a handbookof rhetorical devices.docx
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a handbookof rhetorical devices.docx
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ahandbookofrhetoricaldevices
Ahandbookofrhetoricaldevices
RhetoricalDevices
1.Expletiveisasinglewordorshortphrase,usuallyinterruptingnormalsyntax,usedtolendemphasistothewordsimmediatelyproximatetotheexpletive.(Weemphasizethewordsoneachsideofapauseorinterruptioninordertomaintaincontinuityofthethought.)Compare:
ButthelakewasnotdrainedbeforeApril.
Butthelakewasnot,infact,drainedbeforeApril.
Expletivesaremostfrequentlyplacednearthebeginningofasentence,whereimportantmaterialhasbeenplaced:
Alltruthisnot,indeed,ofequalimportance;butiflittleviolationsareallowed,everyviolationwillintimebethoughtlittle.--SamuelJohnson
Butsometimestheyareplacedattheverybeginningofasentence,therebyservingassignalsthatthewholesentenceisespeciallyimportant.Insuchcasesthesentenceshouldbekeptasshortaspossible:
Inshort,thecobblerhadneglectedhissoul.
Indeed,thewaterIgivehimwillbecomeinhimaspringofwaterwellinguptoeternallife.--John4:
14(NIV)
Ortheauthormayshowthathedoesnotintendtounderemphasizeanobjectionorargumentherejects:
Tobesure,noonedesirestoliveinafoulanddisgustingenvironment.Butneitherdowewanttodesertourcities.
Inafewinstances,especiallywithshortsentences,theexpletivecanbeplacedlast:
Itwasahotdayindeed.
Haroldwon,ofcourse.
Acommonpracticeissettingofftheexpletivebycommas,whichincreasestheemphasisonthesurroundingwords,thoughinmanycasesthecommasarenecessaryforclarityaswellandcannotbeomitted.Notehowtheexpletiveitselfisalsoemphasized:
Hewithoutdoubtcanbetrustedwithacookie.
He,withoutdoubt,canbetrustedwithacookie.
Anexpletivecanemphasizeaphrase:
TheBradys,clearlyahappyfamily,liveinanoldhousewithsqueakyfloors.
Transitionalphrases,accostives,someadverbs,andotherinterrupterscanbeusedforemphasizingportionsofsentences,andthereforefunctionaskindsofquasi-expletivesinthosecircumstances.
Wefindafewpeople,however,unwillingtocome.
"Yourlastremark,"hesaid,"isimpertinent."
Thereisnothing,Sir,toolittleforsolittleacreatureasman.--SamuelJohnson
Someusefulexpletivesincludethefollowing:
infact,ofcourse,indeed,Ithink,withoutdoubt,tobesure,naturally,itseems,afterall,forallthat,inbrief,onthewhole,inshort,totellthetruth,inanyevent,clearly,Isuppose,Ihope,atleast,assuredly,certainly,remarkably,importantly,definitely.Informalwriting,avoidtheseandsimilarexpletives:
youknow,yousee,huh,getthis.Anditgoeswithoutsayingthatyoushouldavoidtheunprintableones.
2.Asyndetonconsistsofomittingconjunctionsbetweenwords,phrases,orclauses.Inalistofitems,asyndetongivestheeffectofunpremeditatedmultiplicity,ofanextemporaneousratherthanalaboredaccount:
Onhisreturnhereceivedmedals,honors,treasures,titles,fame.
Thelackofthe"and"conjunctiongivestheimpressionthatthelistisperhapsnotcomplete.Compare:
Shelikespickles,olives,raisins,dates,pretzels.
Shelikespickles,olives,raisins,dates,andpretzels.
Sometimesanasyndeticlistisusefulforthestronganddirectclimacticeffectithas,muchmoreemphaticthanifafinalconjunctionwereused.Compare:
Theyspentthedaywondering,searching,thinking,understanding.
Theyspentthedaywondering,searching,thinking,andunderstanding.
Incertaincases,theomissionofaconjunctionbetweenshortphrasesgivestheimpressionofsynonymitytothephrases,ormakesthelatterphraseappeartobeanafterthoughtorevenasubstitutefortheformer.Compare:
Hewasawinner,ahero.
Hewasawinnerandahero.
Noticealsothedegreeofspontaneitygrantedinsomecasesbyasyndeticusage."Themoist,rich,fertilesoil,"appearsmorenaturalandspontaneousthan"themoist,rich,andfertilesoil-"
Generally,asyndetonoffersthefeelingofspeedandconcisiontolistsandphrasesandclauses,butoccasionallytheeffectcannotbesoeasilycategorized.Considerthe"flavor"oftheseexamples:
If,asisthecase,wefeelresponsibility,areashamed,arefrightened,attransgressingthevoiceofconscience,thisimpliesthatthereisOnetowhomweareresponsible,beforewhomweareashamed,whoseclaimsuponuswefear.--JohnHenryNewman
InbooksIfindthedeadasiftheywerealive;inbooksIforeseethingstocome;inbookswarlikeaffairsaresetforth;frombookscomeforththelawsofpeace.--RicharddeBury
Wecertainlyhavewithinustheimageofsomeperson,towhomourloveandvenerationlook,inwhosesmilewefindourhappiness,forwhomweyearn,towardswhomwedirectourpleadings,inwhoseangerwearetroubledandwasteaway.--JohnHenryNewman
3.Polysyndetonistheuseofaconjunctionbetweeneachword,phrase,orclause,andisthusstructurallytheoppositeofasyndeton.Therhetoricaleffectofpolysyndeton,however,oftenshareswiththatofasyndetonafeelingofmultiplicity,energeticenumeration,andbuildingup.
Theyreadandstudiedandwroteanddrilled.Ilaughedandplayedandtalkedandflunked.
Usepolysyndetontoshowanattempttoencompasssomethingcomplex:
Thewater,likeawitch'soils,/Burntgreen,andblue,andwhite.--S.T.Coleridge
[He]pursueshisway,/Andswims,orsinks,orwades,orcreeps,orflies.--JohnMilton
Themultipleconjunctionsofthepolysyndeticstructurecallattentiontothemselvesandthereforeaddtheeffectofpersistenceorintensityoremphasistotheothereffectofmultiplicity.Therepeateduseof"nor"or"or"emphasizesalternatives;repeateduseof"but"or"yet"stressesqualifications.Considertheeffectivenessofthese:
Andtosetforththerightstandard,andtotrainaccordingtoit,andtohelpforwardallstudentstowardsitaccordingtotheirvariouscapacities,thisIconceivetobethebusinessofaUniversity.--JohnHenryNewman
Wehavenotpower,norinfluence,normoney,norauthority;butawillingnesstopersevere,andthehopethatweshallconquersoon.
Inaskilledhand,ashiftfrompolysyndetontoasyndetoncanbeveryimpressive:
Behold,theLordmakeththeearthempty,andmakethitwaste,andturnethitupsidedown,andscatterethabroadtheinhabitantsthereof.Anditshallbe,aswiththepeople,sowiththepriest;aswiththeservant,sowithhismaster;aswiththemaid,sowithhermistress;aswiththebuyer,sowiththeseller;aswiththelender,sowiththeborrower;aswiththetakerofusury,sowiththegiverofusurytohim.--Isaiah24:
1-2(KJV)
4.Understatementdeliberatelyexpressesanideaaslessimportantthanitactuallyis,eitherforironicemphasisorforpolitenessandtact.Whenthewriter'saudiencecanbeexpectedtoknowthetruenatureofafactwhichmightberatherdifficulttodescribeadequatelyinabriefspace,thewritermaychoosetounderstatethefactasameansofemployingthereader'sownpowersofdescription.Forexample,insteadofendeavoringtodescribeinafewwordsthehorrorsanddestructionofthe1906earthquakeinSanFrancisco,awritermightstate:
The1906SanFranciscoearthquakeinterruptedbusinesssomewhatinthedowntownarea.
Theeffectisnotthesameasadescriptionofdestruction,sinceunderstatementlikethisnecessarilysmacksofflippancytosomedegree;butoccasionallythatisadesirableeffect.Considertheseusages:
HenryandCatherineweremarried,thebellsrang,andeverybodysmiled....Tobeginperfecthappinessattherespectiveagesoftwenty-sixandeighteenistodoprettywell....--JaneAusten
LastweekIsawawomanflayed,andyouwillhardlybelievehowmuchitalteredherpersonfortheworse.--JonathanSwift
YouknowIwouldbealittledisappointedifyouweretobehitbyadrunkdriverattwoa.m.,soIhopeyouwillbehomeearly.
Inthesecasesthereadersupplieshisownknowledgeofthefactsandfillsoutamorevividandpersonaldescriptionthanthewritermighthave.
Inamoreimportantway,understatementshouldbeusedasatoolformodestyandtactfulness.Wheneveryourepresentyourownaccomplishments,andoftenwhenyoujustdescribeyourownposition,anunderstatementofthefactswillhelpyoutoavoidthechargeofegotismontheonehandandofself-interestedpufferyontheother.Wearealwaysmorepleasedtodiscoverathinggreaterthanpromisedratherthanlessthanpromised--orasSamuelJohnsonputit,"Itismorepleasingtoseesmokebrighteningintoflame,thanflamesinkingintosmoke."Anditgoeswithoutsayingthatapersonmodestofhisowntalentswinsouradmirationmoreeasilythananegotist.Thusanexpertgeologistmightsay,"Yes,Iknowalittleaboutrocks,"ratherthan,"Yes,I'manexpertaboutrocks."(Anevenbiggerexpertmightraisehiseyebrowsifheheardthat.)
Understatementisespeciallyusefulindealingwithahostileaudienceorindisagreeingwithsomeone,becausethestatement,whilecarryingthesamepoint,ismuchlessoffensive.Compare:
Thesecondlawofthermodynamicsprettymuchworksagainstthepossibilityofsuchanevent.
Thesecondlawofthermodynamicsprovesconclusivelythatthattheoryisutterlyfalseandridiculous.
Remember,thegoalofwritingistopersuade,nottooffend;onceyouinsultorputoffyouropponent,objector,ordisbeliever,youwillneverpersuadehimofanything,nomatterhow"obviouslywrong"heisorhowclearlyrightyouare.Thedegreeandpowerofprideinthehumanheartmustneverbeunderestimated.Manypeopleareunwillingtohearobjectionsofanykind,andviewdisagreementasasignofcontemptfortheirintellect.Theu
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