schemes
Figures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters and sounds, rather than the meaning of words
parallelism
When the writer
... [Show More] establishes similar patterns of grammatical structure and length. e.g., "King Alfred tried to make the law clear, precise, and equitable."
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antithesis
Contrary ideas expressed in a balanced sentence. e.g., "Evil men fear authority; good men cherish it."
chiasmus
A literary scheme involving the specific inversion of word order. e.g., "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."
hypophora
A rhetorical term for raising questions and immediately answering them. e.g., "What makes a king out of a slave? Courage!"
alliosis
Presenting alternatives: "You can eat well or you can sleep well. Although it can create a fallacy, it can be clever and artistic.
ellipsis
Omitting a word implied by the previous clause. e.g., ". . . killed six of the . . . villagers."
asyndeton
Using no conjunctions to create an effect of speed or simplicity. e.g., "Veni. Vidi. Vici." or "Been there. Done that."
polysyndeton
Using many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect. e.g., "This term, I am taking biology and English and history and math and music and physics and sociology."
climax
Arrangement in order of increasing importance. e.g., "Let a man acknowledge his obligations to himself, his family, his country, and his God."
bathos
Usually used humorously, the least important item appears anticlimactically in a place where the reader expects something grand or dramatic. e.g., "I am making a stand in this workplace for human decency, professional integrity, and free doughnuts at lunch-break."
alliteration
Repetition of a consonant in multiple words. e.g., "buckets of blue berries"
consonance
Repetition of final consonant sounds. e.g., "All mammals named Sam are clammy."
assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds. e.g., "Moses supposes his toeses are roses."
anaphora
Repetition of beginning phrases. e.g. "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France . . ." [Show Less]