Rhetorical Devices A & B

a word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique,” “perfect”)

a familiar proverb or wise saying

an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his or her position on an issue

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences

a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event

a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance

a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor

details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events

the implied or associative meaning of a word

carefully considered opposing views to the original argument presented

a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases (also known as loose sentence)

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)

the literal meaning of a word

the word choices made by a writer

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

paragraphs that make up the essay, usually this is in 3 categories: introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion

any relevant information (readings, observations/current events, experiences, historical facts) used to prove and support an argument

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

intentional exaggeration to create an effect

a type of question that is raised then immediately answered by a writer or speaker

a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition

an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect