Rhetorical Devices

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What is a paradox?

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A statement that contradicts itself but may reveal a deeper truth, e.g., 'The wall both exists and doesn't exist.'

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What is a simile?

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A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as', e.g., 'Her smile is like the sun.'

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What is an allusion?

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A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work, e.g., 'People part like the Red Sea.'

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What is metonymy?

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A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, e.g., 'The pen is mightier than the sword.'

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What is rhetoric?

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The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, often using figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

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What is personification?

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A figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts, e.g., 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

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What is hyperbole?

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An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, e.g., 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.'

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What is an oxymoron?

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A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms, e.g., 'deafening silence.'

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What is anaphora?

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The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, e.g., 'I have a dream... I have a dream...'

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What is a metaphor?

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A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as', e.g., 'Time is a thief.'