Rhetorical Devices
Literary Devices
Persuasive Techniques
Examples 1
Examples 2
100

An inquiring statement made to make a point rather than to receive an answer.

What is rhetorical question

100

An exaggeration 

What is hyperbole

100

This technique can be defined as style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer.

What is diction

100

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”

What is Irony

100

The political leader said, “The present government has ruined the economy; it has ruined the education system; and it has ruined the health system of our country.”

What is parallelism

200

A comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it.

What is analogy 

200

A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect

What is oxymoron

200

This is used in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience.

What is tone

200

“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

What is repetition

200

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

What is antithesis

300

Literally means “opposite,” is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect

What is antithesis

300

A word which imitates the natural sounds of a thing.

What is onomatopoeia 

300

Provides a series of examples – facts, specific cases, or instances – to turn a general idea into a concrete one Might be one extended example or a series of related ones Induction – a series of specific examples lead to a general conclusion.

What is exemplification

300

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes;
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”


What is alliteration

300

A slippery spot on the soccer field could be the difference in a player's stability during a shot that results in missing the net, losing a game and not winning the World Cup. This may influence an entire nation. In a world without the slippery spot, the goal might have been scored, the World Cup won and the spirits of a nation lifted.

Extra 100 pts if you can specify which subcategory of technique or device being used.

This is an example of cause and effect.

Extra 100 pts if mentioned Butterfly Effect Cause and Effect.

400

A short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to support or demonstrate some point.

What is anecdote

400

A figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics.

What is metaphor

400

Identifying the similarities and differences between two things

What is compare and contrast

400

“Learnèd Faustus, to find the secrets of astronomy
Graven in the book of Jove’s high firmament,
Did mount him up to scale Olympus’ top,
Where, sitting in a chariot burning bright,
Drawn by the strength of yokèd dragons’ necks,
He views the clouds, the planets, and the stars.”

What is an Allusion


Extra 100 pts for each identified allusion

400

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”

What is an irony

500

 A noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it.

What is appositive

500

To use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses

What is imagery

500

A relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other or others.

What is cause and effect

500

“When the others went swimming my son said he was going in, too. He pulled his dripping trunks from the line where they had hung all through the shower and wrung them out. Languidly, and with no thought of going in, I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment. As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death.”

What is imagery

500

They crowded very close about him, with their hands always on him in a careful, caressing grip, as though all the while feeling him to make sure he was there. It was like men handling a fish which is still alive and may jump back into the water.


What is analogy