Persuading by appealing to the audience's emotions

Persuading by using logic and reasoning.

A comparison using "like" or "as"

A comparison without using "like" or "as"

Assigning human qualities to something that is not human

A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer.

A brief reference to a famous person or event

"So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - FDR

An obvious and deliberate exaggeration

A milder word or phrase used instead of one that could be offensive

"This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." - Abraham Lincoln

The repetition of words at the beginning of a line.

Will: “We’re going to steal the ship? That ship?

Jack: “Commandeer. We’re going to commandeer that ship. Nautical term.”

-- delivered by Johnny Depp & Orlando Bloom

The repetition of words at the end of a line.

Successive words, phrases, or clauses expressed with the same or similar grammatical structure.

"[As] long as the white man sent you to Korea, you bled. He sent you to Germany, you bled. He sent you to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese, you bled" (Malcolm X, "Message to the Grassroots").

The combination of two opposite words.

'Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream'

Downplaying the significance of something.

"Once again, the heart of America is heavy. The spirit of America weeps for a tragedy that denies the very meaning of our land." - LBJ

Putting two contrasting elements together.

Believe the unbelievable