Parallelism Rhetoric

Unit 3: Speech Rhetoric

By Shannon Edwards

Key Terms in Speech Rhetoric

Parallelism

• Parallelism is the matching of the forms of words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence.

• Editing your work for parallel construction improves clarity and emphasizes your points.

• Example:

  • of the people, by the people, for the people... ​

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct example of parallelism.

• Bye, bye, bye

• No pain, no gain

• Like a breeze

• I hardly felt a thing

Repetition

• Using a word or phrase for effect, two or more times in a speech or written work.

• For repetition to be noticeable, the words or phrases should be repeated within close proximity of each other.

• Repeating the same words or phrases can bring clarity to an idea and/or make it memorable for the reader.

• Example:

  • Time after time

  • Heart to heart​

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct example of repetition.

• I don't want to miss a thing

• Losers walk, losers talk

• Hello, hello

• It was a little cold

Understatement

• A figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is.

• ​An understatement usually has an ironic effect.

• ​Example:

  • “It rained a bit more than usual.” – Describing an area being flooded by heavy rainfall

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct example of understatement.

• When the going gets tough, the tough get going

• It rained a bit more than usual

• Heart of stone

• Red, red rose

Metaphor

• A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two non-similar things.

• Example:

  • ​Laughter is the best medicine.

  • She is just a late bloomer.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct example of a metaphor.

• I think, therefore I am

• Deserts are sometimes hot, dry, and sandy

• Time is money

• My math teacher is he who must not be named.

Allusion

• ​A reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar.

• Example:

  • His smile is like kryptonite to me. (Superman’s weakness)

  • She felt like she had a golden ticket. (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct example of an allusion.

• It takes one to know one

• It was fine

• Family is a patchwork quilt

• Is there an Einstein in your physics class?