Rhetorical Devices for Storytellers
Story first. Words last. When you're ready for the words, make them last.
Most writers think of rhetorical devices as something from a college English class — a list of Greek words to memorize and forget. That is a mistake. These devices are the mechanics of how language creates emotion. Every line of dialogue, every passage of narration, every choice of rhythm in your prose uses these tools whether you notice or not. The question is whether you use them on purpose.
Rhetoric is the bridge between story and voice. You can have a perfect plot and flat prose. You can have gorgeous sentences and no story. Rhetorical devices are where structure meets style — where the meaning of your words and the music of your words become the same thing.
Below are 35 devices I use in my own work and teach to my coaching clients. Each one includes a definition and an example. Study them. Then go find them in the scripts, novels, and speeches you admire. Once you start seeing them, you will hear your own prose with new ears.
The 35 Devices
- Alliteration
- A series of words begin with the same consonant sound.
"Whispering winds wove through the weeping willows." - Allusion
- Reference to a place, event, literary work, myth, or art.
"He had a Herculean task at hand, not unlike cleaning the Augean stables." - Amplification
- Adding detail to strengthen a point or clarify its meaning.
"Fear, a bone-chilling fear, seized her heart." - Anacoluthon
- A sudden break in grammar that shifts a sentence's direction.
"I will have such revenge on you both that all the world—I will do such things—What they are, I know not!" - Analogy
- Comparison between two things alike in some respect.
"His temper was like a tornado, destructive and unpredictable." - Anaphora
- Deliberate repetition of the first part of sentences for emphasis.
"When the sun rises, we work; when the sun sets, we rest; when the stars shine, we dream." - Antanagoge
- Responding to criticism by following with a positive.
"His painting lacks formal technique, yet its rawness brings a captivating honesty." - Antimetabole
- Key words repeated in reverse order for contrast or irony.
"Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You." - Antiphrasis
- Using a word with opposite meaning for irony or humor.
"Our cat Speedy sleeps all day." - Antithesis
- Two opposite ideas placed side by side for effect.
"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." - Aposiopesis
- A sentence breaks off, leaving the reader's imagination to finish it.
"If you say that again..." - Appositive
- A noun placed next to another to describe or rename it.
"Leonardo, a master of the arts, revolutionized Renaissance painting." - Asyndeton
- Omission of conjunctions to shorten and focus meaning.
"I came, I saw, I kind of conquered." - Chiasmus
- Two or more clauses reverse their structure for balance or emphasis.
"Stop the writer from writing too soon, and the writing will stop the reader." - Enumeratio
- Listing details or elements to emphasize a point.
"Her garden boasted roses, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and lilies." - Epanalepsis
- A clause that opens and closes with the same word or phrase.
"In our dreams, we see life, and through life, we dream." - Epithet
- An adjective or phrase becoming a defining characteristic.
"Swift-footed Achilles led the charge." - Epizeuxis
- Immediate repetition for vehemence or emphasis.
"Alone, alone, utterly alone." - Erotesis
- A rhetorical question asked to make a point rather than elicit an answer.
"Why do we even bother explaining this one?" - Hyperbole
- Exaggerated statement for emphasis, not meant literally.
"His snore was louder than a freight train." - Hypophora
- Speaker poses a question then answers it.
"Do I use Hypophora a lot in this book? Indeed, I do." - Irony
- Expressing meaning using language that usually signifies the opposite.
"They robbed the police station while the officers were out patrolling." - Litotes
- Affirming something by denying its opposite.
"Einstein was not a bad mathematician." - Metanoia
- Correcting yourself mid-sentence for greater effect.
"You are the fastest runner in the region; no, the entire state!" - Metaphor
- Calling something what it is not, to reveal a deeper truth.
"Laughter is the music of the soul." - Metonymy
- Referring to something by the name of something associated with it.
"The knights are loyal to the crown." - Onomatopoeia
- A word formed from a sound associated with what it names.
"The bacon sizzled and crackled in the pan." - Oxymoron
- Two contradictory words placed together for effect.
"The comedian was seriously hilarious." - Paradox
- A self-contradictory statement that reveals a truth.
"I must be cruel to be kind." - Parallelism
- Using similar grammatical structures in related phrases or clauses.
"She loved singing, dancing, and playing the piano." - Polysyndeton
- Deliberate use of many conjunctions to slow pace and add authority.
"We have ships and men and money and stores." - Simile
- A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.
"His mind was as sharp as a switchblade." - Synecdoche
- A part represents the whole or vice versa.
"All hands on deck" (where "hands" refers to people). - Understatement
- Makes an idea seem less important than it is.
"'It's just a scratch,' he said, looking at his totaled car." - Zeugma
- A word applies to two others in different senses, often creating humor.
"Your plot and the page turned with one final twist."