Rhetorical Terms

Anaphora example

"Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better"

Logos example

"Every day, tuberculosis kills 5,000 people. The global incidence rate of tuberculosis is rising; therefore, we need to commit more resources to finding a more effective cure."

Epistrophe example

"I'll have my bond! Speak not against my bond! I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond!" (The Merchant of Venice, III, iii, 3-4)

Metonymy example

"The White House declared" rather than "The President declared"

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Asyndeton

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Puns example

A horse is a very stable animal.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Consonance example

All's well that ends well

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Ethos example

As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results.

Alliteration example

Becky's beagle barked and bayed, becoming bothersome for Billy.

Synecdoche example

Could you possibly LEND ME YOUR EAR?

Metaphor example

He was a stainless steel ruler, tall, straight and always measured in response.

Hyperbole example

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Allusion example

If he's not careful, his love life could end up like Romeo and Juliet's.

Pathos example

If we don't move soon, we're all going to die! Can't you see how dangerous it would be to stay?

Antithesis example

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

Analogy example

Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.

Onomatopoeia example

KABOOM! Kaboom! Ka-blast Way in the past the miners mined for ore. They searched for copper, iron and salt, for that and much, much more.

Simile example

Life is like a box of chocolates, cute as a kitten, as blind as a bat, She hung her head like a dying flower.

assonance example

Men sell the wedding bells

Asyndeton example

On his return he received medals, honors, treasures, titles, fame.

Consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Polysyndeton example

They read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and talked and flunked.

Synecdoche

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

Puns

a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.

Pathos

a quality that evokes pity or sadness

Logos

an appeal based on logic or reason

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Oxymoron example

jumbo shrimp

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Euphemism example

saying "he passed on" rather than "he died"

Ethos

the credibility of the speaker

Polysyndeton

the deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis

Antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Alliteration

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

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences