IB ENG Rhetorical Devices List Delayed sentence Asentence that withholds its main idea until the end Example: Guided only by the dim light of their flashlights through the dense forest, where unseen eyes watched their every move, the hikers continued along the narrow path without realizing the danger that lurked in the shadows. . Sarcasm A sharp caustic remark. A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually bitterly or harshly critical Example: Well, that's just fantastic! | love it when my alarm clock wakes me up early on a Saturday. It's the highlight of my week. . Expletive A single word or short phrase intended to emphasize surrounding words. Commonly, expletives are set off by commas. Example: The weather outside is absolutely dreadful; however, we're still planning to have our picnic . Irony A situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant. Irony is frequently humorous, and can be sarcastic when using words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean. Example: The fire station burned down while the firefighters were on a training exercise. . Eulogy A speech or writing in praise of a person or thing; an oration in honor of a deceased person10. Example: We gather today to honor and remember [Name], a beacon of kindness and strength whose laughter and generosity touched us all. [His/Her] legacy of love and resilience will forever inspire us to live with purpose and compassion. Paradox Astatement that seems contradictory, but is actually true. Example: To gain strength, one must acknowledge vulnerability—a paradoxical truth that underscores the resilience found in embracing life's uncertainties. Epiphany ‘A sudden or intuitive insight or perception into the reality or essential meaning of something usually brought on by a simple or common occurrence or experience Example: ‘As | watched the sunrise from the mountaintop, a sudden epiphany washed over me, revealing the profound beauty of simplicity and the fleeting nature of time. Onomatopoeia ‘Aword capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes, such as buzz or hiss. Example: The thunder rumbled in the distance as the raindrops tap-danced on the roof, creating a soothing lullaby for the night. Diction ‘An author's choice of words to convey a tone or effect Example: The speaker's deliberate choice of elevated diction, employing sophisticated and precise language, aimed to establish credibility and appeal to the audience's sense of intellect during the persuasive speech. Utopia ‘An imaginary place of ideal perfection. The opposite of a dystopia. —An imaginary place where people live dehumanized, often fearful ives.un. 12. 13, 14. Example: In the novel, the author paints a utopia where harmony prevails, and every citizen enjoys equal rights, illustrating an idealized society free from strife and inequality Hyperbole ‘An overstatement characterized by exaggerated language Example: Her insistence on reminding me to clean my room seemed like an eternal recurrence, as if | had heard the directive a million times, emphasizing the perceived enormity of the request. Deus ex machina As in Greek theater, use of an artificial device or contrived solution to solve a difficult situation, usually introduced suddenly and unexpectedly. Example: In the midst of chaos and despair, just when all hope seemed lost, a sudden and unexpected solution emerged, almost like a deus ex machina, rescuing the characters from their dire predicament and providing a swift resolution to the narrative conflict. . Antagonist Character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character, or protagonist Example: In the classic novel, the cunning and malevolent character, Dr. Moriarty, served as the formidable antagonist, orchestrating a series of devious plots to thwart the protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, and create an engaging conflict central to the storyline. Analogy Comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both types of analogy Example: Life is like a winding river, sometimes calm and serene, other times turbulent and Unpredictable. Just as we navigate its twists and turns, we learn to adapt, finding strength in the journey and discovering the beauty that lies around each bend.15. Inductive Conclusion or type of reasoning whereby observation or information about a part of a class is applied to the class as a whole. Contrast with deductive. Example: Repeated observations of heavy rainfall causing flooding lead us to inductively infer a connection, suggesting that ongoing rain contributes to an elevated risk of floods in low-lying areas. 16. Nostalgia A sentimentality for the past, typically associated with positive emotions and a desire to return to a former time Example: The smell of freshly baked cookies brought a wave of nostalgia, reminding her of the carefree days of her childhood. 17. Chiasmus Areversal in the order of words or phrases in successive clauses, creating a mirrored or crisscross pattern Example: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" is a chiasmus from Shakespeare's Macbeth, emphasizing the theme of deception. 18. Thesis Acentral point or claim in an essay or speech that encapsulates the main argument or purpose: Example: In an essay about climate change, the thesis might be: "Human activities are the primary drivers of global warming.” 19. Litote ‘A form of understatement where the negation of the contrary is used for emphasis Example: "She's not a bad cook" implies that she is a good cook, using negation for emphasis. 20. Doppelganger Alliterary device where a character has a double, often representing the darker or opposite side of their personalityExample: In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde serves as Dr. Jekyll's doppelganger, embodying his inner evil. 21. Zeugma ‘Ause of a single word to govern or modify two or more words, but must be understood differently in relation to each Example: "He stole my heart and my wallet" uses “stole” in different contexts with “heart” and “wallet.” 22. Ethos A rhetorical appeal that focuses on the credibility, authority, or ethical character of the speaker or writer Example: The renowned scientist, with decades of groundbreaking research, spoke about climate change, lending undeniable ethos to his warnings. 23. Propaganda ‘Ause of biased or misleading information to promote a particular political cause or point of view Example: Political posters during wartime often use propaganda techniques to sway public opinion 24. Didactic Literature or writing that aims to teach or instruct, often with moral or educational intentions Example: A fable like "The Tortoise and the Hare" is didactic, imparting the moral lesson of perseverance. 25.Formal Language ‘Ause of proper grammar, sophisticated vocabulary, and adherence to established conventions Example: Academic essays, legal documents, and official speeches often use formal language to convey authority. 26. AllegoryAnarrative in which characters, events, or settings symbolize abstract ideas, conveying a deeper meaning George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is an allegory representing the Russian Revolution and political corruption. 27. Abstract Concepts or ideas that are intangible, not concrete or perceivable through the senses Example: Love, justice, and freedom are abstract concepts that may be explored in literature or philosophy. 28.In medias res literary technique where a narrative begins in the middle of the story rather than at the beginning Example: Homer's "The liad" starts in medias res with the Trojan War, omitting the events leading to the conflict. 29. Colloquial Informal, conversational language often characterized by regional dialects or slang Example: “Wanna' instead of “want to" is a colloquial expression commonly used in casual conversations. 30. Isocolon Repetition of similar grammatical structures or sentence lengths in a series Example: “Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, | saw, | conquered) is an isocolon, with three parallel clauses of equal length. 31. Connotation: What is implied by a word Example: The words sweet, gay, and awesome have connotations that are quite different from their actual definitions. 32. Juxtaposition: Placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose Example: The tiny flower grew amidst the towering skyscrapers, a delicate contrast to the surrounding concrete jungle.33.Elegy: Poem or prose lamenting the death of a particular person. Example: Thomas Grey's poem, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." 34. Antihero: Protagonist of a literary work who does not embody the traditional qualities of a hero (e.g., honor, bravery, kindness, intelligence) Example: The protagonists created by Byron in Don Juan and Childe Harold, and the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 35.Catharsis: Purification or cleansing of the spirit through the emotions of pity and terror as a witness to a tragedy. Example: In "Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, the climax where Romeo and Juliet tragically die serves as a moment of catharsis. 36. Epigraph: Quote set at the beginning of a literary work or at its divisions to set the tone or suggest a theme. Example: In F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby,” the epigraph reads: “Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry ‘Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you! 37. Motif: Recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event Example: In "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, the mockingbird is a prominent. moti. 38. Parallelism: Recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences equal in importance. It also adds balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence. Example: | have always searched for, but never found the perfect painting for that wall.”39. Anaphora: regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. Example: We shall fight in the trenches. We shall fight on the oceans. We shall fight in the sky 40. Anadiplosis: Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause. Example: The crime was common, common be the pain.” (Alexander Pope) 41. Imagery: Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. Imagery involves any or all of the five senses Example: "The room was filled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies, their warm, buttery scent wafting through the air. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on the hardwood floor.” 42. Euphemism: Substitution of a milder or less direct expression for one that is harsh or blunt. Example: passed away 43.Genre: Term used to describe literary forms, such as tragedy, comedy, novel, or essay Example: ‘cience Fiction, Mysery 44.Voice: The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of words of the story; the speaker, a "person' telling the story or poem. Example: In Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” the voice of Huck Finn, the young protagonist, is characterized by his Southern dialect, humor, and honest observations about society. 45. Tone: The attitude a literary work takes towards its subject and theme. It reflects the narrator's attitude. Example: In George Orwell's "1984," the tone is bleak and oppressive.46. Theme The central or dominant idea or concern of a work; the main idea or meaning Example: love, honor, individual VS society, fate, violence, youth 47. Protagonist The chief character in a work of literature Example: Tony Stark in iron Man 48, Denotation The dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning Example: straightforward and objective depiction of an old man’s appearance (no subjectivity) 49.Mood The feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator’s attitude and point of view. The effect is created through descriptions of feelings or objects that establish a particular feeling such as gloom, fear, or hope Example: quiet, foreboding, intense, chilling, unsettling, disturbing, etc. 50.Realism The literary practice of attempting to describe life and nature without idealization and with attention to detail Example: Gustave Flaubert's novel "Madame Bovary" 51. Prose The ordinary of form of written language without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse Example: prose "I walked about all alone over the hillsides" (poetry “i wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills”) 52. Target audience The person(s) reached by a piece of writing. Example: teenagers, customers53.Asyndeton The practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. Ina lst, it gives a more extemporaneous effect and suggests the list may be incomplete. Example: "He was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing.” 54.Deductive The reasoning process by which a conclusion is drawn from set of premises and contains no more facts than these premises Example: all dogs have ears, chihuahuas are dogs -> therefore, chihuahuas have ears 55. Assonance The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words. Example: chips and dips, surf and turf, go slow over the road 56. Alliteration The repetition of initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds within a formal grouping, such as a poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose Example: "busy as a bee," “give up the ghost,” “living the life," “right as rain,” "mad as a March hare.” 57.Consonance The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels Example: "pitter-patter”, "splish-splash”, and “click-clack” 58. Invective The use of angry and insulting language in satirical writing Example: "you dirty rotten scoundrel” 59.Point of view The view the reader gets of the action and characters in a story Example: first person POV, second person POY, third person POV 60. PersonaThe voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author. Example: a middle-aged author uses the persona of a teenager to tell a story set ina high school