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Rhetorical Devices
rhetorical and literary devices used in speeches
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alliteration: | repetition of the same sound beginning several words in sequence. EX: "Let us go forth to lead the land we love" |
| Allusion: | a reference to a familiar person, place, or thing. EX: "One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves..." |
| Anacoluthon: | lack of grammatical sequence; a change in the grammatical construction within the same sentence. EX: She didn't say — oh my goodness, the dog ate that?! |
| Anadiplosis: | ("doubling back") repetition of a word that ends one clause at the beginning of the next. EX: "Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task" |
| Anaphora: | the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines. EX: "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin" |
| Anastrophe: | transposition of normal word order EX: "Begun, the clone war has" |
| Anecdote: | a short story to prove a point |
| Antistrophe: | repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses EX: "Don't you talk about any of my friends. You don't know any of my friends..." |
| Antithesis: | when two opposites are introduced in a sentence for contrasting effect EX: We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools" |
| Aporia: | expression of doubt (often insincere) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do EX: "Do you really think __ is a good idea?" |
| Aposiopesis: | a form of ellipse by which a speaker comes to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion (fear, excitement, etc.) or modesty. |
| Apostrophe: | a sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present. EX: twinkle twinkle little star |
| Assonance: | repetition of the same sound in words close to each other. EX: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done" |
| Asyndeton: | a figure of speech in which one or several conjunctions are omitted from a series of related clauses EX: "I came, I saw, I conquered" |
| Cacophony: | harsh joining of sounds. EX: "We want no parlay with you and your grisly gang who work your wicked will" |
| Catachresis: | a harsh metaphor involving the use of a word beyond its strict sphere. EX: "I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear" |
| Climax: | arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power. Often the last emphatic word in one phrase or clause is repeated as the first emphatic word of the next. |
| Euphemism: | substitution of a non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant. EX: passed away = died |
| Hyperbole: | exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect. |
| Hysteron Proteron: | occurs when the first key word of the idea refers to something that happens temporally later than the second key word. EX: I'm going to kill that magician. I'll dismember him and then I'll sue him. |
| Irony: | expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean another. EX: "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honorable man" |
| Litotes: | understatement, for intensification, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed. EX: War is not healthy for children and other living things. |
| Metaphor: | implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words (no like or as) |
| Metonymy: | substitution of one word for another which it suggests. EX: "He is a man of the cloth" "The pen is mightier than the sword" |
| Negative Definition: | describes something by telling what it is NOT rather than, or in addition to, what it is. |
| Onomatopoeia: | use of words to imitate natural sounds; accommodation of sound to sense. . |
| Oxymoron: | juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one another |
| Paradox: | an assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it. EX: What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young. |
| Parallel Structure: | repeating of phrases or sentences similar in structure. "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden..." |
| Paraprosdokian: | surprise or unexpected ending of a phrase or series EX: I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. |
| Paronomasia: | use of similar sounding words; often etymological word-play. EX: "Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man" "Get that bird a glass of water--he’s perched" |
| Personification: | attribution of personality to an impersonal thing. EX: England expects every man to do his duty. Lord Nelson |
| Pleonasm: | Use of superfluous or redundant words EX: Burning fire Cash money end result all together |
| Polysyndeton: | the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses. EX: "He pulled the blue plastic tarp off of him and folded it and carried it out to the grocery cart and..." |
| Paraleipsis (praeteritio): | the device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject, EX: I will not dwell on the senator's shady history with the criminal underworld or on her alcoholic son. Such issues should not be brought up in a reasoned debate. |
Created by:
mma129
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