Rhetorical Devices

one of the four modes of discourse; intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion

information necessary to understand plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse

interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text

when a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and reasoning

a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work

the central idea or “message” or a literary work

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight...”

a type of reasoning which goes from general to specific

quality of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea

word choice, an element of style

presents the author’s assertion or claim

the special language of a profession or group

expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly

claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable

implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind

the opposite of exaggeration

word/phrase that links one idea to the next

Example: He was so hungry he could’ve eaten a horse

literal meaning of a word

writer’s attempt to remove him/herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story

relationship between subject and verb (active/passive) or the total “sound” of a writer’s style

Types: exposition, description, narration, argumentation

similar to tone, this is the primary emotional attitude of a work

represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular group and who lacks individuality

a verbally abusive attack

characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience

Example: "I got new wheels" or "All Hands on Deck"

when a writer appeals to readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in the argument.

an individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern

a writer tries to persuade audience to respect/believe him based on a presentation of image

Example: as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox

word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity

a more acceptable/pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable

writing that proves the validity of a point of view/idea by presenting reasoned arguments

a form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them

does not expect an explicit answer - used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker

an author's use of diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to this

grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence