Examples:
The cool kids went about kicking the can.
The dog drooled like a waterfall.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetitive use of words with similar consonant sounds, usually in the same sentence.
The consonant sound is often at the beginning of the words.
Alliteration draws attention to words you want to target.
Rise up against the racism that buttresses centuries-old systems of power. Rise up against the classism that is masqueraded as a meritocracy. Rise up against the technocrats that promise connectivity while dealing in social division.
Free the land, free the capital, free the people.
Anaphora
Anaphora is the repetitive use of the same word or phrases at the start of successive sentences.
Anaphora is a powerful tool that establishes meaning and excites emotions through repetition. It is a popular tool in political rhetoric
“To be, or not to be?” from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
“Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” from the former Sara Lee Corporation.
Antithesis
Antithesis is when the writer places two contrasting ideas close to each other in the sentence.
Antithesis is great at establishing a contrast that will emphasize the key message to the audience.
“The spider skins lie on their sides, translucent and ragged, their legs drying in knots,” from “Holy the Firm” by Annie Dilliard.
“Think different,” which was Apple’s slogan until 2002.
Assonance
Assonance is like alliteration. Instead of repetitive consonant sounds, though, assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a phrase or sentence.
If alliteration forces the reader to remember words by imposing harsh, hard-hitting sounds, assonance creates a sense of fluidity and harmony through the reoccurring vowel sounds.
“We shape our buildings, and afterward our buildings shape us,” from Winston Churchill’s 1943 speech to the British House of Commons.
“I am stuck on Band-Aid, and Band-Aid’s stuck on me,” from the Band-Aid brand’s jingle in the ’90s.
Chiasmus
Chiasmus requires two similar phrases that deal with the same concept. The defining characteristic is that the two phrases have inverse grammatical structures.
Chiasmus is great for creating a sense of symmetry and balance in a sentence, phrase, or slogan. To be most effective, use the first phrase to set up your principal point.
We want liberty. We need liberty, so we fight for liberty.
Survival is money. Dreams are money. Prisons are money.
Epiphora
Epiphora is the repetitive use of the same word or phrase at the end of a sentence or clause.
Just like the first line and the last line of an article, the most important parts of the sentence are the first few words and the last few words. They have the most impact on the reader. Epiphora and anaphora are powerful tools because of this.
“The Sounds of Silence,” which is the title of the popular song by Simon and Garfunkel.
This ad for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (“clean diesel”) is full of oxymorons.
Oxymorons
Oxymorons are two opposing words or ideas placed together. The intention is to show a truth.
Oxymoron is an excellent figure of speech for showing contradictions and revealing the hidden truths in those contradictions. Truth, though, isn’t the limitation of this stylistic device. The writer can evoke the reader’s sense of humor, curiosity, and anger through the use of oxymorons.
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty,” which is from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address.
“A different kind of company. A different kind of car,” which was the slogan of the Saturn Corporation.
Parallelism
Parallelism is the intentional arrangement of two or more parts of a sentence or sentences that have the same grammatical structure, resulting in a parallel form.
Anaphora, number two in this list, is a specific type of parallelism.
Parallelism is a simple, important, and effective tool. First, it can emphasize the connection between sentences, ideas, and objects. Contrarily, parallelism can also highlight the differences between sentences, ideas, and objects. Finally, it can establish a sense of rhythm which helps plant the message into the mind of the reader.
“This tree is the god of the forest.”
“heart of gold.”
“Truths are first clouds, then rain, then harvest and food.”
“Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations.”
Metaphor
Metaphor compares two different things in a figurative sense
Claim it - Name it - Frame it
Claim it -> Quote from the work
Name it -> Label the device / technique
Frame it -> Explain/analyze
Last changed2 years ago
