Rhetorical Devices
AP Language
Schemes involving Balance
MOST COMMON!
► Parallelism
 The repetition of similar grammatical or
syntactical patterns.
of words
► Parallelism of phrases
► Parallelism of clauses
► Parallelism
► Parallelism
Examples
of words
 “Exercise physiologists argue that body-
pump aerobics sessions benefit a person’ s
heart and lungs, muscles and nerves, and joints
and cartilage.
Active verb
► Parallelism
of phrases
 “Exercise physiologists argue that body-
pump aerobics sessions help a person breathe
more effectively, move with less discomfort, and
avoid injury.
Example
► Parallelism
of clauses
 “Exercise physiologists argue that body-pump
aerobics is the most efficient exercise class,
that body-pump participants show greater
gains in stamina then participants in
comparable exercise programs, and that bodypump aerobics is less expensive in terms of
equipment and training needed to lead or take
classes.”
Zeugma (zoog-mah)
►A
figure in which more than one item in a
sentence is governed by a single word,
usually a verb.
Examples of zeugma
► “You
held your breath and the door for me.”
~Alanis Morissette
Head Over Feet
► “You
are free to execute your laws, and your
citizens, as you see fit.”
~Star Trek: Next Generation
Antithesis
► Parallel
structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas
(placement of two things side by side for emphasis)
► Antithesis
 Words,
 Phrases
 Clauses
of:
Examples of Antithesis
► Of
WORDS
“When distance runners reach the state they call
the zone, they find themselves mentally
engaged yet detached.
► Of
PHRASES
“When distance runners reach the state they call
the zone, they find themselves mentally
engaged with their physical surroundings yet
detached from moment-to-moment concerns
about their conditioning.”
Examples of Antithesis
► Of
CLAUSES
“When distance runners reach the state
they call the zone, they find that they are
empirically engaged with their physical
surroundings yet they are also completely
detached from moment-to-moment
concerns about their conditioning.”
Another to add… (antithesis)
► Antimetabole
(anti-met-ab-olee)
 Words are repeated in different grammatical forms.
 “When the going get tough, the tough get
going”
 “Ask not what your country can do for you- ask
what you can do for your country.”
 “You take the girl out of the honky tonk, but
you can’t take the honky tonk out of the girl.”
Schemes Involving INTERUPTION
Necessary for on the spot information or ideas
► Parenthesis
(paren-the-ses)
 an amplifying or explanatory word, phrase, or
sentence inserted in a passage from which it is
usually set off by punctuation
“Sports night at the school always brings out the
would-be jocks—who would expect any
different?—ready to show that they’re
potentially as good as the varsity players.
Interruption
► Appositive
 A word or phrase that renames the nearby noun
or pronoun.
“Joe Weider, a pioneer in personal weight
training, would marvel at the facilities open to
today’s student athletes.”
Schemes Involving Omission
► Ellipsis
the omission of one or more words that are
obviously understood but that must be supplied to
make a construction grammatically complete
(sometimes replaced with three consecutive
periods)
In a hockey power play, if you pass the puck to the
wing, and he to you, then you can close in on the
goal.
Omission
► Asyndeton
(a-sin-da-ton)
The omission of conjunctions
“He has provided the poor with jobs, with
opportunity, with self-respect.”
Schemes Involving Repetition
“Don’t be repetitive, but use repetition.” 
AlliterationRepetition of same sound or letter at the
beginning of consecutive words or syllables.
“Intramural hockey is a strenuous,
stimulating, satisfying sport.
Repetition
Assonance (ass-o-nance)
The repetition of identical or similar vowel
sounds
“A workout partner is finally a kind, reliable,
right-minded helper.”
Repetition
Anaphora (ana-for-a)
The repetition of same group of words at
the beginning of clauses
“Exercise builds stamina in young children,
exercise builds stamina in teenagers and
young adults, exercise builds stamina in
older adults and senior citizens.
Schemes involving Repetition
► Epistrophe
(E-pis-tro-fee)
 Repetition of same group of words at end of
successive clauses
To become a top-notch player, I thought like an
athlete, I trained like an athlete, I ate like an
athlete.
Repetition
► Anadiplosis
(ana-dip-lo-sis)
 Repetition of last word of one clause at the
beginning of following clause
Mental preparation leads to training, training
builds muscle tone and coordination; muscle
tone and coordination, combined with focused
thinking, produce athletic excellence.
Repetition
► Climax
 Repetition of words, phrases, or clauses in order
of increasing number or importance
Excellent athletes need to be respectful of
themselves, their teammates, their schools, and
their communities.
Comparison

Synecdoche
a part of something used to refer to the whole
We decided we could rearrange the gym
equipment if everyone would lend a hand.
Comparison

Metonymy
 an entity referred to by one of its attributes
The central office announced today new
regulations for sports nights.
Comparison

Personification:
Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate
objects
After almost three periods of searching, the
puck finally found the goal.
Comparison

Periphrasis (puh-RI-frah-suhs)
a descriptive word or phrase used to refer to
proper name
The New York Yankees and the New York
Islanders vie to be the best hockey team in
the Big Apple.
Schemes Involving Comparison

Metaphor:
 Figure of speech used when one thing is spoken
of as though it were something else, thus
making an implicit comparison
Many an athletic contest is lost when the
player’s mind is an idling engine.
Comparison

Simile:
A figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to
compare two things
An athlete’s mind must be like a well-tuned
engine, in gear and responding to the twists
and curves of the contest. (This sentence
begins w/ simile and ends with implied
metaphor.)
Tropes Involving Word Play
► Pun
 suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting
multiple meanings of words, or of similarsounding words, for an intended humorous or
rhetorical effect
“The tipped-but-caught third strike, ending a
bases-loaded rally, was a foul most foul.
Word Play
► Antimeria
(anti-mer-ia)
 One part of speech, usually a verb, that
substitutes for a noun
When the Little Leaguers lost the championship,
they need just to have a good cry before they
could feel okay about their season.
Word Play
► Onomatopoeia
(ono-mato-pia)
 A word that imitates or suggests the source of
the sound that it describes.
The puck whizzed and zipped over the ice, then
clattered into the goal.
Overstatement and Understatement
► Hyperbole
(Hy-per-bowl-ee)
 The use of exaggeration as rhetorical device. It
may be used to evoke strong feelings or to
create a strong impression, but is not meant to
be taken literally
He couldn’t make that shot again if he tried a
million times.
Overstatement and Understatement
► Litotes
(LYE-tuh-tees)
 The use of an understatement as rhetorical
device. It may be used to evoke strong feelings
or to create a strong impression, but is not
meant to be taken literally.
Shutting out the opponents for three straight
games is no big deal (NBD) .
Litotes Examples
► "Not
bad."
“Good”
► "[…]
no ordinary city
“[ ] a very impressive
city.
► "She
is not as young
as she was."
“She’s old.”
Management of Meaning
► Irony
 Words meant to convey the opposite of literal
meaning
Their center is over seven feet tall- where do they
come up with these little pipsqueaks?
Management of Meaning
► Sarcasm
 Bitter Irony
“Thanks for everything you did for us tonight”
(when he really did nothing…).
Management of Meaning
► Oxymoron
 Words with contradictory meanings placed side by side
When you have to face your best friend in competition,
whoever wins feels an aching pleasure.
Jumbo shrimp, deafening silence, alone together
Same difference, constant variable, unbiased opinion
Management of Meaning
► Rhetorical
Question
 A question designed not to secure an answer,
but to move the idea forward and suggest a
point.
Hasn’t the state of intercollegiate athletics
reached the point where the line between
professionalism and amateurism is blurred?