| Term | Definition |
|---|
| parallelism | using the same grammatical tense throughout writing |
| antithesis | establishes a clear, contrasting relationghip between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them |
| antimetabole | reversing the order of repeated words to intensify the final formulation, present alternatives, or show contrast |
| chiasmus | reverse parallelism; an AB structure is followed by a BA structure, (ex: "What is learned unwillingly will be forgotten gladly." is turned into "What is learned unwillingly will be gladly forgotten.") |
| parenthesis | consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence |
| appositive | a noun or noun substitute placed next to another noun to be described or defined (appositive can be placed before or after the noun) |
| asyndeton | consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses; gives the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account |
| ellipsis | the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construstion grammatically complete; a sudden leap from one topic to another |
| polysyndeton | the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton. |
| apophasis | asserts or emphasizes something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it. (ex: we are not going to talk about the horrible decision the president made.) |
| alliteration | the recurrence of initial consonant sounds (ex: really rad rabbits) |
| assonance | similar vowel sounds repeated in successive or proximate words containing different consonants (ex: weigh, say, lay, etc.) |
| anaphora | repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, orntences, commonly in conjunction with climax and with parallelism |
| epistrophe | forms the counterpart to anaphora because the repetition of the same word or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences |
| anadiplosis | repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next can be generated in series for the sake of beauty |
| climax | consists of arranging words, clauses, or sentences in the order of increasing importance, weight, or emphasis. |
| epanalepsis | repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end (ex: Water, yes only water.) |
| epizeuxis | repetition of one word for emphasis |
| eponym | substitutes for a particular attribute; the name of a famous person recognized for that attribute; often cliche |
| zeugma | several similar rhetorical devices, all involving a grammatically correct linkage of two or more part of speech by another part of speech; one subject with two or more verbs, a verb with two or more direct objects, etc. |
| hypophora | consists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them (ex: asking questions at beginning of paragraph and using the paragraph to answer them) |
| metaphor | compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other |
| synecdoche | a 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 we made, etc. |
| metonymy | another form of metaphor; very similar to synecdoche, the thing chosen for metaphorical image is closely associated with the subject with which it is to be compared |
| personification | metaphorically represents an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes-forms of character, feelings, behavior |
| analogy | compares two things, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea; which are alike in several aspects |
| antimeria | the use of one word class as if it were a member of another, thus altering its meaning (ex: he had a good cry) |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words whose pronunciation imitates the sound of the word describes (ex. Buss, slam, pow, crunch, sizzle) |
| Hyperbole | the counterpart of understatement deliberately exaggerates conditions for emphasis or effect. *should not be used much in formal writing |
| litotes | a particular form of understatement; generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used |
Combine with other sets
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