Figurative and Rhetorical Devices

40 terms and examples

133375303	allegory	a narrative in which the characters and sometime the setting represent general concepts and ideas
133375304	alliteration	the repetition of initial consonant sounds
133375305	allusion	an indirect reference to literature, art, history - source is not given, the reader is expected to know it
133375306	anadiplosis	repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause
133375307	analogy	a method to help the reader understand something unfamiliar by comparing it to something well-known
133385290	anaphora	repetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of successive clauses
133385291	anecdote	a brief account of some interesting incident based on a person's life which often reveals a character trait. Establishes a personal, intimate rapport with reader/audience
133385292	antithesis	parallel structure in which two ideas are directly opposed to set up a juxtapoisition
133385293	antonomasia	substituting a proper name with a descriptive word or phrase
133385294	appeals	strategies for persuading audiences and advancing arguments
133385295	apostrophe	a figure of speech by which the speaker directly addresses a person who is not physically present (through absence or death) or addresses and abstract concept
133385296	assonance	a device by which vowel sounds are repeated
133385297	closing by return	a technique whereby the rhetor ends a piece by alluding to a topic/issue presented at the beginning of a piece. It offers continuity, reinforcement & completion
133385298	connotation	the associated meanings implied by a word
133385299	denotation	the literal/dictionary meaning of the word
133385300	enallage	substitution of one part of speech for another; an equivalent would be making a verb out of a noun, using an adverb instead of an adjective etc.
133385301	epizeuxis	repetition of the same word for emphasis
133385302	hyperbole	deliberate exaggeration to create a dramatic or humorous effect
133385303	imagery	appealing to one or more of the senses by creating vivid pictures through concrete details, adjectives, and figures of speech
133385304	inverse word order	gives variety and emphasis to writing by changing the usual subject-verb-object sentence pattern
133385305	irony	words are used to convey the opposite meaning (verbal) to create tension (dramatic) or to alter the expected outcome (situational)
133385306	juxtaposition	placing contradictory images, concepts, ideas, characters side by side
133385307	malapropism	absurd or humouous misuse of a word instead of a correct one with a similar sound (may or may not be intentional)
133385308	metaphor	directly compares two unlike things (without the use of like or as)
133385309	metonymy	substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads')
133385310	onomatopoeia	using words that imitate the sound they denote
133385311	oxymoron	conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')
133385312	paradox	a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
133385313	parallel structure	using grammatically similar structure, often with repetition, to emphasize ideas or images
133385314	periodic sentence	a complex sentence in which the main clause comes last and is preceded by the subordinate clause
133385315	personification	representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature
133385316	pun	a humorous play on words
133385317	reversals	a form of parallel structure where words are repeated in reverse
133385318	rhetorical questions	a question that doesn't invite an actual response but just makes the audience think
133385319	sentence fragment	a sentence missing a subject or verb or complete thought; places emphasis on a few key words for dramatic or humorous effect
133385320	simile	comparison using like or as
133385321	symbol	something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible
133385322	synecdoche	using a part of something to represent the whole thing
133385323	tri-colon	Sentence consisting of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses.
133385324	litotes	understatement; deliberately making a fact seem less important
133406160	allegory	Dante sees three beasts blocking his path: a leopard, a she-wolf, and a lion
133406161	alliteration	"Full fathom five thy father lies."
133406162	allusion	Said the Lieutenant, "Well, blessed are the peacemakers, especially the fighting peacemakers! "
133406163	anadiplosis	"The years to come seemed waste of breath, waste of breath the years behind."
133406164	analogy	Paley compares an eyeball to a pocket watch to argue that man is designed or created
133406165	anaphora	"I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun."
133406166	antithesis	"Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."
133406167	antonomasia	Calling a lover Casanova, an office worker Dilbert, Elvis Presley the King, or Bill Clinton the Comeback Kid
133406168	apostrophe	"Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art"
133406169	assonance	"I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless."
133406170	connotation	socialism implies egalitarianism and that people are living for society, while capitalism has been associated with 'greedy,' 'selfish,' 'self-serving,'
133406171	enallage	When a credit agency identifies a deadbeat debtor, the nonpayer is referred to not merely as a 'bad risk' but as a 'bad.' Shifting the adjective 'bad' into a noun
133406172	epizeuxis	"I undid the lantern cautiously--oh, so cautiously--cautiously."
133406173	hyperbole	My toaster has never once worked properly in four years. I follow the instructions and push two slices of bread down in the slots, and seconds later they rifle upwards. Once they broke the nose of a woman I loved dearly.
133406174	irony	"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."
133406175	malapropism	There's no stigmata connected with going to a shrink.
133406176	metaphor	The streets were a furnace, the sun an executioner.
133406177	metonymy	The suits on Wall Street walked off with most of our savings.
133406178	oxymoron	"O miserable abundance, O beggarly riches!"
133406179	paradox	"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."
133406180	understatement	"I have to have this operation. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain."
133406181	tri-colon	Eye it, try it, buy it.
133406182	synesthesia	"warm colors" "cold welcomes"
133406183	synecdoche	"Take thy face hence."