Rhetorical Devices

Figurative Language

100

This is a comparison in which something is said to figuratively be something else, as in "Her eyes were stars."

Metaphor

200

This figure of speech gives human elements to non-human things, like "The old house groaned."

Personification

300

A comparison that uses "like" or "as" to link two different things, such as "She is as fast as a cheetah."

A simile.

400

An exaggeration for effect, like saying "I've told you a million times."

Hyperbole

500

This device is a comparison between two similar things, often using metaphor or simile to explain a concept.

An analogy

Sounds and Repetition

100

The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words, as in "She sells seashells."

Alliteration

200

The repetition of a word or words at the start of phrases, clauses, or sentences, as in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Anaphora

300

Words that imitate the sound they refer to, like "buzz," "hiss," or "pop."

Onomotopoeia

400

The repetition of the same vowel sound within words, as in "dolphins sweetly leaping from the deep, blue sea."

Assonance

500

This device is the purposeful use of harsh or discordant sounds. (ex. "The gnashing of teeth and screeching of bats kept me awake.)

Cacophony

Structure and Syntax

100

A rhetorical device that uses grammatically similar phrases or sentences together for emphasis. (ex. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.")

Parallelism

200

This is the reversal of grammatical order in two parallel phrases or sentences, as in "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Chiasmus

300

The ordering of words so that they build up in intensity. (ex. "Look at the sky! It’s a bird! A plane! Superman!")

Climax

400

An interruption in a sentence, often for clarity or emphasis. (ex. "The audience, or at least the paying members of the audience, enjoyed the show.")

Parenthesis

500

The removal of conjunctions from a sentence, as in "Get in, cause a distraction, get out."

Asyndeton

Logic and Argument

100

A brief story about something that happened to the speaker, used to make a point or support an argument.

An anecdote

200

A statement that seems self-contradictory but actually makes sense, like "Less is more."

A paradox

300

A short sentence that presents a truth or opinion in a witty or clever manner. (ex. "A penny saved is a penny earned.)

An aphorism

400

An instance of self-correction, such as retracting or amplifying a previous statement. (ex. "We’ll work on it on Sunday. No, let’s make that Monday—it’s the weekend after, all!")

Metanoia

500

Using parallel sentences or clauses to make a contrast, as in "No pain, no gain."

Antithesis

Misc

100

Using words to mean the opposite of their literal meaning. (ex. "Ashley said it was a beautiful day while drying off from the drenching rain.")

Irony

200

A nickname or descriptive term used to refer to someone, like "Richard the Lionheart."

An epithet

300

Using alternative language to refer to explicit or unpleasant things, like saying "passed away" instead of "died."

A euphemism

400

When the name of something is replaced with something related to it, such as "the White House" for the U.S. government.

Metonymy

500

This is an instance of informal language or a local expression. (ex. "The rain is coming down wicked hard.")

Colloquialism