Rhetorical Devices

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Aposiopesis

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stopping abruptly and leaving a statement unfinished

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Assonance

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similar vowel sounds repeated in successive or proximate words containing different consonants

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Metonymy

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Another form of metaphor, very similar to synecdoche (and, in fact, some rhetoricians do not distinguish between the two), in which the thing chosen for the metaphorical image is closely associated with (but not an actual part of) the subject with which it is to be compared.

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Eponym

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substitutes for a particular attribute the name of a famous person recognized for that attribute.Border on the cliche, but many times they can be useful without seeming too obviously trite. Finding new or infrequently used ones is best, though hard, because the name-and-attribute relationship needs to be well established

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Scesis Onomaton

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Emphasizes an idea by expressing it in a string of generally synonymous phrases or statements. While it should be used carefully, this deliberate and obvious restatement can be quite effective

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Anaphora

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the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences, commonly in conjunction with climax and with parallelism

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Anadiplosis

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repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next

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Antithesis

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establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure

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Asyndeton

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consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses

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Polysyndeton

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

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Synecdoche

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type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion, section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa)

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Epistrophe

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forms the counterpart to anaphora, because the repetition of the same word or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.(also called antistrophe)

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Oxymoron

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paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent silence") or adverb-adjective ("inertly strong") relationship, and is used for effect, complexity, emphasis, or wit

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Chiasmus

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might be called "reverse parallelism," since the second part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order.Instead of an A,B structure (e.g., "learned unwillingly") paralleled by another A,B structure ("forgotten gladly"), the A,B will be followed by B,A ("gladly forgotten").

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Apostrophe

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interrupts the discussion or discourse and addresses directly a person or personified thing, either present or absent. Its most common purpose in prose is to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back

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Onomatopoeia

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is the use of words whose pronunciation imitates the sound the word describes. "Buzz," for example, when spoken is intended to resemble the sound of a flying insect

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Zeugma

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B

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Parataxis

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writing successive independent clauses, with coordinating conjunctions, or no conjunctions

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Exemplum

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citing an example; using an illustrative story, either true or fictitious

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Pleonasm

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using more words than required to express an idea; being redundant. Normally a vice, it is done on purpose on rare occasions for emphasis

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Alliteration

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is the recurrence of initial consonant sounds. The repetition can be juxtaposed (and then it is usually limited to two words)

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Distinctio

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an explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word, in order to remove or prevent ambiguity

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Symploce

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combining anaphora and epistrophe, so that one word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and another word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

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Diacope

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repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase as a method of emphasis

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Hyperbole

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counterpart of understatement, deliberately exaggerates conditions for emphasis or effect. In formal writing the hyperbole must be clearly intended as an exaggeration, and should be carefully restricted.Treat hyperbole's like an exclamation point, to be used only once a year.