9326620 rhetorical devices figures of speech

7/28/2019 9326620 Rhetorical Devices Figures of Speech

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RHETORICAL DEVICES & FIGURES OF SPEECH

(Bringing Brightness and Buoyancy to Language: Prose & Poetry)

1. allegory: (Greek, speaking otherwise) It is a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to

reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. It has a double meaning: aprimary or surface meaning; and a secondary or under-the-surface meaning. It is a story,

therefore, that can be read, understood and interpreted at two or more levels.

1. BunyansPilgrims Progress is an allegory of Christian Salvationthe best known

allegory in the English language. The whole work is a simplified representation of theaverage mans journey through the trials and tribulations of life on his way to Heaven.

2. An early example of the use of allegory in literature is the myth of the Cave in Platos

Republic. Other notable instances of allegory include Swifts Gullivers Travels and

George OrwellsAnimal Farm.

2. alliteration: (Latin, repeating and playing upon the same letter) The use of words starting with orcontaining the same letter or sound. It is a very old devise indeed in English verse and

is used occasionally in prose.

1. Coleridges famous description of the sacred river Alph inKubla Khan:

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion.

2. Alliteration is common in tongue-twisters: Betty Botter bought some butter,

But, she said, the butters bitter;

If I put it in the batter

It will make my batter bitter,

But a bit of better butter,

That would make my batter better.

3. anacoluthon: (Greek, back bending) A sentence or construction in which the expected

grammatical sequence is absent, considered an error in Grammar. Beginning a sentence

in one way and continuing or ending it in anotherused as a rhetorical device toachieve a particular effect.

1. While in the garden, the door banged shut. (Error in Grammar)

2. You know what Ibut lets forget it! (Rhetorical Device)

4. anadiplosis: (Greek, doubling) The repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of thefollowing clause to gain a special effect.


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1. Dr JohnsonsRamblerNo. 21: Labour and care are rewarded with success,

success produces confidence,

confidence relaxes industry,

and negligence ruins the reputation which diligence

had raised.

5. anaphora: (Greek, carrying up or back)

1. (Grammar) The use of a word referring back to a word used earlier in a text or

conversation, to avoid repetition. For example: I like it so do they.

2. (Rhetoric) The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

For example: the lament for Lancelot in MalorysLe Morte DArthur:

. you were never matched of earthly knights hand;

and you were the most courteous knight that ever bore shield;

and you were the truest friend to your lover that ever bestrode horse;

and you were the truest lover of a sinful man that ever loved women;

and you were the kindest man that ever struck with sword;

and you were the goodliest person that ever came among press of knights;

and you were the meekest man and the gentlest that ever ate in hall among ladies;

and you were the sternest knight to your mortal foe that ever put spear in the rest.

6. anastrophe: (Greek, turning back: used in Rhetoric) The inversion of the usual order of words orclauses for a particular effect.

1. The question between preaching extempore and from a written discourse, it does notproperly fall within the province of this discourse to discuss on any but what may be

called rhetorical principles. Richard WhateleysElements of Rhetoric.

7. antithesis: (Greek, opposition) Fundamentally, contrasting ideas sharpened by the use of oppositeor noticeably different meanings. An expression in which contrasting ideas are carefully

balanced.

1. Crafty men contemn studies; simple men admire them; and wise men use them.

Bacons apophthegm


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2. Though studious, he was popular; though argumentative, he was modest; thoughinflexible, he was candid; and though metaphysical, yet orthodox.Dr Johnson

3. More haste, less speed.

8. antonomasia: (Greek, naming instead) 1. The substitution of an epithet or title for a proper name.

and 2. The use of a proper name to express a general idea.

1. the Maid of Orleans for Joan of Arc; 2. the Bard for Shakespeare; 3. aGamaliel or a Solomon for a wise man; 4. a Daniel for a just man; 5. a

Casanova for a womanizer; 6. a Hitler for a tyrant; and 7. a Scrooge for a miser.

9. apostrophe: (Greek, turning away: used in Rhetoric) A figure of speech in which a thing, a place,an abstract quality, an idea, a dead or absent person is addressed as if present and

capable of understanding.

1. Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plainGoldsmiths opening ofThe

Deserted Village

2. O Judgement! Thou art fled to brutish beastsMark Anthonys cry inJulius

Caesar

3. O Freedom! Hear our cry!

10. assonance: (Latin, respond to sound) The repetition of vowel sounds or use of identical consonants

with different vowels, to achieve a particular effect of euphony.

1. slow progress over the cold plateau.

2. killed, cold, culled.

11. asyndeton: (Greek, unconnected) A rhetorical device where conjunctions, articles and evenpronouns are omitted for the sake of speed and economy; and a particular rhetorical

effect.

1. I came, I saw, I conquered.Julius Caesar

2. The first sort by their own suggestion fell

Self-tempted, self-depraved; man falls, deceived

By the other first; man therefore shall find grace,

The other none MiltonsParadise Lost


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12. bathos: (Greek, depth) An effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from thesublime to the trivial or ridiculous.

1. Ye Gods! Annihilate but Space and Time

And make two lovers happy. Alexander Pope

13. chiasmus: (Greek, a placing crosswise) The repetition of words, grammatical constructions, or

concepts in reverse order.

1. By the day the frolic, and the dance by night.Dr Johnsons The Vanity of Human

Wishes

2. His time a moment, and a point his space.Alexander PopesEssay on Man

14. dysphemism: (Greek, not fair speech) The use of derogatory or unpleasant terms instead of

pleasant or neutral ones. It is the opposite of euphemism.

1. a filthy dirty face

15. ellipsis: (Greek, leaving out) The omission of words, or sudden breaking off in mid-sentence, for

rhetorical effect.

1. The door opened, and . . .[the ellipsis here creates a dramatic effect.]

2. The editor, showing a commendable sense of humour, collapsed in fits of giggles when Ipointed out the error. At least, I trust it is an error

[The ellipsis here is the equivalent of a pointed silence in speech full of mischievous

meaning.]

16. epanalepsis: (Greek, a taking up again) A figure of speech which contains a repetition of a word orwords after other words have come between them.

1. Say first, for Heaven hides nothing from thy view,

Nor the deep tract of Hell, say first what cause

Moved our grand Parents, in that happy stateMiltonsParadise Lost

2. And Brutus is an honourable man. Repetition in Mark Anthonys speech in

Julius Caesar


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17. euphemism: (Greek fair speech) An inoffensive expression used in place of a sharper or moreexplicit one.

1. to pass away (to die) 2. downsizing (retrenching employees) 3. mentally challenged(mentally retarded 4. collateral damage (killing of innocent civilians in war)

18. euphuism: (Greek, well endowed by nature) An ornately florid, precious and mazy style ofwriting. It is also referred to as a purple patch.

1. The fiery stars twinkled brightly in the pitch-black sky as the utterly exhausted

ploughman walked painfully back from the parched field to his modest cottage.froma School Composition

19. hendiadys: (Greek, one through two) A figure of speech in which one idea is expressed by twosubstantives.

1. gloom and despondency 2. darkness and the shadow of death

20. hypallage: (Greek, exchange) The deliberate misapplication of an adjective to a noun. Also knownas a transferred epithet.

1. his sleepless pillow 2. the condemned cell 3. a happy day

2. Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers. TS Eliots The Waste Land

[Explanation: Clearly the snow is not forgetful, but rather conceals, muffles, shrouds

the earth, so that for a time we forget what the earth looks like.]

21. hyperbaton: (Greek, overstepping) A figure of speech in which words are transposed from their

usual order. A very common poetic device.

1. High on the throne of royal state, which far

Outshone the wealth of Ormuz or of Ind,

Or where the gorgeous East, with richest hand

Showers on herkings barbaric pearl and gold,

Satan exalted sat. MiltonsParadise Lost

22. hyperbole: (Greek, overcasting) An exaggeration or overstatement for emphasis.

1. I was so famished I could have eaten a horse. 2. She was so embarrassed that she died athousand deaths.


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3. I havent seen you for aeons. 4. This story is as old as the hills.

5. He was in the sort of overwrought state when a fly treading a little too heavily on the

carpet is enough to make a man think hes one of the extras inAll Quiet On TheWestern Front.PG Wodehouse

23. innuendo: (Latin, by nodding at, by pointing to) An indirect or subtle suggestion, often intended asa veiled accusation. An allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or

disparaging one.

1. Not everyone would be able to believe that. 2. We all know who the snitch is.

24. irony: (Greek, dissimulation) The use of a word or words to convey something markedly differentfrom the literal meaning; a common component of sarcasm, though not necessarily so cutting.

1. Its a secret, so only half of Delhi knows about it.

25. litotes: (Greek, single, simple, meagre) An understatement in which an idea is tellingly conveyed,typically by contradicting its opposite. Often used in everyday speech, frequently with a

negative assertion, and usually with laconic or ironic intentions.

1. Hes not exactly sober. (He is totally drunk.) 2. Not bad! (Very good.)

26. metaphor: (Greek, carrying from one place to another) The description of one thing in terms of

another that is related to it by analogy.

1. She sailed across the room.

2. A carpet of snow covered the pathway, and that was being rolled up by a man driving asmall tractor with a scoop on the front.

27. metonymy: (Greek, change of name) A figure of speech in which a concrete term or the name ofan attribute is used to refer to some wider idea that it characterizes.

1. the Crown forthe monarchy 2. the turf forhorse racing3. the stage forthe

theatrical profession

4. the bench forthe judiciary 5. the name of an author for his works: This appears in

Shakespeare often.

28. onomatopoeia: (Greek, name-making) The use of words whose sound suggests their meaning.

1. sizzle, splash, crack, buzz, zap, dong, crackle, clang, zoom, whoosh, etc.


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29. oxymoron: (Greek, pointedly foolish) A figure of speech which combines incongruous or

contradictory terms for a special effect. It is a common device and is closely related toantithesis and paradox.

1. a wise fool 2. deafening silence 3. an honest thief 4. the poor little rich boy

30. paradox: (Greek, beside/beyond opinion) An apparently absurd or self-contradictory statementwhich, on closer examination, is found to contain a truth reconciling the conflicting

opposites.

1. Her gentleness was too harsh to bear. 2. I must be cruel only to be kind.

3. Careless she is with artful care,

Affecting to seem unaffected. Congreves neat turn of phrase inAmoret.

31. pathetic fallacy (personification): The assigning of human feelings or characteristics to natural or

inanimate objects.

1. The trees groaned. 2. The jovial Moon smiled benignly down at us.

32. periphrasis (circumlocution): (Greek, roundabout speech) The use of many words where fewerwould do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive or pompouslyhumorous..

1. Her olfactory system was suffering from a temporary inconvenience. [ = Her nosewas blocked.]

2. I am not so inebriated as to be incapable of unassisted perambulation.[ = I am not so drunk that I cant walk without your

help.]

3. a tonsorial artist in full sartorial splendour [ = a well-dressed barber]

33. pleonasm (Greek, superfluity) (tautology) (Greek, the same saying): This is one common formof long-windednessin effect, saying the same thing twice.

1. Pair off in twos. 2. Return my book back. 3. Please repeat that again. 4. Let me presentthe actual facts.

34. polysyndeton: (Greek, much compounded) It is the opposite of asyndeton and thus is the

repetition of conjunctions for rhetorical effect.

1. I went to Florence and Venice and Rome and Naples.


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2. He got up, and he showered and washed, and he dressed up with meticulous care. Itwas his big day.

35. prolepsis: (Greek, a taking beforehand, anticipation) A figurative device by which a future event is

presumed to have happened.

1. So the killer and the murdered man rode past the police station on their way to the

forest cottage. [The murdered man has not yet been murdered but he is beingtaken into a forest where he will be murdered later in the story.]

36. pun: is a device of deliberate wordplay which stimulates the reader or provides him some comic

relief, which emerges from the possible different meanings of a word or from words whichsound alike but have different meanings.

1. Mrs. Forbes is a secretary who wont be dictated to.

2. The neighbours were arguing from different premises.

3. For a man with a moustache, drinking soup can be quite a strain.

4. Its all mind overmatternevermind, it doesnt matter.

5. The cat ate some cheese, then waited for the mouse with baited breath.

6. Is life worth living? It depends on the liver.

37. rhetorical question: a question asked for effect or to convey information rather than to elicit an

answer. It is used primarily for stylistic effect, and is a very common device in public speakingespecially when the speaker is trying to work up the emotional temperature.

1.(a politician at the hustings): Are we going to tolerate this intrusion upon our freedom?Are we going to accept these restrictions? Are we to be intimidated by self-serving

bureaucrats? Are we to be suppressed by sycophantic and supine jackals waiting for

dead mens shoes?

2.(Friends meeting in the street) Isnt it a lovely day? [ = It is a lovely day.]

3.(Teacher angrily to students who have failed in his exam) Do you know who an idiot

is? [ = Look at yourselves and you will know.]

38. simile: (Latin, like) A comparison of two unlike ideas or objects, typically using the word like oras.

1. lips like rosebuds, and kisses like wine.

2. Then, as the sun went down it seemed to drag the whole sky with it like shreds of a burning

curtain.

3. The children crowded the doorway, watching me expectantly as though I was a firework

just about to go off.

4. He was a tubby little chap who looked as if he had been poured into his clothes and hadforgotten to say Stop!PG Wodehouse


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39. syllepsis: (Greek, a taking together, comprehension) The use of single word to apply to two others,

in different ways.

1. He held his tongue and my hand. (seezeugma)

40. synecdoche: (Greek, taking up together) The use of the name of a part to refer to the whole, or vice

versa.

1.forty sailto refer to forty ships. 2. Give us this day our daily bread. [breadfor

meals]

3.India have won the match. [India forIndian cricket team (used in the plural)]

41. zeugma: (Greek, yoking, bonding)use of a single word to apply to two others, especially when it is

appropriate to only one.

1. He held his tongue and his promise. (seesyllepsis)

9326620 rhetorical devices figures of speech

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