RHETORICAL DEVICES
A rhetorical device uses words in a certain way to convey
meaning or to persuade. It can also be a technique used to evoke
emotions within the reader or audience.
Skilled writers use many different types of rhetorical devices in
their work to achieve specific effects. Some types of rhetorical
devices can also be considered figurative language because they
depend on a non-literal usage of certain words or phrases.
Figurative Language:
Figurative language refers to the color we use to amplify our
writing. The following are the most commonly used figures of
speech.
Simile:
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things in
an interesting way. A simile uses the words "like" or "as" to draw
a comparison.
Eg: She is as innocent as an angel
Metaphor:
A metaphor simply states the comparison without using "like" or
"as". The metaphor's comparison is implied but not stated.
Eg: Life is a roller coaster ride.
Alliteration:
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words.
Eg: Don't Drink and Drive.
Hyperbole:
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves an exaggeration of
ideas for the sake of emphasis.
Eg: My grandmother is as old as the hills.
Personification:
Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or
an animal – is given human attributes.
The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel
they have the ability to act like human beings.
Eg: The wind whispered through dry grass.
Pun:
A pun makes use of words that have more than one meaning, or
words that sound similar but have different meanings, to
humorous effect.
Eg: I was struggling to figure out how lightning works, but then it
struck me.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.
Synecdoche:
A synecdoche is a member of the figurative language family. It's
an odd word for what is simply using part of a whole to represent
the whole. If you said "check out my new wheels," "wheels" is an
example of synecdoche, used to refer to a "car." A part of a car, in
this example, represents the whole of the car.
Eg: The word "sails" is often used to refer to a whole ship.
The phrase "hired hands" can be used to refer to workers.
Irony:
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way
that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of
the words..
Eg: The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny.”
The butter is as soft as a slab of marble.
Onomatopoeia:
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is
named.
Eg:
"water plops into pond
“splish-splash downhill”
"Chug, chug, chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding-dong,
ding-dong.
The little train rumbled over the tracks."
Oxymoron:
An oxymoron is a figure of speech containing words that seem
to contradict each other.
Eg: "I like a smuggler. He is the only honest thief."
Modern dancing is so old fashioned.
Apostrophe:
A writer or speaker, using apostrophe, speaks directly to
someone who is not present or is dead, or speaks to an
inanimate object.
Eg: “Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock
me
Antithesis:
It is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put
together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
Eg: Man proposes, God disposes.
Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
