Harris Devices

Front 1

the presentation of several ideas of equal importance by putting each of them into the same kind of grammatical structure

Ex: The delicious grape and scrumptious cherry sat on the plate.

Back 1

parallelism

Front 2

a type of parallelism (where similar elements of a sentence are balanced with each other) in which the balanced elements are presented in reverse order rather than in the same order

Ex: The cow about ate aggressively but rarely finished.

Back 2

chiasmus

Front 3

contrasts two ideas by placing them next to each other, almost always in a parallel structure

Ex: Success makes us proud; failure makes us wise.

Back 3

antithesis

Front 4

the presentation of ideas (in words, clauses, sentences, etc.) the order of increasing importance

Ex: Before buying the house, inspect the paint for chipping, the carpet for wear, the plumbing for rusty water, the roof for leaks, and the foundation for cracks.

Back 4

climax

Front 5

consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses in a list

Ex: The dog was old, but it was his eager helper, his constant companion, his loyal friend.

Back 5

asyndeton

Example answer: asyndeton and climax

Front 6

the use of conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton

Ex: Within six hours, the computer virus had spread worldwide, infecting mail servers and web servers and home users and business networks.

Back 6

polysyndeton

Front 7

a word or short phrase, often interrupting a sentence, used to lend emphasis to the words immediately before and after this

Ex: Scarlett Johansson has a gorgeous face indeed.

Back 7

expletive

Front 8

involves a statement whose hidden meaning is different from its surface or apparent message

Ex: When the tow truck driver pulled up, he saw the girl sitting in the rain on the spare tire, mud on her shoes, grease on her face, her prom dress ripped. As he stepped out of the truck, she asked him, "Does this mean my fun is over?"

Back 8

irony

Example answer: irony, asyndeton and climax

Front 9

deliberately expresses and idea less important that it actually is

Ex: As the pilot stood there in his singed and slightly bloodied shirt, he looked over the airplane wreckage he had just crawled out of and said, "Well, that sure shook the boredom off my day."

Back 9

understatement

Front 10

a form of understatement, created by denying the opposite of the idea in mind

Ex: The requirements of the contract were not at all disagreeable to the board.

Back 10

litotes

Example answer: litotes and expletive

Front 11

a gross exaggeration; it is the opposite of the understatement

Ex: At the height of the fad, every sidewalk in America was clogged with scooters rushing in every direction, to the peril of both riders and pedestrians.

Back 11

hyperbole

Front 12

consists of a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow

Ex: We have discussed purple turtles and the damaging effects they have on children, but now we need to consider those damaging effects and how to erase to them.

Back 12

metabasis

Front 13

anticipates an objection that might be raised by a reader and responds to it, thus permitting the argument to continue moving forward while taking into account opposing points

Ex: Someone might say that the Battle of Antietam had no effect on the outcome of the war, but never had the South been so close to victory and the North so desperately holding on to their capital.

Back 13

procatalepsis

Front 14

involves asking one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length

Ex: Where else can you find the gorgeous beaches and beautiful sunsets? One answer is the Hawaiian Islands, the land where palm trees sway.

Back 14

hypophora

Front 15

the presentation of a specific meaning for a word (or reference to the various meanings of a word) in order to prevent ambiguity or confusion

Ex: Popular in the Renaissance was a euphuistic style--that is a, highly ornate and excessively rhetorical prose modeled after John Lyly's book, Euphues.

Back 15

distinctio

Front 16

provides a specific example for clarity

Ex: Snow cone flavors, such as bubblegum and mango, are often named after candy or fruit.

Back 16

exemplum

Front 17

consists of restating a word or idea and adding more detail

Ex: The subway car came to a halt with a jolt: a wrenching, neck-snapping jolt.

Back 17

amplification

Front 18

qualifies a statement or part of a statement by rejecting it or calling it back and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way

Ex: If we did not foresee the loss of this account, it is our own fault for failing to see the hints--no, the flashing neon signs--that warned us what was coming.

Back 18

metanoia

Front 19

compares two very different things that have at least one quality in common, uses the words "like" or "as"

Ex: Even after the avalanche, the climbers remained constantly attentive to their goal, as a sunflower continues to stay focused on the sun.

Back 19

simile

Front 20

compares two different things by identifying points of similarity, used for conceptual clarity that explains an unfamiliar idea to the reader

Ex: Flash memory chips work like a chalkboard, in that, when information is written on it, the information remains present even when the power is turned off. Only when the information is deliberately erased will it disappear. And like the chalkboard, flash memory chips can be written on and erased many times.

Back 20

analogy

Front 21

compares to different things by identifying the subject with the image

Ex: A college degree by itself will not buy a ticket to the Island of Easy Living.

Back 21

metaphor

Front 22

a type of metaphor in which something closely associated with another thing is named instead of the other thing

Ex: You cannot fight city hall.

Back 22

metonymy

Front 23

a metaphor of substitution like metonymy, substitutes a part for a whole or vise versa.

Ex: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this child's blood is on that man's hand.
(blood stands for the entire murder)

Back 23

synecdoche

Front 24

metaphorically gives human attributes to animals, objects, or ideas

Ex: When they returned from "saving lots of money," debt began to knock at the door.

Back 24

personification

Front 25

a short, informal reference to a famous person or event

Ex: But his pet theory is like the bed of Procrustes: He stretches or chops off facts to make sure they always fit.

Back 25

allusion

Front 26

a specific type of allusion, substituting the name of a person famous for some attribute in place of the attribute itself

Ex: Is he smart? Why, the man is an Einstein. Is he creative? He's a Leonardo da Vinci. Has he suffered? The poor Job can tell you himself.

Back 26

eponym

Front 27

a direct address to someone, whether present or absent, and whether real, imaginary, or personified

Ex: The winds died down and the chain saws came out to remove the fallen trees. The city said the entire cost of the storm was under $50,000. But how, dear reader, will we ever put a number on the loss of those beautiful old oak and olive trees?

Back 27

apostrophe

Example answer: apostrophe and metonymy