Aliteration

The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words

assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words

archetype

a character, action, or situation that is a prototype or pattern of human life;

a situation, setting, or character that occurs over and over again in literature

A point-by-point comparison between two dissimilar

clarify the less familiar of the two

a brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended

to make a point or entertain

a form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people

the actual words that characters speak

an exaggerated statement used to make a strong effect

an expression whose meaning is different from the sum of the meanings of the individual words

a particular tone created when the speaker intends a meaning that is opposite to the words he or she says

the use of verbal irony (saying one thing but meaning the opposite) in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it

an image, object, character, or action that stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning

a figure of speech in which the speaker says less than what he or she actually feels

apostrophe

a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate, as if animate

metaphor

a comparison of two things not using “like” or “as”

paradox

occurs when elements of a statement contradict each other

personification

the giving of human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas

oxymoron

a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression

simile

a comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

synecdoche/metonymy

a part of something is used to signify the whole; the whole is used represent a part

declarative

a sentence that makes a statement

imperative

a sentence that gives a command

interrogative

a sentence that asks a question

exclamatory

a sentence that provides emphasis or express strong emotion

simple

one independent clause

compound

two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon

complex

an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses

compound-complex

two or more independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses

loose

makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending of the sentence

periodic

makes sense fully only when the end of the sentence is reached

balanced

phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length

antithetical

two statements that are balanced, but opposite

antimetabole

arrangement of ideas in the second clause in a reversal of the first

asyndeton

deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses

ellipsis

intentional omission of a word or words that are readily implied by the context

inverted order

a sentence with the predicate before the subject

juxtaposition

a poetic a rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or

phrases are placed next to one another, often creating an effect of surprise

and wit.

natural order

constructing a sentence so the subject comes before the predicate

parallelism

a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or part of a sentence. It

involves an arrangement of words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarity phrased.

polysyndeton

deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis

repetition

device in which sounds, words, and ideas are used more than once to enhance

rhythm and to create emphasis

rhetorical question

question that requires no answer

rhetorical fragment

sentence fragment used deliberately for a persuasive purpose or to create a desired effect

anaphora

repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive

clauses

anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause

epanalepsis

repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause

epistrophe

repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses