Rhetorical Devices-Def
The definitions of the Rhetorical Devices.
Terms
undefined, object
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- ploce
- repeating a word within a line
- apostrophe
- speaking to someone or something not there (may be an abstraction)
- oxymoron
- two words juxtaposed that are opposites
- periphrasis
- wordily going round and round the subject
- catechresis
- using a substitute word the initially seems inappropriate
- polyptoton
- repeating words made from the same root
- stichomythia
- an extended dialogue in which the speakers take turns of a line or two and pick up words or ideas from each other which they repeat
- anthimeria
- using one part of speech for another
- epistrophe
- repeating the same word or phrase at the end of two or more clauses or lines
- chiasmus
- crossing, similar to antimetabole, but longer
- paradox
- an apparent contradiction that is really true
- anadiplosis
- beginning a phrase with the ending of the phrase before
- anaphora
- beginning two or more lines the same way
- antonomasia
- substituting a proper name for a general idea
- pun
- a play on words
- zeugma
- leaving out the verb the second time in parallel clauses
- tautology
- saying the same thing again, but in different words
- epizeuxis
- repeating a word with no intervening words
- ellipsis
- obviously leaving out a word
- parison
- repeating words in phrases that are parallel grammatically
- syllepsis
- using a word, usually a verb, in tow senses, usually makes a pun
- antimetabole (epanados)
- repeating a phrase in the opposite order
- euphemism
- covering up something negative by using pleasant words
- isocolon
- repeating words and sounds in phrases the same length
- antanaclasis
- repeating a word, but in a different sense
- enallage
- using the wrong grammatical form but having it work well
- epanalepsis
- beginning and ending a line with the same words
- litotes
- understatement
- anastrophe
- turning natural word order around