Rhetorical Devices
1. expletive- word or phrase set aside for emphasis
e.g. He, without doubt, can be trusted.
2. asyndeton- elimination of conjunction in a list of items
e.g. apples, pears, oranges
3. polysyndeton- addition of conjunctions between each item in a list
e.g. He loves running and jumping and swimming.
4. understatement- to make something seems less important than it is
e.g. Hurricane Katrina disrupted New Orleans businesses somewhat.
5. litotes- denying the opposite or contrary of the word which would normally be used
e.g. Heat waves are not rare in the summer. Instead of: Heat waves are common in the summer.
6. parallelism- using similar patterns in parts of sentences or whole sentences
e.g. He liked to eat watermelon and to avoid grapefruit.
7. chiasmus- a clause that is inversely repeated, resulting in a new meaning; often uses different words
e.g. Charm is a woman’s strength, strength is a man’s charm.
antimetabole (subcategory of chiasmus)- reverses the exact word order in a phrase to juxtapose the meaning
e.g. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
8. antithesis- juxtaposing contrasting ideas
e.g. To err is human; to forgive, divine.
9. anaphora- repetition of the same word/s at the beginning of successive structures
e.g. In books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come; in books warlike affairs are set forth; from books come forth the laws of peace.
10. epistrophe- the opposite of anaphora
e.g. The cars do not sell because the engineering is inferior, the quality of materials is inferior, and the workmanship is inferior.
11. anadiplosis- repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or near the beginning of the next
e.g. This treatment plant has a record of uncommon reliability, a reliability envied by every other water treatment facility on the coast.
12. epanalepsis- repeats the beginning word of a clause/sentence at the end
e.g. Water alone dug this giant canyon; yes, just plain water.
13. hypophora- raising a question then answering it
e.g. What behavior, then, is uniquely human? My theory is . . .
14. rhetorical question- a question to which an answer is not required
e.g. What is love?
15. procatalepsis- anticipating an objection and answering it
e.g. It is usually argued at this point . . . The answer to this is . . .
16. metabasis- a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow
e.g. Now that I have made this catalogue of swindles and perversions, let me give another example of the kind of writing that they lead to.
17. distinctio- to refine the meaning of a word
e.g. To make methanol for 25 cents a gallon is impossible; by “impossible” I mean currently beyond our capabilities
18. scesis onomaton- using a string of synonymous phrases
e.g. We succeeded, we were victorious, we accomplished the feat!
19. apophasis- to emphasize something by passing over it or denying it
e.g. She’s bright, well-read, and personable – to say nothing of her modesty.
20. metanoia- qualify or correct a statement by recalling a portion of it
e.g. These new textbooks will improve the lives of children, or rather the children of this district.
21. aporia- to express doubt about an idea or conclusion
e.g. I have never been able to decide whether I really approve of dress codes, because extremism seems to reign both with and without them.
22. simile- comparison of 2 things that resemble each other in some way using the words “like” or “as”
e.g. The soul in the body is like a bird in a cage.
23. analogy- comparison of 2 things which are alike in several ways to explain a difficult idea
e.g. An essay conclusion can be likened to when a rapper drops his mike and leaves the stage.
24. metaphor- compares 2 different things by saying they equal each other
e.g. The mind is but a barren soil.
25. catachresis- an extravagant metaphor
e.g. The little old lady turtled along at ten mph.
26. synecdoche- using a part to stand for the whole or vice versa
e.g. 200 hundred head of cattle (you don’t mean just their heads, the heads stand for the cattle)
27. metonymy-replaces the name of one thing with the name of something else closely associated with it
e.g. The Oval Office for the President; the Crown for the queen of England; the bottle for alcohol; the press for journalists
28. hyperbole- excessive overstatement
e.g. There are a thousand reasons why more research is needed on solar energy.
29. allusion- reference to a famous person or event
e.g. If you take his parking space, you can expect WWII all over again.
30. eponym- uses the name of a famous person to stand for the attribute associated with them
e.g. An earthworm is the Hercules of the soil.
31. oxymoron- two contradictory terms juxtaposed
e.g. eloquent silence, jumbo shrimp
32. parenthesis- a word/phrase/sentence inserted as an aside
e.g. I cannot eat liver (not that I ever would).
33. alliteration- repetition of initial consonant sounds
e.g. What a delicious day!
34. consonance- repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words close together
e.g. He had a hot foot that pained him when he walked and skipped.
35. assonance- repetition of vowel sounds in words close together
e.g. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
36. onomatopoeia- words whose sound resembles their meaning
e.g. crash, ring, swoop
37. apostrophe- the writer interrupts the text by addressing the reader
e.g. What is the meaning, I ask you the reader, or this particular sword?
38. antiphrasis- a one word irony
e.g. “Come here, Tiny,” he said to the fat man.
39. epizeuxis- repetition of one word
e.g. What do you see? Monkeys, monkeys, everywhere monkeys.
40. aposiopesis- leaving a statement unfinished
e.g. I’ve got to make the team or I’ll –
41. enumeratio- detailing parts, effects, or consequences to make a point
e.g. I love her eyes, her hair, her nose, her cheeks.
42. antanagoge- placing a good point next to a criticism
e.g. True, he always forgets my birthday, but he buys me presents all the time.
43. exemplum- using an example as a proof
44. appositive- a noun phrase used after a noun to give extra information
e.g. Ms. Smith, the principal, loves kids.
45. zeugma- one word or phrase refers to 2 or more in the same sentence
e.g. Give them thy fingers, me thy lips to kiss. (fingers…to kiss; lips to kiss)
46. cliché-an expression overused to the point that it has lost its original effectiveness
e.g. strong as an ox; get your ducks in a row; not the brightest crayon in the box
Rhetorical Devices—Page 3 of 3