Appeals
This appeal persuades by using logic, facts, and evidence.
What is Logos?
The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in nearby words (e.g., “wild and woolly”).
What is Alliteration?
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
What is Simile?
A mild or indirect word used instead of something harsh. Give an example.
What is Euphemism?
Repeating similar grammatical structures in a sentence.
What is Parallelism?
This appeal persuades by triggering emotions like sadness, anger, or happiness.
What is Pathos?
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” is an example of this device.
What is Alliteration?
A comparison that says one thing is another thing.
What is Metaphor?
A statement that deliberately makes something seem less important than it is.
What is Understatement?
“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” uses this technique.
What is Parallelism?
This appeal persuades by establishing credibility or trustworthiness.
What is Ethos?
Writers use this sound device to make phrases more memorable or rhythmic.
What is Repetition?
Giving human qualities to animals or objects.
What is Personification?
Placing two ideas side-by-side to highlight their differences.
What is Juxtaposition?
A question asked for effect rather than to get an answer.
What is Rhetorical Question?
A commercial showing statistics about how a product works uses this appeal.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s repeated “I have a dream” phrase is an example of this repetition device at the beginning of clauses.
What is Anaphora?
An extreme exaggeration for emphasis.
What is Hyperbole?
A reference to another famous text, person, or event.
What is Allusion?
Repeating words or phrases for emphasis throughout writing.
What is Repetition?
A speech that highlights the speaker’s experience, education, and character uses this appeal.
What is Ethos?
Repeating a word or phrase at the end of clauses or sentences.
A phrase combining contradictory terms like “deafening silence.”
What is Oxymoron?
Saying the opposite of what you mean for humorous or sarcastic effect.
What is Verbal Irony?
"See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil" uses this technique.
What is Epistrophe?