Rhetorical device vocabulary

Def: Exaggerating some part of the statement in order to give it emphasis or focus

Usage: Makes a point strongly. Makes the reader snap to attention and focus. Demonstrates the difference between two things. Caution: It is overused and can weaken writing if it’s not used carefully. Do not use to avoid using actual facts/figures.

Def: A rhetorical form in which the force of a descriptive statement is less than what now would normally expect.

Usage: Demonstrates the power of an event of ideas - the concept is so self-explanatory, you can add nothing. Repeated use can calm the reader - emphasis comes when you add/reveal - drive the point home. Can be used for humorous effect. Caution: oversimplifying is bad, so this can be good!

Def: Emphasizes its point by using a word opposite the condition

Usage: Can be combined with understatement for emphasis (makes the writer not seem arrogant). Allows the reader to say what isn't true without committing as strongly to what is true.

Def: Makes use of a contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas.

Usage: Since human's love organization and categories, this can be helpful. it can be built by contrasting different parts of a statement. Sentence structure can be identical but uses opposing words. Entire clauses can be changed to contrast one another. Whole sentences can oppose one another in a paragraph. using alliteration when using this strategy can be effective. This form can point out fine distinctions of the topic/issue.

Def: Asking a question, then proceeding to answer it

Usage: Can be used to start a paragraph. Used to anticipate questions or concerns you think your reader may raise. Helps your readers with info they don't know without forcing it on them. Can bring up numbered points. Can be implied

Def: Asking a question to which the answer is implied.

Usage: You must have a purpose for using this - not just laziness. Makes the reader pause for thought. Drives your point home with gusto. Needs a simple yes or no or one thought answer. Not ambiguous. Caution: best reserved for only crucial points. Overuse weakens writing.

Def: Directly addresses/deals with objections

Usage: Tackle likely, common, or troubling objections head on. Can be used if you don't have an answer to the objection - honest and humble. Come up with own arguments to bolster your point. Have a type of person who objects (not a straw man). Caution: too many objections and maybe your point isn't worth arguing.

Def: Form in which the writer elaborates on the definition of a word to make sure there is no misunderstanding

Usage: Tells the reader exactly what you mean. Can be used to handle hotly debated words. Can be used with the phrases, "Which is to say" or "by which I mean". The material you add using this device can be put in parenthesis.

Def: A device in which the writer compares two things using the words “like” or “as”, pointing out likenesses between the two things being compared

Usage: This device conjures up strong imagery, as opposed to conveying strong emotional or psychological truth of the subject being compared.

Def: A comparison where in the writer speaks as one thing as if it were the other, using a “to be” verb, usually

Usage: Speaks poetically, but shouldn't be viewed only as a stylistic device. It can help your reader see something as you want them to see it - to convey not just the literal truth of a thing, but the emotional or psychological truth of it as well.

Def: This device makes use of something already well known to explain something that is not well known

Usage: The most useful form of this is when a simple argument is substituted for a more complex argument. This may also be used to further elaborate on a point. Different from simile and metaphor because it is more persuasive as opposed to image creating.

Def: A reference to a fairly well-known event, place, or person

Usage: When using these, you should keep your target audience in mind. This is used as a short cut to help your reader understand what you are talking about. You want to make sure your pop-culture references do not tie you to a particular era. You need to make sure your reader is familiar with your reference.

Def: A device which makes a reference to a specific person to link his/her attributes with someone else

Usage: Should be used sparingly, but can transform a description of a mundane person to something with more of a punch.

Def: A fancy term for a quotation, maxim, or wise saying… normally not attributed to a specific person, although it can be (less common)

Usage: This device is best used to sum up what you've been talking about in the preceding paragraph. It is most effective when it is short.

Def: Simply provides the reader with an example to illustrate a point

Usage: Some of the strongest of these are drawn from the real world. Make sure you have correct facts, though. A good one of these should support your point in a way that seems natural.

Def: The culminating point in a sequence of events

Usage: This should be very distinctive and clear to your reader. If it is somewhat obscured, it suggests that the writer did not organize his/her ideas well

Def: This device uses the same general structure in multiple parts of a sentence or for multiple sentences in order to link them

Usage: This device gives your writing unity and a sense of overall cohesion, keeping it balanced and intentional throughout.

Def: A special form of parallelism that flips the original form around

Usage: This device is stylistically more ornate than standard parallelism and involves an inversion of what is expected.

Def: A form of repetition that takes the last word of a sentence or a phrase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase

Usage: This device, like conduplication, helps emphasize a certain word and can build a hypnotic rhythm for emotional appeal.

Def: This device takes an important word from anywhere and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase

Usage: This device, like anadiplosis, helps emphasize a certain word and can build a hypnotic rhythm for emotional appeal.

Def: A device used to sum up a body of work that has come before so as to allow movement to a new point

Usage: This organizational device usually takes the form of a sentence or series of sentences, summing up key points. It is a sign of transition.

Def: A device used to insert an aside or additional information into the main flow of your writing

Usage: Use commas in formal and academic writing, dashes to jolt the reader, and for less formal writing. This device is used to place a bit of information into the text to help your reader better understand.

Def: A rhetorical device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of writing to directly address a person or personified object

Usage: This device should not be confused with the punctuation mark of the same name. It is a forceful emotional device, and you will likely find this device in informal contexts like creative writing and persuasive essays that lean heavily on emotional strength.

Def: Refers to the act of supplying a list of details about something

Usage: - may be effectively combined with hypophora as an introduction

-a good way to lend some force to a concept while also giving you a functional way to explain it in greater depth

Def: A way of ordering points to downplay negative points so that the reader feels less strongly about them

Usage: - phrase these statements in a way that the reader can see the benefits outweigh the cost of the subject you are discussing

-juxtapose/arrange the positive and negative ideas in a way that your point outweighs the arguments for it

Def: A common stylistic device involving attaching a descriptive adjective to a noun to bring a scene to life or to evoke a particular idea or emotion

Usage: -can be beautiful and add a great deal to your writing

caution: cliches, over use of them in general and make sure they make sense and are logical

Def: The leaving out of conjunction between items in a list or between clauses

Usage: -when there are only two items, the second one can clarify the first

-can indicate that the list was spontaneous and not quite finished

Def: The putting of a conjunction between every item in a list or between multiple clauses

Usage: -the effect of the use of this is increasing urgency and power with almost a hypnotic rhythm forming quite quickly

Def: A device in which unexpected items in a sentence are linked by a shared word

Usage: -most common method of this is to eliminate the repetition of a verb

-also used to postpone introducing the verb until the end, or near the end of the sentence

-a great way to force strong connections between different parts of your sentence

Def: Figure of speech in which the writer refers to part of something to represent the whole

Usage: -versatile, having a lot if stylistic flair, but when you use them, you are basically assuming that your reader will recognize whatever term you use a code or symbol for a different term

-the trick is to make sure that there is no confusion about what you are trying to say

Def: Figure of speech in which the writer refers to something closely related to the actual object

Usage: -versatile, having a lot if stylistic flair, but when you use them, you are basically assuming that your reader will recognize whatever term you use a code or symbol for a different term

-the trick is to make sure that there is no confusion about what you are trying to say

Def: A device in which you arrange the words in your sentence in an unexpected order

Usage: -a bit tricky because there is no good way to explain why some uses seem to work, while others sound awful

-best advice is to try them out and err on the side of caution

- don’t sound like yoda!

Def: A device a writer will use to express doubt about an idea

Usage: -common in political discourse

-may be used to seem to address a point, while actually dismissing it

-rather than ignore the criticism or common questions, which can weaken an argument, a writer may use this device to acknowledge the criticism, but them move on without any discussion of it

Def: A device in which the writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences

Usage: -when an author uses this device, he is planting flags of concepts he wants the reader to especially note

-commonly used to build a sense of climax

-easy to recognize

Def: A device in which the same word of phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences

Usage: -when an author uses this device, he is planting flags of concepts he wants the reader to especially note

-the phrase becomes much like a puncuation mark, which the reader can expect to find each time

-easy to recognize

Def: A device in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences AND the same word is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences.

Usage: -when an author uses this device, he is planting flags of concepts he wants the reader to especially note

-the total parallelism of this creates a feeling of completion and emphasis

Def: In this device, writers repeat something they’ve just said, while adding more detail and information to the original description

Usage: -main point is to focus the reader's attention on an idea he might otherwise miss

-purpose is not to inform, but to add emphasis

Def: The act of giving human attributes to something that is non-human

Usage: -best examples of this device are immediately understood without resorting to familiar cliches

Def: This device involves listing a series of clauses with no conjunctions

Usage: -use of this device implies a sense of immediacy, indication multiple things happening at once

-often used to set a scene -may also imply a series of events or moods to the reader without spelling them out