Compelling Content
An exaggeration; typically used to emphasize a point
Hyperbole
The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences
Epistrophe
“Education is like a diamond with many facets.”
- Ronald Reagan, “Proclamation 5463,” April 19, 1986
Simile
“Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments [w]ill hum about mine ears.”
- William Shakespeare, The Tempest, 1623
Onomatopoeia
PACING
“…it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes business people; it takes community leaders; it takes those who protect our health and safety. It takes all of us.”
- Hillary Clinton, “Speech at the Democratic National Convention,” August 27, 1996
An implied or direct reference to a famous person, event, quotation, or piece of literature.
Allusion
Repetition of the beginning sound in words
Alliteration
“and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
- Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address,” November 19, 1863
Epistrophe
“So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “First Inaugural Address,” March 4, 1933
Hyperbole
VOLUME
“So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “First Inaugural Address,” March 4, 1933
Giving human qualities to an object or idea
Personification
Repetition of the same words or group of words at the beginning of a phrase or sentence
Anaphora
“…it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes business people; it takes community leaders; it takes those who protect our health and safety. It takes all of us.”
- Hillary Clinton, “Speech at the Democratic National Convention,” August 27, 1996
Anaphora
“I have done some good, offered some service, shed some light, healed some wounds…
- Jesse Jackson, “1984 Democratic National Convention Address,” July 18, 1984
Parallelism
PUNCH IT
“and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
- Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address,” November 19, 1863
Comparison of two unlike things - indicating something IS another thing.
Metaphor
Words that sound like what they mean
Onomatopoeia
“The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, “The Eyes of World Are upon You,” June 6, 1944
Personification
“And several people wrote to me, we should not be the world’s policeman.”
-Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on Syria,” September 10, 2013
Metaphor
SILENCE
"And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side."
- George W. Bush, “2000 Inaugural Address,” January 20, 2001
Comparison of two unlike things using like or as
Simile
Parts of a sentence that are grammatically the same to add rhythm and clarity
Parallelism
“Boys have been born since that time and have become voters.”
- Anna Howard Shaw, “The Fundamental Principle of aRepublic,” June 21, 1915
Alliteration
"And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side."
- George W. Bush, “2000 Inaugural Address,” January 20, 2001
Allusion
PITCH
“And several people wrote to me, we should not be the world’s policeman.”
-Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on Syria,” September 10, 2013