Bryan's Rhetorical Terms

Front 1

Parallelism

Back 1

similarity of structure in a pair of series of realted words, phrases,or clauses;
reflects orderly thinking and helps the reader take in a listing

Front 2

Antithesis

Back 2

The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in a parallel structure;
Witty. Can convey some sense of complexity in a person or idea by admitting opposite or nearly opposite truths

Front 3

Anastrophe

Back 3

inversion of natural word order;
gains attention b/c it surprises expectation. b/c it focuses on the beginning and end of the clause, the words recieve extraordinary emphasis

Front 4

Parenthesis

Back 4

insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal syntactical flow of the sentence;
none

Front 5

Apposition

Back 5

a noun or noun phrase that follows another noun immediaely or defines or amplifies its meaning;
none

Front 6

Ellipsis

Back 6

the deliberate omission of a word or of words readily implied by the context;
can be an artful and arresting way of economizing expressions

Front 7

Asyndeton

Back 7

The omission of conjunctions between related clauses;
the use of asyndeton produces a hurried rhythym in the sentence

Front 8

Polysyndeton

Back 8

the deliberate use of many conjunctions; slows up th rhythym of the sentence and produces an impressively solemn note

Front 9

Alliteration

Back 9

repetition of initial or medial consonants in two or more adjacent words;
contributes to the euphony of the verse. rarely used in prose. it may be a nuemonic device for slogans or a device for humor

Front 10

Assonance

Back 10

the repetition of vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of two or more adjacent words;
used mainly in poetry. in prose it produces an onomatopoetic or humorous effects

Front 11

Anaphora

Back 11

The repetition of groups of words at the beginning of successive clauses;
helps to est. a marked rhythym. used to produce a strong emotional effect. care must be taken not to become affected or to sound rhetorical or bombastic

Front 12

Epistrophe

Back 12

the repetition of a group of words at the end of successive clauses;
sets a pronounced rhythym and secures a special emphasis. extremely emphatic device. can become too rhetorical, whick would make its use hollow and bombastiic

Front 13

Epanalepsis

Back 13

Figure of emphasis in which the same word or words both begin(s) and end(s) a phrase, clause, or sentence;
rare in prose. springs from intense emotion. used oftr=en in a "yes, but" construction to cite common gorund or admit a truth and then to show how that truth relates to a more important context

Front 14

Anadiplosis

Back 14

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause;
most commonly used for emphasis

Front 15

Climax

Back 15

arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in order of increasing importance;
your argument gets strongeras it moves along

Front 16

Antimetabole

Back 16

The repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order;
adds to the expression of thought

Front 17

Chiasmus

Back 17

reversal of grammatical structures in successive clauses(but no repeitition of words);
reinforces, emphasizes

Front 18

Polyptoton

Back 18

repetition of words derived from the same root;
special emphasis

Front 19

Metaphor

Back 19

an implied comparison between 2 things of unlike nature that yet have something in common;
none

Front 20

Simile

Back 20

an explicit comparison between 2 things of unlike nature that yet have something in common;
none

Front 21

Synecdoche

Back 21

a part of something used to refer to the whole;
makes a comment about the idea for which it has been substituted, and thereby helps to define that idea

Front 22

Metonymy

Back 22

An entity referred to by one of its attributes or associations;
can offer a more graphic, physical, or pictorial effect.

Front 23

Puns

Back 23

a play on words;
humor

Front 24

Anthimeria

Back 24

the substitution of one part of speech for another;
effect can be evocative, witty, and memorable

Front 25

Periphrasis

Back 25

The substitution of an attribute word or phrase for a proper name, or the use of a proper name to suggest a personality characteristic;
can be a tiresome cliche, or add grace to your writing

Front 26

Personification

Back 26

investing abstractions or inanimate objects with human qualities or abilities;
stirs the emotions

Front 27

Hyperbole

Back 27

the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect;
emphasis or humor

Front 28

Litote

Back 28

understatement;
enhances the impressivenessof what we say. either reatains the understatement or becomes an intensifying expression

Front 29

Rhetorical Question

Back 29

asking a question, not for the purpose of eliciting an answer but for the purpose of asserting or denying something obliquely;
can be an effective persuasive device

Front 30

Irony

Back 30

use of a word in such a way as to convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning of the word;
must be used with great care. dont misjudge the intelligence of the audience

Front 31

Onomatopoeia

Back 31

use of words to sound echoes the sense;
used much less in prose. wherever soundeffects can be used to set up emotional or ethical tone of a passage, this can help

Front 32

Oxymoron

Back 32

juxtaposed words with seemingly contradictory meanings;
by linking 2 terms that are contradictory, the writer produces a startling effect. Witty.

Front 33

Paradox

Back 33

an apparantly contradictory statement that nevertheless contains a measure of truth;
none

Front 34

Zeugma

Back 34

one word, usually a noun or the main verb, governs 2 other words not related in meaning;
Witty. Used for economy. Helps to make clearer points