The Top 24
Rhetorical�Devices
Alliteration
Recurrence of the first sounds of the consonant.
“Veni, vidi, vici.”
“The turtle tripped toward the team of tigers.”
Allusion
Short and informal reference
to an important or famous historical event or person.
“Don’t be such a scrooge!”
“Ice cream is my achilles heel.”
Amplification
Repeating an expression or word and building on it each time you write or say it.
“Dreams. I have many dreams. I have many fond dreams about that day.”
Anadiplosis
Repeating a word or phrase
at the beginning of the next sentence or clause.
“I miss my home, my home by the sea. The sea keeps me
close to myself.”
Anaphora
Using the same word or phrase at the beginning of a string of
clauses or sentences.
“Science is hard.
Science is necessary.
Science is the truth.”
Antimetabole
Reversing the order of
repeated words or phrases
in an ‘AB-BA’ structure.
“Ask not what your country
can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Antithesis
Showing a contrasting relationship between two phrases or ideas.
“I am a big fish in
the small pond.”
Assonance
Using the same vowel sounds in many words that are close together.
“I was mad and sad, but the whole thing was a tad rad.”
Climax
Structuring ideas or words in a good, better, best progression.
“The flight was good. The hotel was great. The first museum was incredible. ”
Epistrophe
Repeating the same word
or phrase at the end of sentences or clauses.
“I miss my home, my home by the sea. The sea keeps me
close to myself.”
Epizeuxis
Repeating the same words
or phrases in immediate succession for emphasis.
“Science is hard.
Science is necessary.
Science is the truth.”
Antimetabole
Reversing the order of
repeated words or phrases
in an ‘AB-BA’ structure.
“Ask not what your country
can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Euphemism
Substituting a more agreeable expression for an expression that may be less agreeable.
“We’re letting you go” instead of “You’re fired”
Dysphemism
Substituting a less agreeable expression for an expression that is more agreeable.
“Used vehicles” instead of “Pre-owned cars”
Aphorism
A brief observational statement that contains a general truth.
“A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory”
Personification
Giving human traits to an inanimate object.
“The sea was lonely”
“Time runs quickly”
Onomatopoeia
Describing a sound using words.
“Woof!” describes a dog barking.
Tautology
Using different words or phrases with the same meaning.
“I saw them with my own eyes.”
“I got a free gift today.”
Simile
Comparing two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
“He is as sick as a dog”
“She swims like a fish”
Cacophony
Words, letters, or sounds that are sharp or harsh and add an unpleasant effect.
Ex. Nails scratching a chalkboard.
Chiasmus
Repetition of similar ideas using two clauses in reverse order.
“Have language for knowledge and knowledge for language”
Metaphor
Comparing two things indirectly without using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
“The world is a stage.”
Hyperbole
Statements that are exaggerated and not meant to be taken literally.
“I am so hungry that I could eat a horse”
Oxymoron
The combining of two elements that are seemingly opposite or contradictory.
“Quick… act natural!”
That’s it!
�Refer back to this resource whenever you’re trying to create on analyze a persuasive speech or piece of writing!
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