself. ex: The White House answered its critics.

enumeratio (org.) (e noo mer A te oh)

refers to the act of supplying a list of details about something to expand on a central idea, lending force to that idea by enumerating its many different facets. ex: This is a multi-step process: Think of an example, write it down, turn it in, and get a good grade.

chiasmus (org.) (kie AZ mes)

special form of parallelism (more ornate) that flips the original form around parallelism: He smiled happily and laughed joyfully chiasmus: He smiled happily and joyfully laughed.

personification (analysis)

the act of giving human attributes to something that is non-human ex: The wind gently swept through the valley and slipped in through the cracks in the barn.

climax (org.)

the culminating point in a sequence of ideas, ordered from least to most important. ex: Curiosity leads to discovery, leads to knowledge, leads to wisdom. (What other rhetorical device is here?)

amplification (analysis)

the repetition of something that has been just said, while adding more detail and information to the original description in order to focus the reader's attention on an idea that s/he might otherwise miss. ex: It was a cold day, a wicked day, a day of biting winds and bitter frost.

hypophora (str.)

the technique of asking a question, then proceeding to answer it. ex: How do we know this to be true? We have observed it in the lab.

synecdoche (style)

the use of a PART of something to represent a whole. ex: The captain shouted, "All HANDS on deck."