Rhetorical Devices 1
Comparing objects using like or as
Similie
He’s buried in a sea of paperwork.
Metaphor
The speaker’s attitude toward the subject or audience
Tone
I’ve seen that movie a thousand times.
Hyperbole
A short, interesting or amusing story about a particular person or event told to make a point
Anecdote
A comparison referring to one thing as another that doesn't use like or as
Metaphor
The wind howled in the night.
Personification
The implied meaning of a word
Connotation
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Rhetorical question
The use of an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, like an idea
Symbol
Using extreme exaggeration
Hyperbole
Boom, honk, zap, buzz, cuckoo
Onomatopoeia
A speaker says one thing but means another
Verbal irony
I'm going to powder my nose
Euphemism
The repetition of a word, or group of words, at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences or lines of poetry
Anaphora
A figure of speech that does not literally mean what it says. It has usually been passed down from generation to generation.
Idiom
After wrecking your car you say, "There's a little scratch."
Understatement
A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.
Paradox
The captain commands one hundred sails
Synecdoche
Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts
Juxtaposition
The repetition of a beginning consonant sound in words that are close together
Alliteration
Living dead, deafening silence, exact copy
Oxymoron
Using the same part of speech or grammatical structure to convey equal or relate ideas.
Parallel structure
The pen is mightier than the sword
Metonymy
Is the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause
Polysyndeton