Rhetorical Devices(syntactical devices)

AP Language and Composition

Anadiplosis

Definition: The term literally means “to double back.” It refers to a repetition of

the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of

the next.

Effect: creates a sense of logical progression

Examples:

Aboard my ship, excellent performance is standard. Standard performance is sub-

standard. Sub-standard performance is not permitted to exist. — Herman Wouk,

The Caine Mutiny

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. — Yoda, Star

Wars

VIDEO LINK: https://mannerofspeaking.org/2012/02/26/rhetorical-devices-anadiplosis/

Anadiplosis

WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP (linked) OF MARGARET THATCHER USING

ANADIPLOSIS TO PROMOTE HER ECONOMIC POLICIES. Explain the effect of

the use of anadiplosis.

Margaret Thatcher: "Of course our vision and our aims go far beyond the

complex arguments of economics, but unless we get the economy right we shall

deny our people the opportunity to share that vision and to see beyond the narrow

horizons of economic necessity. Without a healthy economy we can’t have a

healthy society and without a healthy society the economy won’t stay healthy

for long."

Anaphora

Definition: The term literally means “carrying back.” It refers to the repetition of

the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or

sentences, commonly in conjunction with climax and with parallelism

Effect: Creates especially strong emphasis and sense of continuity between

rhetorical points.

Example: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds,

we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. – Winston

Churchill

Anastrophe

Definition: Word order is reversed or rearranged.

Effect: Draws emphasis to a different part of the sentence; varies style in order to

emphasize

Example: “Powerful you have become; the dark side I sense in you.” - Yoda

● Yoda inverts normal word order. Instead of saying “You have become

powerful,” he says, “Powerful you have become.”

Antithesis / Juxtaposition

Definition: The term literally means “setting opposite.” It describes the creation

of a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or

juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure.

Effect: Useful for making relatively fine distinctions or for clarifying differences

which might be otherwise overlooked.

Example: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” – Alexander Pope

Apophasis

Definition: The term literally means “to say no.” It describes a process of

inductive reasoning that attempts to define an object or idea by what it is not

rather than by what it is. More commonly, it refers to the rhetorical tactic of

mentioning an idea by denying that it should be mentioned.

Effect: To make an audience aware of a subject while simultaneously creating

distance between the speaker and that subject if it is dangerous or undesirable.

Example: I will not bring up the topic of my opponent’s numerous affairs in this

discussion.

Apostrophe

Definition: The term literally means “turning away.” It refers to an interruption of

discourse in order to directly addresses a personified thing, either present or

absent.

Effect: Its most common purpose in prose is to give vent to or display intense

emotion, which can no longer be held back.

Example: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? – 1

Corinthians 15:55

The speaker talks directly to “death” and the “grave.”

Asyndeton

Definition: A deliberate omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or

clauses.

Effect: To speed up the rhythm of speech; to create the effect of improvisational

speech; to make an idea more memorable.

Example: I came, I saw, I conquered. – Julius Caesar

Caesar leaves out any conjunctions / connecting

words.

Asyndeton

WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP (linked) OF C.S. Lewis USING asyndeton. Be

prepared to explain the effect of his use of this syntactical device.

C.S. Lewis: Forget psychology. Forget the inside of men's heads. Judge them by

their actions. For example, Mr. Whistler is asleep. Now, from that action, I take it

that he has no interest in what I have to say. The puzzle is, that being the case,

why is he here at all? So, we construct a plot from Mr. Whistler's actions: he

comes, he sleeps. Now, Aristotle would say that the next question is not why, but

what is Mr. Whistler going to do next? [Mr. Whistler wakes up.] Good morning, Mr.

Whistler. My class is not compulsory, neither are my chairs very comfortable. I

suggest --

Chiasmus

Definition: Named after the Greek letter “chi,” indicating a criss-cross. The term

refers to a reversal in the order of terms in the second of two parallel clauses.

This is sometimes described as AB-BA structure.

Effect: Expresses a truth through complement or contrast in order to provoke

thought in the reader.

A B B

Example: Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your

A

country. – John F. Kennedy

Climax

Definition: The term comes from the Greek word for “ladder.” It refers to the

arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences in the order of increasing

importance, weight, or emphasis. Parallelism usually forms a part of the

arrangement, because it offers a sense of continuity, order, and movement-up the

ladder of importance.

Effect: Creates a sense of tension or grandeur, ultimately placing rhetorical

emphasis on the final word, phrase, or clause.

Example: I think we’ve reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation,

not only for all humanity, but for life upon the earth. – George Wald

● As Wald moves through his list, the topic widens and grows more important.

Climax

Listen to the clip of astronaut Frank Borman (aboard

the Apollo 8. What is the effect of his use of climax?

"And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a merry

Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth."

-- Frank Borman, Astronaut

Epanalepsis

Definition: Refers to the repetition of the first word of a clause or sentence at the

end.

Effect: Creates rhetorical emphasis.

Example: In the world, ye shall have trials, but be of good cheer—I have

overcome the world. –John 16:33

Litotes

Definition: A particular form of understatement generated by denying the opposite

or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used.

Effect: Depending on the tone and context of the usage, litotes either retains the

effect of understatement, or becomes an intensifying expression.

Example: And truly, their suffering was not small. – William Bradford

Their suffering was great. Small is the opposite of great. Litotes = not “the

opposite.”

Ellipsis

Definition: When words are left out of a sentence, but the meaning is

understood.

Effect: To speed up the rhythm of speech; to create the effect of improvisational

speech; to make an idea more memorable.

Example: My brother took the top bunk, my sister the bottom.

Parallelism

Definition: The term describes any structure that displays recurrent syntactical

similarity.

Effect: Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are developed and

phrased similarly to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in

importance. Parallelism also adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly,

clarity to the sentence.

S V PN

Example: The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessing; the

S V PN

inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.

● The two independent clauses follow the same grammatical form.

Parallelism

Listen to the clip of Jesse Jackson using parallelism. Be prepared to explain the

effect of his use of this syntactical device.

"I've tried to offer leadership to the Democratic Party and the Nation. If, in my high

moments, I have done some good, offered some service, shed some light,

healed some wounds, rekindled some hope, or stirred someone from apathy

and indifference, or in any way along the way helped somebody, then this

campaign has not been in vain."

-- Jesse Jackson, 1984 Democratic National Convention Address

Parenthesis

Definition: This term refers to the insertion of a word, phrase, or whole sentence

as an aside in the middle of another sentence. Parenthesis can be circumscribed

either by dashes--they are more dramatic and forceful--or by parentheses (to

make the aside less stringent).

Effect: The violence involved in jumping into (or out of) the middle of a sentence

to address the reader momentarily about something has a pronounced effect. This

device creates the effect of extemporaneity and immediacy.

Example: In Calormen, story-telling (whether the stories are true or made up) is

a thing you’re taught, just as English boys and girls are taught essay-writing. The

difference is that people want to hear the stories, whereas I never heard of anyone

who wanted to read the essays.

- C.S. Lewis

Pleonasm

Definition: This term refers to the use of more words than required to express

an idea; being redundant.

Effect: Generally this is a syntactical error, but it is done on purpose on rare

occasions for emphasis:

Example: This was the most unkindest cut of all. – Shakespeare, Julius

Caesar

Polysyndeton

Definition: The use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause;

structurally the opposite of asyndeton.

Effect: The rhetorical effect of polysyndeton is one of multiplicity, energetic

enumeration, and building up.

Example: And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of

the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the

heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive,

and they that were with him in the ark. – Genesis 7:22-24

Procatalepsis

Definition: This term refers to the rhetorical act of anticipating an objection and

answering it

Effect: This tactic permits an argument to continue moving forward while taking

into account points or reasons opposing either the train of thought or its final

conclusions.

Example: Of course, those who object to government intervention claim that any

new regulations will destroy the coal and petroleum industries. However, this type

of thinking is short-sighted and reactionary. In reality, new regulations will only…

Zeugma

Definition: This term refers to a grammatically correct linkage (or yoking

together) of two or more parts of speech by another part of speech. Examples of

zeugmatic usage would include one subject with two (or more) verbs, a verb with

two (or more) direct objects, two (or more) subjects with one verb, and so forth.

Effect: The main benefit of the linking is that it shows relationships between ideas

and actions more clearly. The technique is often used to promote satiric effect.

Example: You held your breath and the door for me. – Alanis Morrisette