AP ENG 3 at Booker T. Washington High School - StudyBlue StudyBlue AMPLIFICATION (Add effect to the sentence) In rhetoric, amplification refers to the act and means of extending thoughts or statements: to increase rhetorical effect, to add importance, to make the most of a thought or circumstance. Example "Pride--boundless pride--is the bane of civilization" "This orchard, this lovely, shady orchard, is the main reason I bought this property ANADIPLOSIS (Repetition of the last word to clause effect) Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause, . Examples "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering" This treatment plant has a record of uncommon reliability, a reliability envied by every other water treatment facility on the coast. Advertisement ) ANAPHORA (Repetition of the first word) In writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora. Common Anaphora Examples It is common for us to use anaphora in our everyday speech to lay emphasis on the idea we want to convey or for self affirmation.

Read the following anaphora examples: “Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better” “My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.” “Buying nappies for the baby, feeding the baby, playing with the baby: This is what your life is when you have a baby. “I want my money right now, right here, all right? ANASTROPHE (Noun and the adjective is exchanged) Anastrophe is a form of literary device wherein the order of the noun and the adjective in the sentence is exchanged. In standard parlance and writing the adjective comes before the noun but when one is employing an anastrophe the noun is followed by the adjective. This reversed order creates a dramatic impact and lends weight to the description offered by the adjective. Example: He spoke of times past and future, and dreamt of things to be ANTANACLASIS (Phrase being repeated) Antanaclasis is a rhetorical device in which a phrase or word is repeatedly used. However, the meaning of a word changes in each case.

It is the repetition of a similar word in a sentence with different meanings, or a word is repeated in two or more than two different senses. May of Shakespeare’s literary pieces contain examples of antanaclasis. Like in these lines, “put out the light, then put out the light…” (Othello). The first meaning is that Othello would extinguish the candle and in the second reference its meaning is that he would end Desdemona’s life. Example The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. ANTIMETABOLE (Eat to live, not live to eat) Antimetabole is derived from a Greek word which means “turning about”. It is a literary term or device that involves repeating a phrase in reverse order. “You like it; it likes you” and “Fair is foul and foul is fair” etc. Chiasmus and antimetabole are usually expected to be overlapped in usage and it is also often used as a synonym for Epanados in modern day books.

However, the writer would make them distinct through his use Famous Antimetabole Examples Just see these examples of how it has been used since the time of Socrates to the present modern age. “Eat to live, not live to eat.”- Socrates “I go where I please, and I please where I go.” – Attributed to Duke Nukem “In America, you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, Party always finds you!” – Yakov Smirnoff “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy,Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961. ANTIPHRASIS (Opposite word) Antiphrasis originated from a Greek word antiphrasis, which means opposite word. Antiphrasis is a figurative speech in which a phrase or word is employed in a way that is opposite to its literal meaning in order to create an ironic or comic effect. In simple words, it is the use of phrases or words in their opposite sense than the real meaning.

Examples of antiphrasis include this: “Yes, I killed him. I killed him for money–and a woman–and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty, isn’t it…..” (Double Indemnity by Billy Wilder and Raymond). Here, the speaker is making ironic statement by using opposite sense of the word pretty. He has committed murder, yet he describes his act “pretty” ANTISTROPHE (The turning back) Antistrophe is a derivative of a Greek word that means “turning back”. It is defined as a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of the same words at the end of consecutive phrases, clauses, sentences and paragraphs. Like in the following excerpt, the phrase “but it is not this day” comes repeatedly at the end, Example from Lord of the Rings “A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break the bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day.

This day we fight… ANTITHESIS (Two opposite ideas aka the moon landing) Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. Antithesis emphasizes the idea of contrast by parallel structures of the contrasted phrases or clauses, i.e. the structures of phrases and clauses are similar in order to draw the attention of the listeners or readers. For example: “Setting foot on the moon may be a small step for a man but a giant step for mankind.” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. Common Antithesis Examples Some famous antithetical statements have become part of our everyday speech and are frequently used in arguments and discussions. Below is the list of some antithetical statements: Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. Man proposes, God disposes. Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing. Speech is silver, but silence is gold. Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit. Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart. APOPHASIS (Being in denial) APOPHASIS: Denying one's intention to talk or write about a subject, but making the denial in such a way that the subject is actually discussed. For instance, a candidate for the senate might start his speech declaring, "I don't have time to list the seventeen felony counts my opponent faces, or the lurid rumors of my opponent's sexual behavior with sixteen-year old girls, or the evidence that he is engaged in tax evasion. Instead, I am going to talk about my own qualities that I would bring to the senate if you vote for me . . ." A fine example of apophasis in Shakespeare comes from Mark Antony's funeral speech in Julius Caesar: I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts. I am no orator, as Brutus is; But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man . . . For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech To stir men's blood; I only speak right on.

Here, even as Mark Antony claims he is not present to win the listener's favor with fine words, he uses fine words to convince them. Contrast with aporia and aposiopesis, below. APORIA (To be or not to be) Aporia is a figure of speech wherein a speaker purports or expresses to be in doubt or in perplexity regarding a question (often feigned) and asks the audience how he/she ought to proceed. The doubts may appear as rhetorical questions often in the beginning of the text. Aporia is a logical paradox in which the speaker sows seeds of doubts in a subject. This rhetorical strategy can make the audience feel sympathetic about the speaker regarding the dilemma he is in. Example #1 “To be, or not to be: that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.….” (Hamlet by William Shakespeare) This is a prominent example of aporia available in English literature.

This is an opening soliloquy of Hamlet in the play. Here, the statement “to be or not to be” is such a question that introduces the uncertainty that characterizes the paragraph. APOSIOPESIS (Being silent) Aposiopesis is derived from a Greek word that means “becoming silent”. It is a rhetorical device that can be defined as a figure of speech in which the speaker or writer breaks off abruptly and leaves the statement incomplete, as if the speaker is not willing to state what is present in his mind due to being overcome by passion, excitement or fear. In a piece of literature, it means to leave a sentence unfinished so that the reader could determine his own meanings. Types of Aposiopesis Aposiopesis examples may be classified according to the following types: Emotive aposiopesis – This type of aposiopesis is used in conditions of conflicts between emotional outbursts of a speaker and environment that does not react. Usually, the writer or speaker pauses in the middle of a sentence. Calculated aposiopesis – This type of aposiopesis is based on the conflict of missing thought and its opposing force that rejects the substance of that thought.

Hence, the idea is removed that is explicitly expressed afterwards. Audience-respecting aposiopesis – It is based on the removal of thoughts which are unpleasant to the readers or offensive to the audience. Transitio-aposiopesis – It removes the ideas from the end part of a speech in order to immediately get the audience interested in the subsequent section. Emphatic aposiopesis – It avoids the use of full utterance to present the idea as greater and really inexpressible. Examples of Aposiopesis from Literature Example #1 King Lear: I will have revenges on you both That all the world shall–I will do such things— What they are yet, I know not; but they shall be The terrors of the earth! (King Lear by William Shakespeare) Shakespeare has used this technique wonderfully to show moods of his characters. Here, it is employed when King Lear gets furious against his wicked daughters. He cannot declare punishment but he breaks down and burst into tears. Example #2 “All quiet on Howth now. The distant hills seem. Where we. The rhododendrons. I am a fool perhaps, He gets the plums, and I the plumstones.

Where I come in.” (Ulysses by James Joyce) In the following passage, Joyce deliberately paused twice in order to create dramatic effect. The idea is left unfinished. This break also gives an impression of reluctance to continue. The unfinished thoughts are shown in bold. APOSTROPHE ( "O" and "Aye") In literature, apostrophe is a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation “O”. A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech. It is important not to confuse the apostrophe which is a figure of speech and the apostrophe which is a punctuation mark (‘). It shows possession or a mark to indicate omission of one or more letters (contractions) while apostrophe used in literature is an arrangement of words addressing a non-existent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and capable of understanding feelings. Apostrophe Examples from Literature English literature is replete with instances of apostrophe. Let us have a look at a few examples. Example #1 William Shakespeare makes use of an apostrophe in his play “Macbeth”: “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?

Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” In his mental conflict before murdering King Duncan, Macbeth has a strange vision of a dagger and talks to it as if it were another person. Example #2 Jane Taylor uses apostrophe in the well-known nursery rhyme “The Star”: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.” In the above nursery rhyme, a child addresses a star (an imaginary idea). Hence, this is a classic example of apostrophe. ASYNDETON (In order form A,B,C.) Asyndeton is derived from a Greek word asyndeton which means unconnected. It is a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the grammatical accuracy. This literary tool helps in reducing the indirect meaning of the phrase and presents it in a concise form. It started to be seen in Greek and Latin literature. Types of Asyndeton Asyndeton examples may be classified into two types A. One type of asyndeton is used between words, phrases and a sentence.

For example: “Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure?” (Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare) B. Second type is used between sentences or clauses. For example: Without looking, without making a sound, without talking (Oedipus at Colonus by Sophecles) Difference between Syndeton and Asyndeton Syndeton and asyndeton are opposite to each other. Syndeton includes addition of multiple conjunctions such as in “He eats and sleeps and drinks.” On the other hand, asyndeton is the elimination or leaving out of conjunctions such as in “He eats, sleeps, drinks.” Both create a completely different effect. Syndeton slows down the rhythm of speech and makes it moderate whereas asyndeton speeds up the rhythm of the speech. Examples of Asyndeton from Literature Example #1 Rouse him. Make after him, Poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets. Incense her kinsmen, And, though he in a fertile climate dwell, (Othello by William Shakespeare) In this extract, Shakespeare has eliminated conjunctions deliberately.

There is shortage of “and, for, or, but” which are required to join the sentences. Due to this, the words have been emphasized and feelings of anger and jealousy are articulated explicitly. Example #2 Go, shepherd, and untie the wattled cotes! No longer leave thy wistful flock unfed, Nor let thy bawling fellows rack their throats, Nor the cropp’d herbage shoot another head….. Thou hast not lived, why should’st thou perish, so? Thou hadst one aim, one business, one desire; Else wert thou long since numbered with the dead……! (The Scholar-Gipsy by Matthew Arnold) This is a good example of asyndeton. The conjunctions are missing in the sentences, such as the second and sixth lines are not connected with adjoining words, like and, are, so etc. However, it produces speed in the poem. AUXESIS ( clauses with increasing force) 1. In rhetoric, auxesis is a form of hyperbole that intentionally overstates something or implies that it is greater in significance or size than it really is. Auxesis is the opposite of meiosis. Auxesis may also refer to a sequence of clauses with increasing force.

Examples and Observations: "It's a well hit ball, it's a long drive, it might be, it could be, it IS . . . a home run." (American baseball broadcaster Harry Carey) "Jeans That Can (Harsh and Loud noises) Cacophony Definition If we speak literally, cacophony points to a situation where there is a mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds. In literature, however, the term refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds primarily those of consonants to achieve desired results. Common Cacophony Examples In everyday life, one of the examples of cacophony would be the amalgamation of different sounds you hear in a busy city street or market. You hear sounds of vehicles, announcements on loudspeakers, music, and chatter of people or even a dog barking at the same time and without any harmony. You can rightly point to the situation as being the cacophony of a busy street or market.

We can notice the manifestation of cacophony in language as well; for instance in the sentence: “I detest war because cause of war is always trivial.” The part “because cause” is cacophony as because is followed by a word cause that has a similar sound but different meaning. Generally, it sounds unpleasant as the same sound is repeated in two different words. Similarly, a discordant sound of a musical band, tuning up their musical instruments, is also an example of cacophony. Example #1 Abundant use of cacophonic words could be noticed in Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem “Jabberwocky” in his novel “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There”: ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves,an And the mome raths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!” In the excerpt, we see a collection of nonsense words which are at the same time unmelodious.

Afterreading the poem, “Alice”, the main character of the novel, gives her impression that reflects clearly the purpose of the poem. She says: “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don’t exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something: that’s clear, at any rate”. CATACHRESIS (Using metaphors to create effects) Definition of Catachresis Catachresis is a figure of speech in which writers use mixed metaphors in an inappropriate way to create rhetorical effect. Often, it is used intentionally to create a unique expression. Catachresis is also known as an exaggerated comparison between two ideas or objects. Features of Catachresis Mixed metaphors are good examples of catachresis and writers often use them to create rhetorical effects. They are used to express extreme alienation or heightened emotions. Catachresis is considered as a mistake in language as it may change the meanings of words. It is a combination of different types of figures of speech. It is prominently used in post-structuralist literary works, since those writers were expert in using wordplay and creating confusion in literary texts, which is an important part of catachresis.

Some Forms of Catachresis Sometimes a word is used to indicate something completely different from the literal meaning of that word. Such as in this example, “Tis deepest winter in Lord Timon’s purse; that is, one may reach deep enough, and find little” (Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare). Sometimes a word is used to indicate something whose actual name is not used like, “A chair’s arm.” Sometimes a paradoxical statement is used to create illogical strained metaphors. Such as, “Take arms against a sea of troubles…” Abusio is a subtype of catachresis, which results from the combination of two metaphors. Examples of Catachresis from Literature Example #1 A man that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green…. (On Revenge by Francis Bacon) Bacon uses metaphorical language by comparing revenge with wounds. The writer has made a connection between seemingly unconnected topics. However, catachresis is creating a rhetorical effect in this serious text.

CHIASMUS (Balanced between forces aka Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you) Chiasmus Definition Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. Let us try to understand chiasmus with the help of an example: “Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.” Notice that the second half of the above mentioned sentence is an inverted form of the first half both grammatically and logically. In the simplest sense, the term chiasmus applies to almost all “criss-cross” structures and this is the concept that is common these days. In its strict classical sense, however, the function of chiasmus is to reverse grammatical structure or ideas of sentences given that the same words and phrases are not repeated. Chiasmus Examples in Literature The use of chiasmus as a rhetorical device dates back to the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Its traces have been found in the ancient texts of Sanskrit and also in the ancient Chinese writings. Greeks, however, developed an unmatched inclination for this device and made it an essential part of the art of oration.

Below are a few samples from famous Greek sages: Example #1 “It is not the earth that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.” – Aeschylus (5th Century B.C.) Example #2 “Love as if you would one day hate, and hate as if you would one day love.” – Bias (6th Century B.C.) Example #3 “Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.” – Socrates (5th Century B.C.) Let us have a look at some examples of chiasmus from English literature: Example #1 “But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves.” (Shakespeare, Othello) Example #2 “His time a moment, and a point his space.” (Alexander Pope, Essay on Man) COMMORATIO (Repeating the point in multiple words) Definition: A rhetorical term for dwelling on a point by repeating it several times in different words. Examples: "He's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! He's expired and gone to meet his maker! He's a stiff!

Bereft of life, he rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed him to the perch he'd be pushing up the daisies! His metabolic processes are now history! He's off the twig! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!" (John Cleese in "The Dead Parrot Sketch," Monty Python's Flying Circus) DEHORTATIO (Never give it all & also use Do not, Never and Stop) Definition: A rhetorical term for dissuasive advice given with authority. Compare withdiatyposis. Dehortatio generally takes the form of a negative imperative beginning with do not, never, or stop. Examples: "Never look a gift lion in the mouth." (Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid. HarperCollins, 2007) "Never give all the heart . .

.." (title and opening line of a poem by William Butler Yeats, 1904) "Never ever stop in the middle of a hoe-down." (Homer Simpson, "Homer the Vigilante." The Simpsons, 1994) DIACOPE (Repetition of a word or phase by inverting it) Definition: A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase broken up by one or more intervening words. Examples and Observations: "Scott Farkus staring out at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes! So help me, God!Yellow eyes!" (Ralphie Parker, A Christmas Story, 1983) "I hate to be poor, and we are degradingly poor, offensively poor, miserably poor, beastlypoor." (Bella Wilfer in chapter four of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens) DIATYPOSIS (Using advice to help something) Definition: (1) A rhetorical term for recommending useful precepts or advice to someone else. Compare with dehortatio. (2) A brief yet visually powerful description that recreates something or someone in words. See enargia.

Examples and Observations (Definition #1): "In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present." (Tao Te Ching) "Think Small." (slogan of Volkswagen) "Look up, laugh loud, talk big, keep the color in your cheek and the fire in your eye, adorn your person, maintain your health, your beauty and your animal spirits." (William Hazlitt) "Question everything. Every stripe, every star, every word spoken. Everything." (Ernest Gaines) (Repetition of a word in the beginning and end) Definition: (1) A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at regular intervals: a refrain. Adjective:epanaleptic. (2) Repetition at the end of a clause or sentence of the word or phrase with which it began: a combination ofanaphora and epistrophe. Examples and Observations: "Next time there won't be a next time." (Phil Leotardo in The Sopranos) "Always Low Prices.

Always." "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (The Bible, Phil. 4.4) (Repetition of a word at end and causes success) Definition: A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses. Also known as epiphora. Contrast with anaphora (rhetoric). Examples: "A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight!" (Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003) "The big sycamore by the creek was gone. The willow tangle was gone. The little enclave of untrodden bluegrass was gone. The clump of dogwood on the little rise across the creek--now that, too, was gone." (Robert Penn Warren, Flood: A Romance of Our Time.

Random House, 1963) EPIZEUXIS (Repetition of a word & phase used for emphasis) Definition: A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis (In writing and speech, the repetition of key words and phrases or the careful arrangement of words to give them special weight and prominence), usually with no words in between. Examples: Waitress: Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Bloody Vikings. You can't have egg, bacon, Spam and sausage without the Spam. Mrs. Bun: I don't like Spam! Mr. Bun: Shh dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your Spam. I love it. I'm having Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam. (Monty Python, the Spam sketch) "I undid the lantern cautiously--oh, so cautiously--cautiously." (Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart," 1843) "I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch.

Here it goes down, down into my belly." (Will Ferrell in Anchorman, 2004) HYPERBATON (Word inversion that takes a sudden turn) Definition: A figure of speech that uses disruption or inversion of customary word order to produce a distinctive effect; also, a figure in which language takes a sudden turn--usually an interruption Examples and Observations: "Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man." (Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart") "From Cocoon forth a Butterfly As Lady from her Door Emerged--a summer afternoon-- (Emily Dickinson, "From Cocoon forth a Butterfly") "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." (Escalus in William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Act II, scene one) LITOTES (Able to do something better) Definition: A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite Examples and Observations: "Are you also aware, Mrs.

Bueller, that Ferris does not have what we consider to be an exemplary attendance record?" (Jeffrey Jones as Principal Ed Rooney, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986) "I cannot say that I think you are very generous to the ladies; for, whilst you are proclaiming peace and good-will to men, emancipating all nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over wives." (Abigail Adams, letter to John Adams, May 7, 1776) "Oh, you think you're so special because you get to play Picture Pages up there? Well, my five year old daughter could do that and let me tell you, she's not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed." (Allison Janney as Bren in Juno, 2007) MEIOSIS (Nickname) Definition: (1) To belittle, use a degrading epithet or nickname, often through a trope of one word. A concise form of invective. See also: tapinosis. (2) A kind of humorous understatement that dismisses or belittles, especially by using terms that make something seem less significant than it really is or ought to be.

Definition #1: Examples and Observations "Meiosis, often achieved through a trope of one word, may range from bitter scorn to light derision." (Sister Miriam Joseph, Shakespeare's Use of the Arts of Language, 1947) "The unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable." (Oscar Wilde on fox hunting) "rhymester" for poet "right-wing nutjobs" for Republicans; "left-wing pansies" for Democrats "pecker checker" for urologist "ambulance chaser" for personal injury lawyer "short-order chef" for morgue worker "treehugger" for "environmentalist" (Repetition of words with a same root with different endings) Definition: A rhetorical term for the repetition of words derived from the same root but with different endings Examples and Observations: "I dreamed a dream in times gone by When hope was high (Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schönberg, "I Dreamed a Dream." Les Miserables, 1985) "Choosy Mothers Choose Jif" (commercial slogan for Jif peanut butter) "I have no sharp taste for acquiring things, but it is not necessary to desire

 things in order to acquire them." (E.B.

White, "Goodbye to Forty-Eighth Street." Essays of E.B. White. Harper, 1977) "The things you own end up owning you." (Brad Pitt in the movie Fight Club, 1999) POLYSYNDETON Definition: A rhetorical term for a sentence style that employs many coordinating conjunctions (the opposite of asyndeton). Adjective :polysyndetic. (See Examples and Observations, below.) "Despite their formidable names, polysyndeton andasyndeton are nothing more than different ways of handling a list or a series. Polysyndeton places a conjunction (and, or) after every term in the list (except, of course, the last). Examples and Observations: They lived and laughed and loved and left.

"[I]t is respectable to have no illusions--and safe--and profitable--and dull." (Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, 1900) "He pulled the blue plastic tarp off of him and folded it and carried it out to the grocery cart and packed it and came back with their plates and some cornmeal cakes in a plastic bag and a plastic bottle of syrup." (Cormac McCarthy, The Road. Knopf, 2006) "Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly--mostly--let them have their whiteness." (Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969) “I’m going to lead my people up to the radio tower and I’m going to make a call, and I’m going to get them all rescued, every one of them.

And then I’m going to come find you, and I’m going to kill you.” (Jack Shephard in “Through the Looking Glass.” Lost, 2007) "I don't care a fig for his sense of justice--I don't care a fig for the wretchedness of London; and if I were young, and beautiful, and clever, and brilliant, and of a noble position, like you, I should care still less." (Henry James, The Princess Casamassima, 1886) SENTENTIA (A proverb) Definition: In classical rhetoric, a maxim, proverb, aphorism, or popular quotation: a brief expression of conventional wisdom Examples and Observations: "It is best to insert sententiae discreetly, that we may be viewed as judicial advocates, not moral instructors." (Rhetorica ad Herennium, c.

90 BC) "A man's as miserable as he thinks he is." (Seneca the Younger) "If you wish to be loved, love." (Seneca the Younger) "No man is laughable who laughs at himself." (Seneca the Younger) "Things forbidden have a secret charm." (Tacitus) SENTENTIAL ADVERBS (A single word or phase being emphasize a lot) A Sentential Adverb is a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal syntax, used to lend emphasis to the words immediately proximate to the adverb. (We emphasize the words on each side of a pause or interruption in order to maintain continuity of the thought.) Compare: But the lake was not drained before April. But the lake was not, in fact, drained before April. Sentential adverbs are most frequently placed near the beginning of a sentence, where important material has been placed: But sometimes they are placed at the very beginning of a sentence, thereby serving as signals that the whole sentence is especially important.

Some useful sentential adverbs include the following: in fact, of course, indeed, I think, without doubt, to be sure, naturally, it seems, after all, for all that, in brief, on the whole, in short, to tell the truth, in any event, clearly, I suppose, I hope, at least, assuredly, certainly, remarkably, importantly, definitely. In formal writing, avoid these and similar colloquial emphases: you know, you see, huh, get this. And it goes without saying that you should avoid the unprintable expletives. SYLLEPSIS (A verb understood different in actions) Definition: A kind of ellipsis in which one word (usually a verb) is understood differently in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies or governs. Examples: "When I address Fred I never have to raise either my voice or my hopes." (E.B. White, "Dog Training") "We consumers like names that reflect what the company does.

We know, for example, that International Business Machines makes business machines, and Ford Motors makes Fords, and Sara Lee makes us fat." (Dave Barry, "Dave's World." International Herald Tribune, April 8, 2001) Ana . . . first meets Christian Grey at Grey House, which is home to Grey Enterprises, in Seattle. . . . Ana, ushered into his presence, stumbles first over the threshold and then over her words." (Anthony Lane, "No Pain, No Gain" (review of Fifty Shades of Grey). The New Yorker, February 23 and March 2, 2015) SYMPLOCE (Repetition of word or phrase at both the beginning and ending with a successful ending) Definition: A rhetorical term for the repetition of words or phrases at both the beginning and end of successive clauses or verses: a combination of anaphora and epiphora (or epistrophe). Examples and Observations: "The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes . . .." (T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J.

Alfred Prufrock." Prufrock and Other Observations, 1917) "The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason." (G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 1908) "In the years after World War I my mother had put pennies for Grace [Cathedral] in her mite box but Grace would never be finished. In the years after World War II I would put pennies for Grace in my mite box but Grace would never be finished." (Joan Didion, "California Republic." The White Album. Simon & Schuster, 1979) SYNATHROESMUS (Piling up words to talk negative about someone) Definition: A rhetorical term for the piling up of words (usually adjectives), often in the spirit of invective (Abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something. Adverb: invectively).

Examples: "He's a proud, haughty, consequential, turned-up-nose peacock." (Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby) "He was a gasping, wheezing, clutching, covetous old man." (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol) "Of all the bete, clumsy, blundering, boggling, baboon-blooded stuff I ever saw on the human stage, that thing last night beat--as far as the story and acting went--and of all the affected, sapless, soulless, beginningless, endless, topless, bottomless, topsyturviest, tuneless, scrannelpipiest--tongs and boniest--doggerel of sounds I ever endured the deadliness of, that eternity of nothing was the deadliest, as far as its sound went." (John Ruskin, on Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) SYNECDOCHE (ABC's for the Alphabet) Definition: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole (for example, ABCs for alphabet) or the whole for a part ("England won the World Cup in 1966").

Examples and Observations: "Ed's buddy was in the market for a new set of wheels and wanted Ed's opinion about a particular model of Lexus." (Douglas T. Kenrick, Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life. Basic Books, 2011) "I left the toll road for our local highway and, turning into our dirt road, I was nearly rammed from behind by a pair of headlights that had been pushing, Pennsylvania style, six feet behind me." (John Updike, "Packed Dirt, Churchgoing, a Dying Cat, a Traded Car." Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories. Alfred A. Knopf, 1962) "Land ho! All hands on deck!" (Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island) TAPINOSIS (NAME-CALLING) Definition: A rhetorical term for name calling: undignified language that debases a person or thing. A kind of meiosis. Examples and Observations: Phillips: We play on a real diamond, Porter. You ain’t good enough to lick the dirt off our cleats. Porter: Watch it, jerk! Phillips: You eat dog crap for breakfast, geek!

Porter: You mix your Wheaties with your mama’s toe jam! Phillips: You bob for apples in the toilet and you like it! Porter: YOU PLAY BALL LIKE A GIRL! (from the movie The Sandlot, 1993) "Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else." (Tyler Durden in the film Fight Club, 1999) "Yes, you squashed cabbage-leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns, you incarnate insult to the English language! I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba!" (Henry Higgins addressing Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, 1912) "Draw, you whoreson cullionly barber-monger, draw." (Kent addressing Oswald in William Shakespeare's King Lear, II.2) TRICOLON (Three parallel words and phrases) Definition: A rhetorical term for a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses Examples and Observations:

Question: """Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live"", attributed to Socrates 5th century BCE, is an example of what figure of speech?"
Answer: Chiasmus