RHETORIC Techniques To Speak Well and Write Better

All successful speakers and writers till date have made use of rhetoric in their speech and writing,
knowingly or unknowingly. Rhetoric is the art of effective communication, using language and persuasive
techniques to influence, inform, enlighten, or entertain listeners and readers. Rhetoric teaches individuals
how to structure their arguments, present their ideas clearly, and engage their audience. This skill is vital in
RHETORIC: Techniques to Speak Well and Write Better

various professional settings, from business negotiations and public speaking to academic presentations.
RHETORIC
Rhetorical techniques help individuals persuade and influence others by appealing to emotions, logic, and
ethics. Whether convincing someone to support a particular cause, buy a product, or adopt a certain
viewpoint, the ability to craft persuasive messages is a valuable asset. If you observe, Rhetoric is at play
almost all the times in the speeches of lawyers, politicians, managers, policymakers, public servants, and
media persons--almost all professions depend on Rhetoric to succeed in their communication goals. The
sooner one learns Rhetoric, the better.
In this self-explanatory book, RHETORIC: TECHNIQUES TO SPEAK WELL AND WRITE BETTER, experienced
authors Dr. Rajendra Kumar Dash and Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana not only define the rhetorical devices
crisply but also present the best examples of their use by impactful speakers and writers. What's more, the
readers of this book will get 100 exercise bits to check out their understanding of Rhetoric by identifying
the given sentences/paragraphs. Space is available at the end of each Rhetorical device to write down your
own model rhetoric device/figure of speech/literary device after the given ones in the book.
Techniques to Speak Well and Write Better

We authors are confident that your learning of rhetoric from this book will empower you to communicate
effectively, persuade, and navigate the complexities of various interpersonal, professional, and societal
interactions. Practice this book thoroughly and excel in your field.
AUTHORS
Dr RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Dash & Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana

Dr SIMHACHALAM THAMARANA
DR. RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH

DR. SIMHACHALAM THAMARANA
RHETORIC

Copyright © 2023 Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash & Dr Simhachalam
Thamarana
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 979-8-85-425356-7
CONTENTS
PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................. i
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1
ACCISMUS ......................................................................................................................................... 6
ACCUMULATION .............................................................................................................................. 6
ADJUNCTION .................................................................................................................................... 7
ADYNATON ....................................................................................................................................... 8
ALLITERATION .................................................................................................................................. 8
AMBIGUITY ....................................................................................................................................... 9
AMPHILOGY .................................................................................................................................... 10
ANABASIS........................................................................................................................................ 11
ANADIPLOSIS .................................................................................................................................. 11
ANAGRAM ....................................................................................................................................... 12
ANANGEON .................................................................................................................................... 13
ANESIS ............................................................................................................................................. 15
ANTANACLASIS .............................................................................................................................. 15
ANTANAGOGE ................................................................................................................................ 16
ANTIRHESIS .................................................................................................................................... 16
ANTITHESIS ..................................................................................................................................... 17
APHORISMUS .................................................................................................................................. 18
APOPHASIS ..................................................................................................................................... 18
APORIA ............................................................................................................................................ 19
APOSIOPESIS .................................................................................................................................. 19
APOSTROPHE .................................................................................................................................. 20
ASSONANCE.................................................................................................................................... 21
ASYNDETON.................................................................................................................................... 22
AUREATION .....................................................................................................................................23
BATHOS [ANTI-CLIMAX] .................................................................................................................24
BOMBAST [CLAPTRAP] ....................................................................................................................25
CACOPHONY ....................................................................................................................................26
CATAPHORA .....................................................................................................................................27
CHIASMUS .......................................................................................................................................27
CIRCUMLOCUTION .........................................................................................................................28
CLIMAX ............................................................................................................................................29
CONSONANCE .................................................................................................................................30
DISTINCTIO ......................................................................................................................................31
DOUBLE ENTENDRE ........................................................................................................................32
DYSPHEMISM...................................................................................................................................33
ELLIPSIS ...........................................................................................................................................35
ENJAMBMENT..................................................................................................................................35
EPANORTHOSIS ...............................................................................................................................36
EPIGRAM ..........................................................................................................................................37
EPISTROPHE.....................................................................................................................................37
EPITROPE .........................................................................................................................................38
ETHOPOEIA ......................................................................................................................................39
ETHOS ..............................................................................................................................................39
EUCHE ..............................................................................................................................................40
EUPHEMISM.....................................................................................................................................40
EUPHONY .........................................................................................................................................42
EXERGASIA .......................................................................................................................................43
FORESHADOWING: .........................................................................................................................44
GNOME (APHORISM) ......................................................................................................................45
HARANGUE ......................................................................................................................................46
HENDIADYS ..................................................................................................................................... 45
HYPERBATON.................................................................................................................................. 48
HYPERBOLE ..................................................................................................................................... 48
HYPOPHORA ................................................................................................................................... 49
IN MEDIAS RES ............................................................................................................................... 51
INNUENDO ..................................................................................................................................... 52
JABBERWOCKY................................................................................................................................ 54
JACTITATION ................................................................................................................................... 55
JUXTAPOSITION .............................................................................................................................. 55
KENNING ........................................................................................................................................ 57
LITOTOES ........................................................................................................................................ 57
MALAPROPISM ............................................................................................................................... 59
MEIOSIS........................................................................................................................................... 60
METAPHOR...................................................................................................................................... 60
METONYM [METONYMY] ............................................................................................................... 61
NEOLOGISM .................................................................................................................................... 63
ONOMATOPOEIA ............................................................................................................................ 64
OVERSTATEMENT [HYPERBOLE]........................................................................................................ 65
OXYMORON .................................................................................................................................... 66
PARADEIGMA .................................................................................................................................. 68
PARADOX ........................................................................................................................................ 68
PARALLELISM ................................................................................................................................. 69
PARAPROSDOKIAN......................................................................................................................... 71
PATHOS ........................................................................................................................................... 72
PERSONIFICATION ......................................................................................................................... 73
PLEONASM ...................................................................................................................................... 73
POLYSYNDETON ............................................................................................................................. 75
PORTMANTEAU [Portmanteu] ......................................................................................................76
PROLEPSIS .......................................................................................................................................77
PUN (PARONOMASIA) ....................................................................................................................79
PYSMA ..............................................................................................................................................79
QUIBBLE ...........................................................................................................................................81
RED HERRING ..................................................................................................................................82
RHETORICAL QUESTION .................................................................................................................84
SIMILE ..............................................................................................................................................86
SPOONERISM...................................................................................................................................87
SYLLEPSIS ........................................................................................................................................88
TAUTOLOGY .....................................................................................................................................89
TRANSFERRED EPITHET ..................................................................................................................90
UNDERSTATEMENT .........................................................................................................................91
VERBAL IRONY ................................................................................................................................92
WIT ...................................................................................................................................................93
ZEUGMA ...........................................................................................................................................94
EXERCISE-1 ........................................................................................................................................95
EXERCISE-2 ........................................................................................................................................95
EXERCISE-3 ........................................................................................................................................96
EXERCISE-4 ........................................................................................................................................96
EXERCISE-5 ........................................................................................................................................97
EXERCISE-6 ........................................................................................................................................97
EXERCISE-7 ........................................................................................................................................98
EXERCISE-8 ........................................................................................................................................98
EXERCISE-9 ........................................................................................................................................99
EXERCISE-10.......................................................................................................................................99
ABOUT THE AUTHORS ..................................................................................................................... 100
PREFACE
Famous psychologist Sigmund Freud aptly observed: “Words have magical power. They can bring either the
greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable
the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions. Words are capable of arousing the strongest
emotions and prompting all men's actions.” Effective speakers and writers are purpose-oriented, audience-
focused, and also outcome-oriented. They make people feel what they intend to. We can say that effective
communicators connect with people and win them. In this connection, Alphonse de Lamartine's observation
is noteworthy: “The people only understand what they can feel; the only orators that can affect them are
those who move them.” Dear reader, if you have the content to deliver, you should have a style to make an
impact and that too in the international language, i.e., English.
To be able to speak and write correctly in English is considered to be a great achievement in itself, and
nothing can match it if one can do so with style. Communicating with style implies that the speaker or writer
has command over the language: he or she can think and express clearly; he or she can decide the usage
level (formal or informal); he or she is able to understand the impact of the diction and syntax chosen for
expression on the listener/reader; and he or she can manipulate words and sentences for achieving his or
her communication goals. Insofar as speaking is considered, one has to plan, prepare, stand and deliver
mostly in real-time, and this is particularly a great challenge for professionals. As of writing, one has to plan,
prepare, and try to express one’s ideas clearly, on the paper. A learner soon tries to hope for ready-made
techniques which can work as templates for him or her so that he or she can use the principles in practice
and formulate principles out of his or her practice. Communicating with style remains the obsession at the
outset of a professional career and a compulsion as one progresses in one’s career. The present book
aspires to cater to both the needs. In other words, this book is designed to help the beginners as well as the
stalwarts. To create impact is the much-cherished goal of a professional. While the novice tries to inform,
appeal and please the seniors, the senior wants to inform, instruct, and motivate the people working under
them. And all of them covet an effective style. Effective style ensures effective (professional)
communication.
There are certain professions in which communication defines success or failure in the profession. Such
professions are Law, Management, Media, Business, Diplomacy, Politics, and Academics. A person belonging
to one of these professions must speak and write well, and his or her success (and most of the time the
organization he or she represents) depends on his or her ability to communicate. People in this business
cannot afford to be careless. They must learn how to communicate well. And practically speaking, if one
communicates well, which is determined by achieving the communication goals, then one is doing nothing
but communicating with style, knowingly or unknowingly. However, using existing and time-tested stylistic
devices comes as a boon to one who belongs to the above professions. Using stylistic devices has been in
vogue for centuries, and the same techniques are now available in English. To be precise, these are none
but the rhetorical devices. The science which embodies them is popularly called Rhetoric.
“Rhetoric is the study and practice of communication that persuades, informs, inspires, or entertains target
audiences in order to change or reinforce beliefs, values, habits or actions,” writes Dr Tania Smith. She
Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana i

observes, “Many speakers and writers deny that they are using rhetoric. However, the most powerful forms
of rhetoric are those that hide their own strategies and intentions.”
After reading the rhetorical devices that have been discussed in this book, you will have a vantage point to
discover how the most powerful writers of the world and the most influential speakers in the history of
communication have used stylistic devices to communicate with their audience successfully. Not all
professions are compelled to use all the rhetorical devices all the time. One profession which needs,
however, all techniques is LAW, which is as complex as life. An advocate may feel the need to write a plaint,
insinuate or insult his or her adversary, bully a witness during cross-examination, persuade his or her
witness during the examination-in-chief, defend his or her witness by understatement, attack the accused
using exaggeration and disparaging language, appeal to the judge’s heart and head using choicest words,
and so on.
A judge has to write his or her judgments which the present generation and posterity will read, cite that in
future, and draw inspiration from. Unlike Law, a profession that frequently witnesses sudden rises and falls
in the fortune of its practitioners is Politics, which is definitely not the last resort of scoundrels. In politics,
the politicians (a general term) and the statesmen (used for a select few) have to frame policies and
principles for the welfare of the state and people, to present them before the people, to implement policies
and also to debate, discuss and defend decisions. All these things are done using language. If you have
sincerely heard the speeches of Barack Obama (before and after he became the president of the US) and
that of Narendra Modi (before and after he became the Prime Minister of India), you must have understood
the need and advantage of communicating with style. Communicating with style is also a great need in
Diplomacy and diplomats are the most cautious professionals in the world who use word. In fact, all the
areas in which human relations do matter, communication becomes the inevitable tool for sustenance,
maintenance, and optimum growth. Communicating with style for effective communication is thus
indispensable.
Management and business greatly thrive on speech and writing and the need to communicate with style is
also a constant need in these fields. Management is such a field in which managers and employees have to
listen to people, give presentations to persuade clients, superiors and co-workers. Thus, management
professionals have to be effective communicators and they should be able to communicate policies,
procedures and instructions clearly. If they can do this with style, the chance of their being successful will be
enhanced beyond imagination. In both business and management, the marketing of ideas, products and
services are a regular feature. Thus, importance is given to advertisement, interpersonal communication,
press conferencing, etc. in which communication skills like persuasion, consolation, refutation, confession
and word combat etc. become inevitable. Rhetoric can do all these. It can be used by professionals to do a
lot of positive things as well as “outwit their audience.”
Communicating with a style is a coveted goal for one and all, and particularly for those who are already in
professions like Law, Business, Politics, Diplomacy, Civil Services, Management, Teaching, etc., and the ones
who aspire to join these professions one day. Keeping their needs in mind, this book RHETORIC: Techniques
to Speak Well and Write Better has been designed. I hope our sincere efforts will be appreciated by
professionals as well as general readers alike.
AUTHORS
Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana ii

INTRODUCTION
In June 1992, on the podium of the U. N. Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, a 12-year-old girl from
Canada took the world by storm by her speech. She was speaking out to thousands of heads of state and
fellow delegates about the need of preserving the natural environment. It is reported that her short speech
received one of the three standing ovations at the summit. The world listened, applauded, and shed
emotional tears over her speech, even as it moved the adults with a sense of responsibility to hand over a
green earth to Severn Cullis-Suzuki and her generation and the next. The world listened to her earnestly,
solemnly, silently, and of course not without a guilty conscience. Severn’s appeal to world leaders to make
the world a better place for her generation to inherit had its impact. Consequently she earned the
reputation of being “the girl who silenced the world for six minutes.” What did she actually say and why was
her speech ever listened to so attentively?
You may watch and listen Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s speech at:

https://www.unmultimedia.org/avlibrary/asset/1991/1991366/
Let us read Severn Suzuki’s speech:
Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. – The Environmental Children’s Organization.
We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference: Vanessa
Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six
thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden
agenda. I am fighting for my future.
Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to
speak for all generations to come.
I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard.
I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere
left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard.
I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air
because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.
I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad, until just a few years ago, we found the fish full of
cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going extinct every day – vanishing forever.
In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rain forests
full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.
Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age?
All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the
solutions. I’m only a child and I don’t have all the solutions, but I want you to realize, neither do you!
You don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.
You don’t know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.
You don’t know how to bring back an animal now extinct
And you can’t bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert.
If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!
Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 1

Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organizers, reporters, or
politicians – but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles – and all
of you are somebody’s child.
I’m only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species
strong and we all share the same air, water, and soil – borders and governments will never change
that.
I’m only a child yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one
single goal.
In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel.
In my country, we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, and yet
northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are
afraid to lose some of our wealth, afraid to share.
In Canada, we live the privileged life, with plenty of food, water, and shelter – we have watches,
bicycles, computers, and television sets.
Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living
on the streets. And this is what one child told us: “I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the
street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter, and love and affection”
If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so
greedy?
I can’t stop thinking that these children are my age, that it makes a tremendous difference where
you are born, that I could be one of those children living in the favelas of Rio; I could be a child
starving in Somalia; a victim of the war in the Middle East or a beggar in India.
I’m only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding
environmental answers, what a wonderful place this earth would be!
At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us:
Not to fight with others,
To work things out,
To respect others,
To clean up our mess,
Not to hurt other creatures
To share – not be greedy.
Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?
Do not forget why you’re attending these conferences, and who you’re doing this for – we are your
own children. You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. Parents should be able to
comfort their children by saying “Everything’s going to be all right”, “we’re doing the best we can”
andIt’s’s not the end of the world”.
But I don’t think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My father
always says “You are what you do, not what you say.”
Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grownups say you love us. I challenge you, please

make your actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening.
Thus ends the magnificent speech of Severn Cullis-Suzuki. It has truth, feelings, sincerity, and pain.
We appreciate the speech of Severn Suzuki and we also, like the delegates at the UN, are moved by the tone
and style of the young girl, who was championing a common cause. The speech was written by the
members of E.C.O., the NGO which Severn represented, with her playing the lead role.
The Earth Summit speech delivered by Severn was a successful piece of communication and the 12-year-old
girl communicated with a purpose, sincerity, and style. The rhetoric she delivered had its impact and if you
hear her you will not be surprised how this little girl mesmerized the world. Listen to the famous speech on
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIyU8KUDG2o) or on the UN website. After you have read to
the speech (as a text) and listened to (as a speech), read the rest of the book and re-read the speech once
again to find out what literary devices were used in the speech, consciously or unconsciously, to make it a
great speech. And you will find out the secrets to speaking (and writing) like a professional. It does not
matter whether or not you are a professional. You should learn how to speak and write like a professional.
Let us now read the world-famous letter that the former US president Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865)
wrote to his son’s Headmaster:
Dear Teacher,
My son starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while and I wish you
would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him across continents. All adventures that
probably include wars, tragedy, and sorrow. To live this life will require faith, love and courage.
So dear Teacher, will you please take him by his hand and teach him things he will have to know,
teaching him – but gently, if you can. Teach him that for every enemy, there is a friend. He will have
to know that all men are not just,and that all men are not true. But teach him also that for every
scoundrel there is a hero, that for every crooked politician, there is a dedicated leader.
Teach him if you can that 10 cents earned is of far more value than a dollar found. In school,
teacher, it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to learn how to gracefully lose, and
enjoy winning when he does win.
Teach him to be gentle with people, tough with tough people. Steer him away from envy if you can
and teach him the secret of quiet laughter.
Teach him if you can – how to laugh when he is sad, teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him
there can be glory in failure and despair in success. Teach him to scoff at cynics.
Teach him if you can the wonders of books, but also give time to ponder the extreme mystery of
birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hill.
Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tell him they are wrong.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone else is doing it. Teach him to

listen to everyone, but teach him also to filters all that he hears on a screen of truth and take only
the good that comes through.
Teach him to sell his talents and brains to the highest bidder but never to put a price tag on
his heart and soul. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patient to be brave.
Teach him to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in
mankind, in God.
This is a big order, but see what can you do… He is such a fine little fellow, my son!
Abraham Lincoln
What makes Abraham Lincoln’s letter so powerful? It’s RHETORIC.
We have really got to think what is there in the above so simple looking letter that a father had written to his
son’s Headmaster that even after more than hundred years it still retains its freshness. It’s not because of
the fact that Lincoln was the president of the US. It is because of the noble ideas expressed in simple
language. If you re-read this letter again after finishing the book, you will know what rhetorical and stylistic
devices Lincoln used to write such a beautiful letter which has been simple letter which has been inspiring
generations. Let us learn some rhetorical and stylistic devices.
RHETORIC: AN INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS RHETORIC?
 “Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” (Plato)

 Rhetoric is “the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.” (The American Heritage
Dictionary)
 Rhetoric is “the art of prose in general as opposed to verse.” (www.dictionary.reference.com)
 Rhetoric is “ordinary language done extraordinarily.” (S. Daughton and Roderick Hart in Modern
Rhetorical Criticism)
 Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers to
inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. Its best-known definition
comes from Aristotle, who considers it a counterpart of both logic and politics and calls it “the faculty
of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” Rhetorics typically provide
heuristics for understanding, discovering, and developing arguments for particular situations, such
as Aristotle’s three persuasive audience appeals, logos, pathos, and ethos. Along with grammar and
logic, rhetoric is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. (Wikipedia)
 Rhetoric is “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of
figures of speech and other compositional techniques.” (www.oxforddictionaries.com)
 A figure of speech is the use of a word or a phrase, which transcends its literal interpretation. It can
be a remarkable repetition, arrangem,ent or omission of words with literal meanng, or a phrase with
a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor,
simile, hyperbole, personification, or synecdoche. Figures of speech often provide emphasis,
freshness of expression, or clarity. (Wikipedia)

RHETORIC & STYLE
Rhetoric aims at effective communication. For more than two thousand years, rhetoricians have studied the
effective means of achieving communication goals. With a view to integrating the personality of the speaker
or writer with his or her audience’s expectations, importance has always been given to evolve a style that
would be most suitable for achieving personal, academic, and professional goals. Rhetoric shows us how to
use language to win friends, influence people, and to achieve the goals of communication by using ordinary
language in an extraordinary way. It teaches us how to speak and write well and be successful in life.
With focus on communicating in style for a purpose-driven and success-oriented linguistic exercise, Rhetoric
offers many techniques for speakers and writers. Most of these techniques are hundreds of years old and
through Greek, Latin and French they have enriched English language and literature. The figures of speech
employed by the Bible, William Shakespeare, and great prose writers like Francis Bacon have not only
helped English become a flexible and powerful language but also enhanced the beauty of this language. The
time-tested rhetorical techniques will no doubt benefit the users of English in designing and delivering
powerful speeches as well as written discourses. By using the very techniques discussed and demonstrated
in this book, you will be able to persuade, convince and motivate people in challenging situations. Rhetorical
devices—mainly the figures of speech—can help you a lot in improving your style of speaking and writing.
Besides, you will also learn what a defective style is and how to overcome such a problem.
SPEAK AND WRITE WITH STYLE USING FIGURES OF SPEECH
Rhetoric has proved to be an effective and systematic study of the means of communicating with style.
Through the works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian of ancient times and scholars and
practitioners in subsequent times till present age, Rhetoric has proved its efficacy as a powerful weapon of
communication in the hands of a strategist who is determined to achieve success by the power of language.
Rhetorical devices that can be useful to achieve effective communication are here listed alphabetically. Each
one has been defined and its applications are demonstrated with examples. These stylistic devices have
already proved their power in the speeches and writings of successful people throughout history. In short,
we provide here the age-old techniques of Rhetoric for the New Age learners.

A
ACCISMUS
Accismus is a feigned refusal of what is earnestly desired. Anu Garg observes that “Accismus is . . . a form of
irony where one pretends indifference and refuses something while actually wanting it. In Aesop’s fable, the
fox pretends he doesn’t care for the grapes [the grape is sour].”
EXAMPLES OF ACCISMUS:
Julius Caesar’s Use of Accismus:
“… I saw Mark Antony offer him [Julius Caesar] a crown—yet ’twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these
coronets— and as I told you, he put it by once; but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it.
Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his
fingers off it. And then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by; and still, as he refused it, the
rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty night-caps.” (Casca in Act I,
Scene II of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare)
ACCUMULATION
Accumulation is a stylistic device which means to ‘pile up’. The speaker/writer goes on sequencing his or her
ideas through a list of words to emphasize certain points and patterns of thought. One has to go on adding
phrases after phrases to state a stand taken, or explain a method, or illustrate an idea.
As a technique, accumulation can be used to convince people, defend your views, and to reinforce your
stand taken in public speaking or in official writing. It is very useful as an element in public speech as it helps
to impress the audience and make them believe in what you say. As you go on piling up your ideas through
select words and phrases, a similar situation may be expected when you write an essay or a letter.
EXAMPLES OF ACCUMULATION:
1. Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, was very good at using accumulatio or accumulation.
He is considered to be one of the greatest English prose stylists. Here is a sample passage from Swift
in which the technique of accumulation is used:
I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to
promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by
advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I

have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old,
and my wife past child-bearing. (“A Modest Proposal”)
2. “Of all forms of symbolism, language is the most highly developed, most subtle, and most
complicated. It has been pointed out that human beings, by agreement, can make anything stand
for anything.” (S. I. Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action)
3. The famous novelist James Joyce used the technique of accumulation effectively in his writings. Here
is an excerpt:
“What syllabus of intellectual pursuits was simultaneously possible? Snapshot photography,

comparative study of religions, folklore relative to various amatory and superstitious practices,
contemplation of celestial constellations….”
4. Another excerpt from James Joyce’s Ulysses will be more convincing:
Rangoon beans, strikes of tomatoes, drums of figs, drills of Swedes, spherical potatoes and tallies of
iridescent kale, York and Savoy, and trays of onions, pearls of the earth, and punnets of mushrooms
and custard marrows……and rape and red green yellow brown russet sweet big bitter ripe
pomellated apples and chips of strawberries and sieves of gooseberries, pulpy and pelurious, and
strawberries fit for princes and raspberries from their canes….
5. Hyperboles can be used to express your emotions, emphasize your views, praise the people you like
and blame the people you hate.
Accumulation is a stylistic device that can be used to persuade or motivate one’s listeners and readers. It
allows the speaker/writer to create a favourable impression and establish his or her point of view. Further,
this device can help one to emphasize one’s thesis by arranging ideas in quick succession.
The basic function of accumulation is to make language lively and to make words unforgettable. This stylistic
device can help the speaker/writer emphasize his or her points by putting the ideas in quick succession
through. While creating a favourable atmosphere for the speaker/writer, accumulation motivates the
listener/reader take interest in what the speaker/writer says. After reading out the examples, observe how
accumulation is used. Try to write a paragraph using this technique and then read the text aloud. Make
changes wherever needed. Watch out for accumulation in whatever you get to read (e.g. newspapers,
journals) and listen to motivational speakers like Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Swami
Vivekananda to find out how they have used this stylistic device.
ADJUNCTION
Adjunction refers to a clause or a phrase, usually a verb that is put at the beginning of a sentence instead of
the usual sentence structure SVO (Subject-Verb-Object). The structure of the sentence in adjunction produces
a dramatic effect through emphasis.
EXAMPLES OF ADJUNCTION:
1. Talks he of sacrifice—that selfish fellow?

2. Fades physical beauty with disease or age.

3. Either with disease or age physical beauty fades.
4. Sweet are the uses of adversity.
5. Gone are the days when the US was bullying the third world countries.
6. Objective analysis he had done before choosing a career in Law.
7. Condemned they all the barbarity of the terrorists.
Adjunction can bring variety to a paragraph. As a stylistic device, it dispels monotony. Adjunction can
thus be used to refresh the listener/reader by changing the sentence pattern in a paragraph. It can
make the speech/writing interesting.
ADYNATON
Adynaton suggests a kind of exaggeration that refers to something which is impossible. This figure of
speech is used deliberately in speech and writing. Adynaton is a rhetorical device in the form of a hyperbole
in which exaggeration is taken to such a great extreme that it seems impossible. The speaker/writer
exaggerates ideas to emphasize a point of view as vigorously as he or she can. As we shall see, adynaton is a
creative use of exaggeration (to increase the importance of something).
EXAMPLES OF ADYNATON:
1. She was so thirsty that she could even drink a river dry.
2. He can even kill anyone just for a single rupee.
3. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a sinner get into the kingdom of
heaven. (Matthew 19:24)
4. I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one of his cheek. (William
Shakespeare, Henry IV 1.2.20-22)
5. It is rather the sun and stars will change their places than you will fail in your examination.
6. Adynaton can also be used to promise something or to declare something by saying something that
even the audience knows it is impossible. Both the speaker/writer and the listener/reader know that
adynaton sentence should not be taken in its face value. It is symbolic and thus suggestive of a
strongly felt emotion or conviction, as the case might be. By saying something that is unlikely to
happen, the speaker/writer surprises and shocks his or her listener/reader.
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is a literary device that emphasizes on repetition of a particular consonant in the first syllables in
a series of words. This is a figure of speech based on sound. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the
Rings, observed that alliteration “depends not on letters but on sounds.” Because alliteration creates
internal rhythm in a sentence, it pleases the ear and makes the speech/text memorable. As such, we often
find advertisements using alliteration in their slogans.
EXAMPLES OF ALLITERATION:
1. Deep into that darkness peering, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
(Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven”)

2. “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling,
like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.” (James Joyce, “The Dead”, 1914)
3. “A moist young moon hung above the mist of a neighboring meadow.” (Vladimir Nabokov, Conclusive
Evidence, 1951)
4. “My father brought to conversations a cavernous capacity for caring that dismayed strangers.” (John
Updike, The Centaur, 1962)
5. “Somewhere at this very moment a child is being born in America. Let it be our cause to give that
child a happy home, a healthy family, and a hopeful future.” (Bill Clinton, 1992 Democratic National
Convention Acceptance Address)
For its musical effects, Alliteration is a popular stylistic device with speakers and writers. Says Edwin
Newman, “[Alliteration is] a device that many writers employ to create a treasure trove of tried-and-true,
bread-and-butter, bigger-and-better, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, do-or-die, footloose-and-fancy-free,
larger-than-life, cream-of-the-crop titles.” (Edwin Newman, quoted by Jim Fisher in The Writer’s Quotebook:
500 Authors on Creativity, Craft, and the Writing Life. Rutgers University Press, 2006)
AMBIGUITY
Ambiguity refers to the state of being open to more than one interpretation. A word, phrase, or sentence is
ambiguous if it has more than one meaning.
Ambiguity results as a stylistic error when the speaker/writer puts words in such an order that the sentence
becomes vulnerable to multiple, and often diametrically opposite, interpretations. For example, “Union
demands increased unemployment” –reads a newspaper headline. This sentence can be read with “Union
demands” as the subject and “increased” as the verb. A second interpretation may be “Union” as the subject
and “demands” as the verb. Sometimes a writer can create ambiguity deliberately to play mischief as did a
newspaper headline “Prostitutes Appeal to Pope”. The dominating meaning of the headline was using
‘appeal’ as the verb form of ‘application’, yet the mischievous writer has suggested the word ‘appeal’ in the
sense of ‘liking’. If you want to be clear, be precise; if you want to be ambiguous, choose which words can
help you. There is much wisdom in Lewis Carrol’s statement: “When I use a word, it means what I choose it
to mean—neither more nor less.”
As a stylistic device, ambiguity can also be the deliberate use of a word or phrase that has two or more
relevant meanings. For example, somebody presents yu a book and you tell him or her I’ll spare no time
reading it, you have used ambiguity as it may mean either you will read the book as soon as possible or you
will never read the book.
EXAMPLES OF AMBIGUITY:
1. The chicken is ready to eat. (If the context is not clear, this sentence raises two possibilities: (a) the
chicken is going to eat something or (b) the chicken will be eaten by somebody.)
2. Visiting relatives can be boring. (What do you mean: visiting your relatives or the relatives visiting
you?)
3. She is a patient counselor. (Her duty is to counsel patients/She counsels patiently.)

4. I can’t recommend this book too highly. (You recommend it strongly or you do not think it is worthy
of recommendation at all?)
5. The lady hit the man with an umbrella. (The lady hit the man using an umbrella or the lady hit the
man who was holding the umbrella?)
6. The girl saw the boy with the binoculars. (It’s like the above sentence.)
7. KIDS MAKE NUTRITIOUS SNACKS (a newspaper headline)
8. “I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed meeting your husband.” (William Empson, Seven Types of
Ambiguity, 1947)
9. “Thanks for dinner. I’ve never seen potatoes cooked like that before.” (Jonah Baldwin in the film
Sleepless in Seattle, 1993)
10. Foreigners are hunting dogs. (It is unclear whether dogs are being hunted by foreigners or foreigners
are being spoken of as dogs.)
11. The president of the SHOP, Sridhar Pandit, discussed the high cost of living with several women. (‘the
topic of high cost of living’ with several ladies (positive interpretation) or he discussed ‘the high cost
of living with several women’ (negative interpretation).
12. “Ladies are requested not to have children at the bar.” (NORWAY COCKTAIL LOUNGE)
13. “Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.”
(Budapest Zoo instruction)
14. “Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.” (a Rome laundry
advertisement)
15. “You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.” (a Japanese hotel notice)
16. In a New York drugstore: “We dispense with accuracy.”
17. In the window of a Kentucky appliance store: “Don’t kill your wife. Let our washing machine do the
dirty work.”
18. An advertisement: “Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.”
19. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids (a newspaper headline)
20. “Don’t let worry kill you — let the church help.” (from a Church bulletin)
In his book, Seven Types of Ambiguity, William Empson observed:
“An ambiguity, in ordinary speech, means something very pronounced, and as a rule witty or
deceitful. I propose to use the word in an extended sense: any verbal nuance, however slight, which
gives room for alternative reactions to the same piece of language. ...
“We call it ambiguous, I think, when we recognize that there could be a puzzle as to what the author
meant, in that alternative views might be taken without sheer misreading. If a pun is quite obvious it
would not be called ambiguous, because there is no room for puzzling. But if an irony is calculated
to deceive a section of its readers, I think it would ordinarily be called ambiguous.”
AMPHILOGY
Amphilogy is a stylistic device that allows the speaker/writer avoid a topic because discussing the topic is
either not in the best interest of him or her, or it may even harm him or her. Thus, amphilogy can be
regarded as a strategy to avoid mentioning directly what is already known to others, yet the speaker/writer
feels uncomfortable to admit that. In simple terms, amphilogy is a strategy to avoid telling something that

might otherwise embarrass the speaker/writer.
EXAMPLES OF AMPHILOGY:
1. “There are so many things which are indeed more interesting than stylistics. How about discussing
the parliamentary budget?” [Undoubtedly, the speaker/writer is very weak in stylistics, and therefore
he she or wants to avoid discussing that topic. Of course, he/she does not want to admit the fact.]
2. “My dear, your proposal to go to Kulu Manali to spend the summer vacation is a very good idea. But
on a second thought you will realize that it is a much frequented place and thus, I’m afraid, it won’t
make a great trip. Instead, I think, it will be far better to travel to our ancestral village, which is on the
seashore. We’ll have a lot of fun on the beach, and people there will treat you just like a queen. I’m
sure. You’ll enjoy the greenery around, the dance of the peacocks in the nearby forest, and the kids
playing water games.” [Here the speaker/writer wants to avoid taking a trip to Kulu Manali because
he does not have the money needed or he does not want to spend that much amount.]
A kind of circumlocution, an amphilogy is an indirect or roundabout way of saying a thing. It is a method to

protect yourself from an awkward situation or an embarrassing topic you do not want to talk or hear.
ANABASIS
Anabasis or ‘Gradual Ascent’ is called so because in this figure of speech, the speaker’s or writer’s point of
view ascends or rises step by step with greater emphasis. The phrases move on adding more emphasis in
successive units in a sentence. Similarly, sentences can be arranged in a paragraph.
EXAMPLES OF ANABASIS:
1. I will not sell the house for a thousand dollars, not for a million dollars, nor even for a billion.
2. He promised to help me learn English; he lent me some books; and what’s more, he gifted me a
dozen books.
3. Are you there? I can hear you! There — I see you!!
4. To eradicate corruption, I will not only campaign against this evil but I will also expose the corrupt
and fight the mighty government.
5. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalm 1:1)
A linguist observes that anabasis uses the recency principle, where we remember best that which is said last
or most recently. The gradual ascent principle of anabasis helps the speaker/writer to assert himself or
herself with growing confidence. Anabasis can help to conclude a paragraph or a speech with emphasis.
ANADIPLOSIS
Anadiplosis, which means “a doubling, folding up” in Greek, is the repetition of the last word of a preceding
clause. The word is used at the end of a sentence and then used again at the beginning of the next
sentence.

EXAMPLES OF ANADIPLOSIS:
1. My conscience hath a thousand several tongues,/ And every tongue brings in a several tale,/ And
every tale condemns me for a villain.’ — Richard III by William Shakespeare
2. “Watch your thoughts, for they will become actions. Watch your actions, for they’ll become... habits.
Watch your habits. for they will forge your character. Watch your character, for it will make your
destiny.”
3. “What I present here is what I remember of the letter, and what I remember of the letter I remember
verbatim (including that awful French).” — From Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita
4. “Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task.” — Henry James
5. “Without a healthy economy we can’t have a healthy society and without a healthy society the
economy won't stay healthy for long.” — Margaret Thatcher
6. “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
[Yoda in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)]
7. “The General who became a slave; the slave who became a gladiator; the gladiator who defied an
Emperor. Striking story!”
Anadiplosis is a strategy “to reduplicate”. It repeats a word in quick succession in successive clauses in order
to add emphasis to the main idea. Useful in both speech and writing, this technique helps its user to make
language livelier and more interesting. In essays and reports, this technique can be very helpful for
emphasizing your point.
ANAGRAM
Anagram is a word, phrase, or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters; for example ‘dog’
and ‘god’, ‘knee’ and ‘keen’, ‘lamp’ and ‘palm’, etc. In fact, anagram is the new word derived from another
word by rearranging the letters of a word or phrase. All the original letters of a word are used exactly once.
As we see, the three letters of ‘dog’ are re-combined to produce the word ‘god’ and vice versa.
Roughly, anagrams are word plays per se, i.e., done for pleasure, but anagrams can also serve a serious
purpose. Sometimes anagrams explain certain characteristics of another word and that makes them
interesting. For example, the anagram of ‘mother-in-law’ is ‘woman Hitler’. How interesting! The anagram of
‘debit card’ is ‘bad credit’ and the anagram of dormitory is ‘dirty room’. Ask a banker regarding the ‘debit
card’ and a student (who has lived in a dormitory) about ‘dormitory’, and you will be amused how true these
anagrams are!
Anagrams have proved very useful in modern writing. As Barry J. Blake observes: “Anagrams are used in
popular fiction from time to time. In Dan Brown’s best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code (2003, film version
2006), the lines O, draconian devil and Oh, lame saint written in blood on the body of the murdered curator
of the Louvre are anagrams of Leonardo da Vinci and The Mona Lisa respectively” (Secret Language. Oxford
Univ. Press, 2010). Perhaps the novel would not have been so popular if the anagrams were not there, for
The Da Vinci Code is a detective novel, a thriller.

EXAMPLES OF ANAGRAM:
1. Clint Eastwood - Old West Action
2. Listen - Silent
3. Elvis - Lives
4. A decimal point - I'm a dot in place
5. Astronomer - Moon starer
6. Mother-in-law - Woman Hitler
7. The Morse code - Here come dots
8. Dormitory - Dirty room
9. Schoolmaster - The classroom
10. Conversation - Voices rant on
So, Anagrams involve rearranging letters to reveal hidden meanings or novel perspectives, leading to an
engaging linguistic experience. They require linguistic skill, providing writers a way to shape words artfully.
Anagrams also play a key role in cryptology, offering a method for encoding messages. Beyond just word
games, anagrams are versatile tools that offer a fresh viewpoint, the power to transform and amuse, and a
way to unveil unexpected insights, thus making them crucial in literature, language, humor, and cryptology.
ANANGEON
Anangeon is “a specious method of argument, where the basis lies in inevitability or necessity” (Gregory
T. Howard, Dictionary of Rhetorical Terms). A charge is admitted, but the explanation is given stating that it
was either inevitable or necessary.
EXAMPLES OF ANANGEON:
1. Yes, I missed school today, but I was sick and wouldn’t have learned anything anyway.”
2. “The Municipal authorizes pulled down the building, but it was coming down anyway.”
3. “Yes, I killed him, but it was in self-defense.”
4. “True, I did not give him pocket money, but he would squander that anyway.”
5. “Indeed I kissed her, but if I had turned away it would have embarrassed the poor thing.”
(Changing Minds)
Anangeon is a stylistic device which is used in self-defense.
ANAPHORA
The word anaphora derives from the Greek word anaphero meaning “I repeat.” In writing or speech, the
deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence is made to emphasize certain points. It is a technique
generally used to make a memorable impact on the listeners/readers. (Compare anaphora with
anadiplosis.)
EXAMPLES OF ANAPHORA:
1. A 14th century proverb reads:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
2. “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night,
seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the
little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue
sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that
nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those
moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I
forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” (Elie
Wiesel, Night)
3. What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred.
What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness; but is love and wisdom and
compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our
country whether they be white or whether they be black.”
(Robert F. Kennedy, Announcing the death of Martin Luther King)
4. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it
was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” (Charles Dickens
in his novel A Tale of Two Cities)
5. “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall
fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever
the cost may be, 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; we shall never surrender.” (Winston
Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940)
6. “When your cable company keeps you on hold, you get angry. When you get angry, you go blow off
steam. When you go blow off steam, accidents happen. When accidents happen, you get an eye
patch. When you get an eye patch, people think you’re tough. When people think you’re
tough, people want to see how tough. And when people want to see how tough, you wake up in a
roadside ditch. Don’t wake up in a roadside ditch: Get rid of cable and upgrade to DIRECTV.” [An
advertisement: DIRECTV Commercial, 2012]
7. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold
these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red
hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a
state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into
an oasis of freedom and justice.” (From Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have a Dream”)
8. Senator Margaret Chase, addressing the US Congress to speak against McCarthyism, June 1, 1950:
“I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with
irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as

possible because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I speak simply and
briefly in the hope that my words will be taken to heart.
“I speak as a Republican, I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak

as an American.”
With the use of anaphora, keywords or ideas are emphasized which often results in great emotional pull.
Besides, anaphora influences the audience/reader by its rhythm and emphasis. You can create anaphora by
observing the patterns used in them in the examples.
ANESIS
Anesis (Greek: “a loosening, relaxing, abating”) is a figure of speech that occurs when a concluding sentence,
clause, or phrase is added to a statement deliberately to diminish the power of the earlier statement. For
example in the sentence Money can buy everything in this world but the love of people, the second part
diminishes the effect of the first part. As a stylistic device, anesis can be useful as a technique in both speech
and writing.
When you add a concluding part that diminishes the effect of what you have said previously, your statement
creates a dramatic effect. It may surprise your audience and amuse them too. Buif t done badly, anesis can
give the impression that the speaker/writer is inconsistent.
EXAMPLES OF ANESIS:
1. “ This year’s space budget is three times what it was in January 1961, and it is greater than the space
budget of the previous eight years combined. That budget now stands at 5 billion, 400 million dollars
a year — a staggering sum, though somewhat less than we pay for cigarettes and cigars every year.”
(John F. Kennedy, in his Rice University Address on Space Exploration)
2. She is beautiful, courteous, fashionable and garrulous.
3. Sir Francis Bacon was “the wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind.” (Alexander Pope, in Epistle IV of
his Essay on Man, 281-282).
4. You are a very ambitious, hardworking and stubborn technocrat.
5. I love you without question. I adore you, above all others. But I’m not sure I want to marry you.
6. Indira was intelligent, smart, efficient, and decisive. However, she loved sycophancy.
7. His speech was direct, emotionally appealing, intellectually stimulating, and a travesty of truth.
You may criticize individuals, governments, policies, and programs using anesis. This stylistic device can
prove very useful in GDs and public speaking.
ANTANACLASIS
Antanaclasis is “a type of verbal play in which one word is used in two contrasting (and often comic) senses”
(Richard Nordquist). It is a rhetorical device in which a phrase or word is repeatedly used, but the meaning
of the word or phrase changes in each case.

EXAMPLES OF ANTANACLASIS:
1. “If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.” (Vince Lombardi, American
Football coach) [The first meaning of ‘fired’ is to have great enthusiasm and in the second use ‘fired’
means losing the job.]
2. “We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” (Benjamin Franklin)
3. “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” (Vidal Sassoon advertising slogan)
4. Your argument is sound...all sound. (Benjamin Franklin qtd., in Silva Rhetoricae)
5. “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.” (one Washington Post slogan)
6. “Learn some craft while you were young, that when old you may live without craft.” —Macbeth. (The
meaning of “craft” first means “vocation”; in its repetition, it means “fraud” or “cunning.” (Silva
Rhetoricae)
7. Care for those things in your youth which may in old age discharge you of care. (Care in repetition
means ‘anxiety’.)
Antanaclasis can enhance the dramatic and persuasive impact of a piece of writing or speech by employing
words with contrasting meanings. It can make your speech and writing interesting as it allows you to
become humorous by playing with words. For the wordplay, your audience loves to listen to you and read
your text.
ANTANAGOGE
In Antanagoge, a negative point is balanced with a positive point. This stylistic device helps you to place a
good point or benefit next to a fault criticism, or problem in order to reduce the impact or significance of the
negative point. You can thus balance a negative point with a positive one.
EXAMPLES OF ANTANAGOGE:
1. I lost my business, but I gained many friends.

2. No doubt his accent is horrible, but he writes well.
3. We might have lost the elections, yet we shall play a very responsible opposition in the parliament.
4. “True, he always forgets my birthday, but he buys me presents all year round.”
5. “So you live alone? It must be nice to be able to do what you want.”
6. Sridhar Pandit always underestimates his colleagues, but he never hates them.
7. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonades.”
Antanagoge is a stylistic device that can help you in answering the charge of an adversary by a counter
charge. In debates and argumentative writings, this device will be very useful. It can be used to convince
your audience, too.
ANTIRHESIS
Antirhesis is a stylistic device used to reject an argument because the speaker/writer thinks that it is bad or
improper some way. In argumentation, antithesis helps the speaker to demolish the stand of the opponent.

As such, one finds an opportunity to advance one’s logic. This device helps the communicator to reduce the
impact of the opponent’s claim or position by pointing out that the latter’s view is illogical and invalid.
EXAMPLES OF ANTIRHESIS:
1. “That’s a nice argument. It’s a shame that it is invalid.”

2. “You cannot fire her, for the loss in business was due to the wrong decisions taken by her
predecessor.”
3. It is useless to blame the new government for the price rise of sugar because the earlier government
had decided to hike the import duty on sugar.
4. I admit there has been an increase in the number of court cases in India, but the population of India
is also increasing in an alarming speed.
5. True that the Planning Commission has failed on many fronts, but it is the government of the day
which should be blamed instead for failing to give it direction.
ANTITHESIS
A figure of speech based on contrast, antithesis is a stylistic device that allows the speaker/writer to
juxtapose opposing or contrastive ideas in a sentence. It is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas
are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
EXAMPLES OF ANTITHESIS:
1. Attitude can be your best friend or worst enemy.

2. Man proposes, God disposes.
3. “To err is human; to forgive divine.” (— Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Criticism”)
4. “That’s one small step for [a] man; one giant leap for mankind.” (— Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Moon
Landing Speech)
5. “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (Brutus in William Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar)
6. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not
the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of
heaven.” (— Jesus, Matthew 5:17-20)
7. “Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours.”
(US President Barack Obama, election night victory speech, November 7, 2012)
8. “The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression.”
(— Harold Pinter, “Writing for the Theatre,” 1962)

According to Nick Skellon, “Antitheses are used to strengthen an argument by using either exact opposites
or simply contrasting ideas, but can also include both. They typically make a sentence more memorable for
the reader or listener through balance and emphasis of the words.” Antonyms will be useful for you if you
are going to create antithesis for your communication.
APHORISMUS
Aphorismus, which means rejection or banishment, should not be confused with aphorisms. While
aphorism refers to a device of concisely expressing a witty thought, aphorismus is a stylistic device where
the meaning of a word is questioned. The speaker/writer asks a question regarding the correctness of a
word or notion in a particular context.
EXAMPLES OF APHORISMUS:
1. You are in the habit of beating the very children you teach. And you call yourself a child rights
activist?
2. “For you have but mistook me all this while. / I live with bread like you, feel want, / Taste grief, need
friends: subjected thus, / How can you say to me I am a king?” (William Shakespeare, Richard II )
3. “They call it an accident. We call it criminal negligence. We’re waiting for the indictments.”
4. “I follow my conscience. I tell the truth. I make no false promises. How can they call me a
demagogue?”
5. How can you claim yourself to be a crusader of peace when are responsible for smuggling arms?
You can use an Aphorismus to denounce your opponent’s status, claim, point of view and argument.
APOPHASIS
Apophasis, which means denial, is a stylistic device by which you call attention to something by specifically
saying that you will not mention it. It is a tactical means to raise a topic or bring up a subject by either
denying it, or denying that it should be brought up.
EXAMLES OF APOPHASIS:
1. “It’s not my habit to comment on books that don’t interest me or, for various reasons,
I don’t like.” (Mayor Massimo Cacciari of Venice, on John Berendt’s 2006 novel, The City of Falling
Angels)
2. If you were not my father, I would say you were perverse. (Sophocles, Antigone)
3. “I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another
Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. And I’m not blaming this on President Obama. I just think it’s an
interesting coincidence.” (Republican Representative Michele Bachmann, April 28, 2009)
4. I am the last person to talk of Deepa’s much-guarded secrets and the least of her sexual
misadventures.
5. I do not mean to suggest that Mr. Grover is mainly responsible for this company losing its credibility
among the stakeholders.

6. You need not be reminded that Monday is the last day for applying for the job.
7. Of course, I do not need to mention that you should bring your camera to the picnic.
Apophasis can be very useful for speakers and writers who want to diplomatically present a topic. The
efficacy of apophasis lies in its seemingly indirectness. Besides, it is also a good device to remind people of
something in a very polite manner, as you see in the last example. Diplomats, politicians, lawyers, debaters,
etc. can use this stylistic device to their advantage. One can become humorous or ‘dangerous’ as the
occasion demands.
APORIA
Aporia is a rhetorical strategy where the speaker or writer expresses confusion or doubt about a question
(sometimes manufactured) and asks the audience how to proceed. This figure of speech is intentionally
utilized in writing and speaking, frequently for dramatic or rhetorical effect. To allow the speaker or writer to
debate or examine a subject in greater detail, it first poses a difficult circumstance or question and then
resolves it. It's comparable to a magician surprising you with a new trick after revealing a previous one. The
genius of aporia rests in its capacity to stimulate the audience's mental processes and draw them into the
discussion.
EXAMPLES OF APORIA:
1. To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in mind to suffer the slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?
(William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
2. What should I do then? Should I not have dinner at all, or should I eat even if I'm not hungry?
3. How can I truly express the sorrow I feel for your loss? What words could ever do justice to such a
deep pain?
4. Should I study more to improve my grades or spend more time on extracurricular activities to round
out my college application?
5. Is there a better way to go about this, or am I following the right approach?
The speaker/writer and the listener/reader know that aporia is not an actual question seeking an answer
but a device used to make a point or emphasize an idea. The speaker/writer uses it to engage the
listener/reader, inviting them into a deeper understanding or consideration of the topic. It's an artful way to
involve the audience, making the discourse more interactive and less of a monologue. The power of aporia
lies in its ability to provoke thought, introspection, and personal connection with the subject matter.
APOSIOPESIS
Aposiopesis is a stylistic device of stopping a sentence before its completion. This word in Greek means
‘becoming silent’. This figure of speech uses the technique of omission. It is more useful in speech than in
writing, though in creative writing this technique can be used for the sake of emphasis or for creating
dramatic suspense. In speech, however, its use is more emphatic. In the course of his or her speech, the
speaker may begin a sentence and leave it incomplete, obviously encouraging the listeners to fill the void or

imagine the possibilities. Most often, the obvious is unstated. It is referred to as taking a ‘pregnant pause’
and leaving the test to the listener to understand or fill up, as the case may be. The speaker stops at a time
when the listener gets excited about speaking loudly the remaining part. You can understand this concept if
I give you an example from an Indian context. Suppose a statesman in a rally says ‘Vande …………’, the
listeners fill the void by saying ‘Mataram’. Similarly, in speeches listeners either fill the gap by loudly saying
the rest of the sentence (usually a word or a phrase or a tone unit). A speaker may also stop due to
overwhelming emotion (like anger, sadness, etc.) and want his or her audience to fill up or understand the
unstated part of the sentence. Aposiopesis may be used for rhetorical effect. The speaker and the audience
know the remaining part.
EXAMPLES OF APOSIOPESIS:
1. If you utter a single word against her, I’ll ….

2. This formula works because ....
3. And Nehru was ….
4. To get this work done, I will ….
5. And Antony is an ….
6. China is not our friend; it is our ….
7. I visited the White House and met …..
APOSTROPHE
When a speaker or writer addresses a person who isn't there, an abstract notion, or an object directly, they
use an apostrophe as a rhetorical device. This might happen in a play where the audience is the target
audience. This sudden shift in focus from the general audience to a particular entity, present or absent, alive
or dead, results in a passionate or powerful expression. It's critical to realize that an apostrophe, in this
situation, refers not to a punctuation mark but rather to a figure of speech used to address an object or
person who is absent or unable to answer.
An apostrophe's spontaneity and drive for expression make it what it is. It's a technique that authors and
speakers use to give their arguments life and energy by bringing intangible concepts or non-existent people.
Speakers can give life to their ideas and increase the relatability and emphasis of their remarks by directly
referencing these non-human or absent individuals.
EXAMPLES OF APOSTROPHES:
1. “Oh, star (the fairest one in sight),
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud—
It will not do to say of night,
Since dark is what brings out your light.”
(Robert Frost in “Choose Something Like a Star”)
2. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.”
(Jane Taylor in “The Star”)

3. “Death be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.”
(John Donne in “Death Be Not Proud”)
4. “Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.”
(Macbeth in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare)
5. “Hello, Darkness, my old friend,
I’ve come to talk with you again.”
(Simon & Garfunkel in “The Sound of Silence”)
Using an apostrophe lends a dramatic effect to speech or writing and lets the speaker or writer express
their intense feelings and emotions immediately. Literary characters frequently use apostrophes to express
their feelings. This makes the character's inner thoughts and feelings clearer to the spectator. Apostrophes
are frequently used in everyday speech to draw attention to particular topics or objects.
ASSONANCE
Repetition of vowel sounds within a line or phrase of speech or literature is known as assonance, a
rhetorical tactic. It is a sound-based technique that does not require the repeated sound to be at the start of
the word, unlike alliteration, and it can be used to infuse rhythm and mood into text. Assonance gives the
written word a sense of musicality and engages the reader or listener with its rhythmic, almost melodic
nature. Specific concepts and ideas can be emphasized by assonance, which also heightens the language's
overall aesthetic appeal. “The ear is the only true writer and reader,” said Robert Frost.
EXAMPLES OF ASSONANCE:
1. “Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese.” (Here, the long ‘e’ sound is repeated to create a light, fast
rhythm)
2. “The crumbling thunder of seas.” (Robert Louis Stevenson, The Beach of Falesá, 1892)
3. “Try to light the fire.” ( /aɪ/ sound is repeated to create a sense of urgency)
4. “Hear the mellow wedding bells.” (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Bells,” 1849)
5. “From the molten-golden notes.” (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Bells”)
6. “That solitude which suits abstruser musings.” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Frost at Midnight”)
7. “It beats as it sweeps as it cleans!” (Slogan for Hoover vacuum cleaners)
8. “Strips of tinfoil winking like people.” (Sylvia Plath, “The Bee Meeting”)
9. “I must confess that in my quest, I felt depressed and restless.” (Thin Lizzy, “With Love”)
Assonance can accentuate the meanings of words or establish the “mood” of a passage in addition to
establishing rhythm and mood. Poetry is the skeleton architecture of our life, according to Audre Lorde. It is
more than just a dream or a vision. It establishes the groundwork for a future of change and builds a bridge
over our apprehensions about the unknown. Assonance is a rhetorical strategy, like all others, that aids in
creating the “architecture of our life.”

ASYNDETON
Asyndeton is a writing style that omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. By the omission of
conjunctions such as “and”, “or”, “for” and “but” from a series of related phrases or clauses, the pace of
prose is quickened. Basically, and is avoided. Besides creating rhythm, asyndeton can also create a
vehement effect. Asyndeton may thus help you to make your speech/writing concise.
EXAMPLES OF ASYNDETON:
1. “Veni, vidi, vici.” (Caesar: “I came; I saw; I conquered.”)

2. She offered me her everything: money, dress, bungalow, love.
3. “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships, support any friend, oppose any foe to
assure the survival and the success of liberty.” (JF Kennedy, Inaugural Address)
4. “An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was thick, warm, heavy, sluggish.”
(From Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness)
5. “...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
(Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg Address)
6. “One of the most difficult things [to write] is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first
paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily. In the first paragraph you solve most
of the problems with your book. The theme is defined, the style, the tone.” (Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
novelist)
7. “With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail
together, to stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day.” (Martin Luther
King)
8. “Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what
you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to
fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes
forlorn.” (General Douglas MacArthur, Thayer Award Acceptance Address)
Linguist John Zimmer’s insightful observations on Asyndeton are quoted here:
“It leaves an impression that the list is not complete. For example, the sentence, “I play hockey,
baseball and football.” conveys the notion that I play those three sports. The sentence, ”I play, hockey,
baseball, football.” conveys that I am an avid sportsman and leaves open the possibility (even the
likelihood) that I play other sports as well.”
You can use asyndeton more in informal writing. In academic writing, however, avoid it as you may be
mistaken of committing punctuation errors. Asyndeton is more effective in speech than in writing.

AUREATION
Aureation refers to the use of ornamental or decorative language. The use of flowery and ornate language is
common to poetry but you may also come across people using in prose, in conversations and in speeches.
Such kind of ‘artificial’ language is employed in order to impress the listener/reader with one’s great
‘command over vocabulary’. This kind of prose is called ‘purple prose’.
EXAMPLE OF AUREATION:
1. It was a golden moment I set down my eyes on her comely visage — a time when she was basking
in the golden rays of the rising sun, even as the luxuriant flora and fauna of the island was getting
intoxicated by the idyllic song of her charming looks and not to mention of the enchanting
smiles exuding from her luscious lips.
Aureation is not usually liked by listeners and readers as it, more often than not,
causes confusion and irritation rather than wonder.
“In making a speech

one must study three
points: first, the
means of producing
persuasion; second,
the language; third
the proper
arrangement of the
various parts of the
speech.”
-- ARISTOTLE

B
BATHOS [ANTI-CLIMAX]
Bathos, or anti-climax, is a fascinating rhetorical device and the jester of language and literature's royal
court. It abruptly knocks us from our pedestal of seriousness and lands in a pit of ridiculousness or triviality,
causing a jarring yet frequently humorous shift in tone. Even though it is frowned upon in formal settings, it
is praised for its capacity to add humor and satire to writings and speeches.
Bathos' surprising contrast, which jumps from the sublime to the absurd, makes it unique. It acts as a
literary pin, puncturing the pretentiousness or seriousness balloon. You can be floating in the high planes of
deep thinking one second and then be brought down into the mundane or absurd the next. Bathos,
therefore, shocks us, mocks our assumptions, and thrills us with its striking contrasts.
Bathos usage, though, necessitates a delicate balance. If not used carefully, it could easily develop a stylistic
problem. Bathos can be an effective tool for satire or a delicious source of comedy when used correctly. Its
use can shed light on an unexpected aspect of reality or inject some life into a story that might otherwise be
flat.
EXAMPLES OF BATHOS:
1. “For God, for country, and for Yale.” – A famous example of bathos from an alumni song of Yale
University.
2. “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom...and
a cup of hot, comforting tea.”
3. “After the long arduous journey, they finally found the treasure chest, filled with gold, jewels...and a
half-eaten sandwich.”
4. “He spent his final hour of life doing what he loved: arguing with his wife about the proper way to
load the dishwasher.”
5. “The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious; If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And
grievously hath Caesar answered it.” (William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)
In rhetoric, bathos is a subtle technique that may either enhance a dish or make it tasteless, depending on
how it is used. However, when used carefully, it can produce a special blend of comedy and provocative
contrast, enhancing a text's attractiveness and memorability. It challenges us to think critically, adds new
insight to our thinking, and heightens our awareness of the underlying contradictions in life.

BOMBAST [CLAPTRAP]
Bombast, often known as claptrap, is a rhetorical technique that denotes exaggerated, pretentious language
or speech. This figure of speech is frequently used at the expense of truth or substance and is typically
characterized by verbosity and grandiloquence. A sense of exaggerated importance and melodrama is
created through intricate and ornate sentences, lofty vocabulary, and high-flown rhetoric, all characteristic
of a bombast.
The word “bombast” refers to language “packed” with pointless embellishments and derives from the idea
of padding or stuffing. It has a bad reputation and is frequently linked to verbosity, pretentiousness,
overstating, and attempts to manipulate or deceive with words.
Political speeches, sales presentations, and other types of communication that aim to impress, influence, or
persuade frequently use bombast. However, its grandiosity and lack of actual content may cause confusion
or skepticism.
EXAMPLES OF BOMBAST:
1. “We are going to make this nation greater, stronger, and more prosperous than ever before, with the
biggest, the most tremendous, and the most fantastic developments you can ever imagine.”
2. “Our team will implement a paradigm shift that will exponentially multiply our outputs and redefine
the echelons of the business world.”
3. “This product is not just an item; it’s a revolution, a cataclysmic disruption of the market, a quantum
leap in technology that will catapult us into a new epoch of human development.”
4. “It is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least
suited to do it... anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account
be allowed to do the job.” (Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
5. “Our solution is not merely a strategy; it's an odyssey, a magnificent journey towards unparalleled
greatness, a holistic and transformative approach that will irrevocably alter the landscape of our
industry.”
Using bombast is a powerful rhetorical technique for producing a stunning or dramatic impression.
However, abusing or abusing it excessively might cause you to lose respect and credibility. We should be
mindful of rhetorical excesses and work to make our writing clear, succinct, and meaningful. Instead of
ostentation and exaggeration, simplicity and honesty are frequently the keys to effective communication.
Always keep in mind that rhetoric is a tool, not a cover.

C
CACOPHONY
A rhetorical device known as cacophony describes the use of words that have a harsh, dissonant, or abrupt
tone. Euphony strives for harmonious, pleasant sounds; cacophony is the opposite, seeking to disturb the
listener or reader. Cacophony is frequently employed in speech and literature to convey disorder, chaos,
and discomfort or evoke apprehension, restlessness, and unease. You may often see cacophony in debates
in parliaments and meetings where rival groups try to dominate their opponents.
Cacophony in rhetoric is a powerful tool that allows writers and speakers to create auditory effects, enhance
the emotional impact of their writing, and immerse readers in the atmosphere of the described scene or
situation.
Cacophony is made by carefully choosing and combining words and sounds that are either already harsh or
have an abrasive effect when combined. Cacophony can significantly impact a piece of literature or speech's
overall tone and effect despite not often being considered attractive to the ear.
EXAMPLES OF CACOPHONY:
1. “Beware the jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!” - Lewis Carroll,
Jabberwocky.
2. “I detest the sharp squeak of chalk against the blackboard.”
3. “Suddenly there was a deafening, cacophonous crash and the entire building collapsed.”
4. “In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand. In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of
sand.” - Bob Dylan
5. “The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard / And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of
wood.” - Robert Frost, “Out, Out—”
Cacophony has the ability to evoke strong feelings, emphasize points, and grab listeners' attention, much
like the sizzle of a steak on the grill or the grating sound of nails on a chalkboard. The speaker or writer can
effectively, if occasionally uncomfortably, control the mood and response of the listener or reader by using
words and sounds that clash and jar.
Even though it is inherently unsettling and discordant, cacophony may be an effective technique in the
hands of a skilled speaker or writer. Cacophony can elicit powerful emotions and a sense of disorder,
turmoil, and anxiety by using harsh and upsetting noises. Cacophony, though not often linked with the
lovely or pleasant, does have a place in the arsenal of rhetorical strategies at the disposal of the adept
communicator.

CATAPHORA
Cataphora, which in Greek means “a downward motion,” refers to the use of a linguistic unit, such as a
pronoun, to refer ahead to another unit. Cataphora is a less common rhetorical device than anaphora, but it
can be used to create anticipation, maintain a reader's interest, or emphasize certain elements in a text.
EXAMPLES OF CATAPHORA:
1. If you need one, there is an envelope in the drawer. (Here ‘one’ refers to ‘envelope’.)
2. When he reached home, Frank Williams found his wife dead.
3. “Why do we envy him, the bankrupt man?” (John Updike, Hugging the Shore, 1984)
4. Too scared to buy before they sell, some homeowners aim for a trade.
5. As he arrived there, the manager found the office empty.
6. As she was unaccustomed to it, Sara found the pressure very hard to deal with.
7. After he had been raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. So they
believed the Scripture and the statement that Jesus had made.
Cataphora occurs where a word used is not initially clear and it is explained later in the sentence by a
subsequent word or words. The inadequate information in the initial word thus causes increased attention.
Consequently, cataphora helps its user to make the audience interested in something by the tactics of
delaying the key point until some time. You can create suspense in speech and writing using cataphora as
the real subject takes time to be mentioned.
CHIASMUS
Chiasmus is a stylistic device in which words, phrases, clauses, or concepts are repeated in reverse order. It
is a well-liked figure of speech with speakers and writers.
EXAMPLES OF CHIASMUS:
1. Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind. (John F. Kennedy)
2. “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” (John F. Kennedy)
3. When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
4. I say what I mean and I mean what I say.
5. “People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the
example of our power.” (Bill Clinton at the 2008 Democratic National Convention)
6. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” (Benjamin Franklin)
7. “The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.” (Alfred
North Whitehead)
Chiasmus is a figure of speech based on word play. It provides an aesthetic appeal to the sentence and
makes the sentence memorable. If properly used, chiasmus can add fun and liveliness to your sentences.
Speakers and writers can utilize this stylistic device as a strategy to emphasize an idea or a point of view.

CIRCUMLOCUTION
The word circumlocution is derived from the Latin word circumlocutionem, which means speaking around.
As a linguist put it, “Circumlocution is a form of writing where the writer uses exaggeratedly long and
complex sentences in order to convey a meaning that could have otherwise been conveyed through a
shorter, much simpler sentence. Circumlocution involves stating an idea or a view in an indirect manner that
leaves the reader guessing and grasping at the actual meaning.”
In speech or writing using more words and sentences than necessary is usually known as a demerit and
such a speech/writing is called circumlocutory. However, due to certain circumstances you may be required
not to be direct and clear. In that case you need to use circumlocution as a strategy to confuse your
listener/reader with the intention to suppress some facts, dilute arguments, and to divert people’s attention.
If you are not using circumlocution to your advantage and it occurs naturally in your speech or writing, you
become a victim of stylistic error.
EXAMPLES OF CIRCUMLOCUTION:
1. “I was within a hair’s breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with
humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say……” (Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being
Earnest )
2. “As Fed chairman, every time I expressed a view, I added or subtracted 10 basis points from the
credit market. That was not helpful. But I nonetheless had to testify before Congress. On questions
that were too market-sensitive to answer, ‘no comment’ was indeed an answer. And so you
construct what we used to call Fed-speak. I would hypothetically think of a little plate in front of my
eyes, which was the Washington Post, the following morning’s headline, and I would catch myself in
the middle of a sentence. Then, instead of just stopping, I would continue on resolving the sentence
in some obscure way which made it incomprehensible. But nobody was quite sure I wasn’t saying
something profound when I wasn’t. And that became the so-called Fed-speak which I became an
expert on over the years. It’s a self-protection mechanism . . . when you’re in an environment where
people are shooting questions at you, and you’ve got to be very careful about the nuances of what
you’re going to say and what you don’t say.”
(Alan Greenspan, quoted by Devin Leonard and Peter Coy. Bloomberg Businessweek, August 13-26,
2012)
Circumlocution violates certain principles of good writing, such as clarity, brevity, and conciseness. It often
results from a speaker’s or writer’s inability to choose the right words to express his or her ideas. However,
great stylists can use this technique to create fun. For example, read this excerpt:
October: this is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July,
January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February. (Mark
Twain)
Interestingly enough, circumlocution can also be used deliberately to confuse the reader or the listener, as
politicians and lawyers are often blamed of doing.

CLIMAX
Climax, which in Greek means ‘ladder’, is a figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged
in order of increasing importance. A powerful tool, climax can be used to instantly capture the undivided
attention of listeners and readers alike.
EXAMPLES OF CLIMAX:
1. “There are three things that will endure: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
(Bible: 1 Corinthians 13:13)
2. “Of all forms of symbolism, language is the most highly developed, most subtle, and most
complicated.” (S. I. Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action)
3. First, they lost their funding. Then, their team disbanded. Finally, their project was cancelled.
4. “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving
how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! in apprehension how like a god! The beauty
of the world! The paragon of animals!” (Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet: Act 2,
Scene 2)
5. “It may, perhaps, be fairly questioned, whether any other portion of the population of the earth
could have endured the privations, sufferings and horrors of slavery, without having become more
degraded in the scale of humanity than the slaves of African descent. Nothing has been left undone
to cripple their intellects, darken their minds, debase their moral stature, obliterate all traces of their
relationship to mankind; and yet how wonderfully they have sustained the mighty load of a most
frightful bondage, under which they have been groaning for centuries!” (Frederick Douglass,
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, 1845)
6. He started as a curious observer, then became an enthusiastic participant, and ultimately emerged
as a dedicated leader.
7. “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, “A Generation in Search of a Future,” spoken at MIT, March 4,
1969)
8. “It is absolutely not right to arrest or detain an innocent man. It is a bigger crime to whip him for a
crime he had nothing to do with. All of this is tolerable, but to sentence him to his death when he
has wronged not a soul is something that cannot be excused. Such is the state of justice, an innocent
man paying ever so dearly for the crime of another.”
9. They spent the day searching for clues, questioning suspects, and finally uncovering the truth.
10. “Out of its vivid disorder comes order; from its rank smell rises the good aroma of courage and
daring; out of its preliminary shabbiness comes the final splendor. And buried in the familiar boasts
of its advance agents lies the modesty of most of its people.” (E. B. White, “The Ring of Time”)
Climax will allow you to put ordinary ideas in an extraordinary way. As a stylistic device, climax will allow you
to make your speech and writing vivid and elegant. Writers, lawyers, diplomats, managers, psychiatrists and
astrologers can make their speech and writing more effective using climax.

CONSONANCE
Like alliteration, consonance is a rhetorical strategy that emphasizes the repetition of a specific sound.
Consonance, on the other hand, differs from alliteration in that it entails repeating neighboring consonant
sounds that are similar to one another, and the sounds are not always limited to the beginning of the
syllables. At the beginning, middle, or end of the words, the consonant repetition can happen wherever.
Consonance could be viewed as the unsung hero of rhetorical devices since it produces a resonance of
sound, mood, and meaning that gently adds to the overall musicality of a written or spoken work. It creates
a pleasing echo that subtly sustains time and maintains rhythm, much like the continuous beat of a drum.
When used effectively, consistency can give language a rhythmic, resonant, and lyrical quality, enhancing its
emotional or aesthetic appeal.
EXAMPLES OF CONSONANCE:
1. “Mike likes his new bike.” (Repetition of the “k” sound)

2. “He struck a streak of stinky luck.” (Repetition of the “k” sound)
3. “Pitter, patter, the raindrops splattered.” (Repetition of the “t” and “r” sounds)
4. “And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain” (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”)
(Repetition of the “s” and “r” sounds)
5. “Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though.” (Robert Frost, “Stopping
by Woods on a Snowy Evening”) (Repetition of the “s” sound)
6. “Do not go gentle into that good night...Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” (Dylan Thomas, “Do
Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”) (Repetition of the “t” and “n” sounds)
Consonance is a flexible tool that authors and speakers use to create rhythm, highlight specific words, and
make their language more memorable. Alliteration is another example of consonance. “Always and
everywhere, it is a matter of taste—that you select your consonantal sounds with an attention to their
harmonious blending, and similarly your terminal assonance to close in the echo,” British poet and critic Sir
Arthur Quiller-Couch suggested. (From Sir Arthur Quiller-1916 Couch's book On the Art of Writing)

D
DISTINCTIO
A word may have several meanings depending on the context. When you speak or write, a word may cause
ambiguity. Thus, it becomes essential you explain what you mean. The stylistic device called distinctio helps
in this task. In the book Rhetorical Devices (2007), Brendan McGuigan observes: “Distinctio allows you to tell
your reader exactly what you mean to say. This sort of clarification can be the difference between your
sentence being understood or being taken to mean something entirely different from what you intended.”
Distinctio can be very helpful while speaking and writing on or about controversial topics and while
defending your arguments. This technique is very useful for clarifying one’s point of view.
EXAMPLES OF DISTINCTIO:
1. To be honest, when I called him ‘coward’, I really meant he was ‘timid’.

2. You don’t need rocket science to operate a cell phone. By ‘rocket science’, I mean specialization.
3. We have little time to assess the damage, and by ‘little time’ I mean two hours only.
4. “The operation will need to be completed quickly; that is, within three months.”
5. “When I say hot, I do not mean she was warm — I mean she was very sexy!”
6. When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said “we will eat grass, even go hungry, but we will get one [bomb] of our
own”, he meant Pakistan would rather be poor but it will contest with India at any cost.
Distinctio can be raised to great literary heights.
Read the “Whiskey Speech” that was delivered by Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr., a Mississippi legislator:
My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I
want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at
any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel
about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.
If when you say “whiskey” you mean the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that
defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally
takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the
Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of
degradation and despair and shame and helplessness and hopelessness, then certainly I am against
it.

But if when you say “whiskey” you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is
consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their
lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the
stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman’s step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you
mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for
a little while, life’s great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of
which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for
our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm, to build
highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.
This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.
As Brendan McGuigan points out in Rhetorical Devices (2007), “Distinctio allows you to tell your reader exactly
what you mean to say. This sort of clarification can be the difference between your sentence being
understood or being taken to mean something entirely different from what you intended.” Through
distinctio, you achieve clarity in your speech and writing.
DOUBLE ENTENDRE
A double entendre is a figure of speech that has a double meaning, often one that is innocent or
straightforward and another that is suggestive, risqué, or humorous. The effect of a double entendre may
be entertaining or shocking, depending on the reader’s individual sensibility. If you are deliberately using a
double entendre, you must know the risk of doing so.
EXAMPLES OF DOUBLE ENTENDRES:
1. Come to us for unwanted pregnancies (Sign outside a Gynaecologist’s clinic. It can be also an
example of irony.)
2. If you want to be good at writing, you must know how to KISS. (Keep it short and simple and Kiss)
3. “She touched his organ, and from that bright epoch, even it, the old companion of his happiest
hours, incapable as he had thought of elevation, began a new and deified existence.” (― Charles
Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, 1844)
4. I am really in a mood to do anything with you.
5. “She leaned into him to soak up his warmth.
6. “You are so hot,” she said.
7. “It’s about time you noticed,” he teased.” (― C.C. Hunter, Awake at Dawn)
8. “Not that I can’t handle things myself, but since I’ve got you, I may as well use you.” (―Robin
Bielman, Wild About Her Wingman)
9. “The Court infers Plaintiffs fear enforcement of the ordinance would strip them of their profits,
adversely impacting their bottom line.” (Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in a judgment)

About double entendres writes Edward Moore:
“Of all the improvements in polite conversation, I know of nothing that is half so entertaining and
significant as the double entendre. It is a figure in rhetoric, which owes its birth, as well as its name, to
our inventive neighbors the French; and is that happy art, by which persons of fashion may
communicate the loosest ideas under the most innocent expressions. The ladies have adopted it for
the best reason in the world: they have long since discovered, that the present fashionable display
of their persons is by no means a sufficient hint to the men that they mean anything more than to
attract their admiration: the double entendre displays the mind in an equal degree, and tells us from
what motives the lure of beauty is thrown out …
“The double entendre is at present so much the taste of all genteel companies, that there is no
possibility either of being polite or entertaining without it. That it is easily learnt is the happy
advantage of it; for as it requires little more than a mind well stored with the most natural ideas,
every young lady of fifteen may be thoroughly instructed in the rudiments of it from her book of
novels, or her waiting maid. But to be as knowing as her mamma in all the refinements of the art,
she must keep the very best company, and frequently receive lessons in private from a male
instructor.” (Edward Moore, ”The Double Entendre.” The World, No. 201, Thursday, Nov. 4, 1756)
While speaking or writing, ensure that you have not used double entendres. But if you want to amuse your
readers at any cost, go ahead. Double entendres give you the scope to be witty, humorous, and even
naughty.
DYSPHEMISM
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dysphemism is “the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or
disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one; also: an expression so substituted.” It aims at
preventing people from liking something or somebody. Dysphemism is a figure of speech that can be
contrasted with euphemism, which means the use of ‘soft’ words instead of otherwise offensive words (e.g.,
‘pre-owned car’ for a ‘second-hand car’). When applied to people, animal names are usually dysphemisms:
coot, old bat, pig, chicken, snake, and bitch, for example. “People use dysphemisms as tools of humiliation,
degradation, and minimization of people of whom they disapprove” (Keith Allan and Kate
Burridge, Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language. Cambridge University Press, 2006).
In speech and writing, dysphemism can motivate people against wrongdoers and demoralize the culprits.
The use of a harsh, more offensive word instead of one considered less harsh has its merits and demerits.
As such, this should be used very carefully. If used correctly, it can help you in expressing your emotions
vehemently. Weigh the prospects and consequences when you think to use this figure of speech.
EXAMPLES OF DYSPHEMISMS:
1. I prefer e-mail to snail mail. (Snail mail is the dysphemism for postal mail.)
2. She is fond of saying bullshit. (Bullshit is a dysphemism for lies.)
3. Sridhar Pandit is a bookworm. (Bookworm is used for a person who reads a lot.)
4. That bullock-cart took three hours to cover forty kilometers. (Indirect reference to a bus.)

5. Sridhar Pandit is well-known for his monkey business. (mischievous or deceitful behaviour)
6. Sridhar Pandit spends hours watching the idiot box. (‘Idiot box’ stands for TV.)
7. His friends regard Sridhar Pandit as an egghead. (‘Egghead’ is substituted for ‘genius’.)
If dysphemism uses a derogatory, offensive or vulgar word or phrase to replace a (more) neutral original
word or phrase, why do people use dysphemism? Comes the reply from Allan and Burridge: “Speakers resort
to dysphemism to talk about people and things that frustrate and annoy them, that they disapprove of and
wish to disparage, humiliate and degrade.” It is further observed that dysphemism is “frequently employed in
literary texts, political speeches and colloquial expressions. Sometimes, dysphemism could result from
hatred and fear, though disapproval and contempt might also motivate dysphemism to be used.” A word of
caution: Do not use dysphemism if you suspect your opponent may drag you to the court for defamation.
“I have a dream that

one day this nation will
rise up and live out the
true meaning of its
creed: 'We hold these
truths to be self-
evident, that all men
are created equal. ”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

E
ELLIPSIS
A rhetorical device called ellipsis describes the omission of one or more words from a phrase. It may
purposefully evoke a sense of ambiguity so the reader can fill in the blanks. The ellipsis is a precise and
deliberate technique utilized by speakers and writers, even though it may appear to be a shortcut or a
linguistic error. Ellipsis can perform various tasks, including building tension, allowing for implicit meanings,
promoting conversation, and reflecting on our natural speech and thought processes. Its capacity to say less
while still meaning more makes it so powerful.
EXAMPLES OF ELLIPSIS:
1. The Master said, “What is it that we call royal conduct? The royal person performs his labor and then
rests.” (Confucius, Analects, Book XV, Chapter 28)
2. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald,
The Great Gatsby)
3. “Are you going to the party?” “Might . . .”
4. “Books, real books, these were for putting away.” (Philip Roth, The Ghost Writer)
5. “And he to England shall along with you.” (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
6. “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take
arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them . . . “ (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
Ellipsis has immense power in its subtle omission. Fiction depends on place for its existence, as Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Eudora Welty noted: “Every tale would be another story, and unrecognizable as art, if it
gathered up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else. The “location.” She is referring to here
may very well be the 'ellipses' that allow words to breathe. Ellipsis is a literary device that encourages
readers to engage with the text more deeply and is a source of fascination and complexity in language and
communication. As a result, the reader participates actively in the discourse with the author and co-creates
meaning. We learn from ellipses that what is omitted can be as impactful as what is spoken.
ENJAMBMENT
Enjambment, which comes from the French verb “enjamber,” which means “to straddle,” is a poetic device in
which the rhythm and idea of a line continue into the following line without a pause or punctuation. This
method pushes the limits of the line, allowing the concept to extend beyond its confines and connecting
lines in a way that can be unexpected, energizing, and revelatory.
Use enjambment to convey a sensation of motion, speed, or haste. It also catches the reader off guard,

disrupting the expected rhythm and making them pause to consider the relationship between the words.
Enjambment frequently strengthens the notion of continuity in a poem by emphasizing thematic
components or stressing emotional or intellectual states.
EXAMPLES OF ENJAMBMENT:
1. “April is the cruelest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire,
stirring / Dull roots with spring rain.” (T.S. Eliot, “The Waste Land”, 1922)
2. “I think I had never seen / A verse as beautiful as a flower.” (Arthur Rimbaud, “First Evening”)
3. “Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage
against the dying of the light.” (Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night”)
4. “I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills, / When all at once I saw a
crowd, / A host, of golden daffodils; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and dancing in
the breeze.” (William Wordsworth, “Daffodils”)
5. “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep,
/ And miles to go before I sleep.” (Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”)
Poets use enjambment to play with the reader's expectation of closure at the end of each line, offering a
fresh way to perceive the imagery or emotion in a poem. As Robert Frost put it, “The living part of a poem is
the intonation entangled somehow in the syntax idiom and meaning of a sentence.” Frost's statement
reminds us of enjambment's intricate relationship with syntax, idiom, and meaning, providing additional
complexity to reading and interpreting poetry.
EPANORTHOSIS
Epanorthosis refers to the act of emphatic correction, usually in the middle of the sentence, to highlight
something. It corrects the ‘mistake’ done earlier knowingly or unknowingly. Epanorthosis is more used in
speech than in writing. This is a stylistic device to grab attention of the audience by highlighting a certain
point through self-correction. It aims at creating a dramatic effect.
EXAMPLES OF EPANOTHOSIS:
1. "The trip wasn't enjoyable—it was dreadful, in fact." (The correction amplifies the negative
experience, shifting from "not enjoyable" to "dreadful.")
2. That inspector has been suspended three, no, four times within three years of his service.
3. “The time is coming— actually it has already arrived!”
4. I’ll allow all—I mean some—to participate in the tournament.
5. That fellow is very clever, no, cunning.
6. "Her artwork wasn't just impressive; it was truly a masterpiece." (The epanorthosis elevates the
description of the artwork from "impressive" to "masterpiece.")
7. "The party was a disaster, no, a complete catastrophe." (The speaker corrects the initial description
of the party being a disaster by intensifying it to a "complete catastrophe.")
8. She has won two...no, that’s three...gold medals in the Olympics.
9. "His response wasn't just thoughtful; it was profound, a true reflection of his wisdom."

10. "She didn't just sing well; she sang beautifully, with such grace and emotion."
Epanorthosis is a stylistic device to grab the attention of the audience by highlighting a certain point through
self-correction. It aims at creating a dramatic effect. When a correction is made, it draws attention to the
words, but if the context is not clear it can also cause confusion. Hence use Epanorthosis after much
rehearsal or practice.
EPIGRAM
An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. An
epigrammatic style is concise, clever, and amusing. In 1809, the English poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor
Coleridge wrote:
What is an Epigram? a dwarfish whole,

Its body brevity, and wit its soul. (“Epigram”)
EXAMPLES OF EPIGRAM:
1. “Peace begins with a smile.” (Mother Teresa)

2. “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.” (Swami Vivekananda)
3. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” (Walt Disney)
4. “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” (Oscar Wilde)
5. “Action expresses priorities.“ (Mahatma Gandhi)
6. “To be popular one must be a mediocrity.” (Oscar Wilde)
7. The rules of today are the exceptions of tomorrow.
8. “Everyone loves a conspiracy.” (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code)
9. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)
10. “If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” (Catherine the Great)
Epigrams are short, witty and often amusing sentences. Being concise, epigrams are used to create impact.
In a sense we can say that epigrams are the most condensed or concentrated form a sentence can assume.
Epigrams are aphoristic in nature. One can use them for satirical effect. An epigram can also be symbolic or
suggestive; for example when Lao Tzu says An unbending tree is easily broken, it is equally true in case of
human beings. Because of their evocative power, epigrams are more memorable than ordinary sentences.
Use this stylistic device to produce memorable sentences.
EPISTROPHE
A figure of speech known as an epistrophe repeats the same word or phrase after subsequent clauses,
phrases, or lines. This repetition develops a rhythmic, emphatic pattern that boosts the argument's or the
sentiment's emotional potency. Similar to how repeated consonants in alliteration assist ideas to stick in the
listener's or reader's head, repeated ends in epistrophe do the same. The speaker/writer and the audience
know the text's deliberate organization and the intended result. Epistrophe can play a key role in presenting

an engaging and memorable speech or written article.
EXAMPLES OF EPISTROPHE:
1. “And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
(Abraham Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address”)
2. “Where now? Who now? When now?” (Samuel Beckett, “The Unnamable”)
3. “He's learning fast; are you earning fast?” (Slogan from a 1950s advertisement)
4. “Hourly joys be still upon you! Juno sings her blessings on you. ... Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Ceres' blessing so is on you.” (William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”)
5. “With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail
together, to stand up for freedom together.” (Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream”)
6. We walk together, we move together, we think together, we resolve together, and together we take
this country forward - Narendra Modi
Due to its ability to elicit powerful emotional reactions, epistrophe is frequently utilized in literature, public
speeches, ads, and musical compositions. Martin Luther King Jr. used epistrophe in his “I Have a Dream”
address to emphasize the shared struggle and goal of the civil rights movement. Shakespeare, regarded as
the indisputable master of rhetoric, also regularly utilized epistrophe to highlight certain ideas and produce
memorable sentences. Epistrophe may be potent in any speaker's or writer's toolbox when utilized
carefully.
EPITROPE
Epitrope is a figure of speech which is an “argumentative strategy (an ironic type of concession) by which a
speaker either pretends to express agreement with an opponent or encourages an opponent to do
something that the speaker actually objects to” (Richard Nordquist). According to Giambattista Vico,
“Epitrope or concessio is a figure [of speech] by which we concede to the adversary things which are unjust,
even false, even inept or dubious as though they were just and certain and true. We would nevertheless
show ourselves to be superior in the case, the abundance of our own reasons being so affluent even having
conceded those things which by right we could have denied. . . . Epitrope is constructed by these formulae
—”Be it so,” “Let that be true,” “Let that be the case,” “I grant that to the accuser,” “Let the adversary have
this point,” “I accept that,” “I let it pass,” “I yield,” “Let it certainly be this,” “No contest,” “No objection,” and “I
don’t deny,” and so forth.”
Epitrope can be useful for debates and argumentative essays. It can serve as a very useful stylistic device for
lawyers, politicians, debaters, and defenders. A figure in which one turns things over to one’s hearers, either
pathetically, ironically, or in such a way as to suggest a proof of something without having to state it.
A linguist observes: “Epitrope often takes the form of granting permission (hence its Latin name, permissio),
submitting something for consideration, or simply referring to the abilities of the audience to supply the
meaning that the speaker passes over (hence Puttenham’s term, figure of reference). Epitrope can be either
biting in its irony, or flattering in its deference.”

EXAMPLES OF EPITROPE:
1. I was wrong to ask for help when you should be volunteering.

2. “Because all things [be] taken away, only is left unto me my body and mind. These things, which only
are left unto me of many, I grant then to you and to your power.” (R. Sherry)
3. “To you, fount of holiness, I wholly dedicate myself from this time. Confer, take away; scourge, spare;
command, forbid; do whichever you wish; lo, I am your servant, Lord; use your servant just as you
please; whatever you do, I give thanks.” (Vinsauf)
4. “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk
in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God
will bring thee into judgment.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
Epitrope is the “Admission of Wrong in order to gain what is Right... The Figure is used when we surrender a
point which we feel to be wrong, but we admit it for the sake of argument. In Synchoresis, we concede what
is right in itself; but, in Epitrope, we admit what is wrong, giving way to the feelings or unreasonableness of
another, in order that we may more effectually carry our point” (Bullinger, 935). Epitrope is used to
admonish and to threaten the adversary. As such, it can prove as a good communication tool in an
adversarial system such as politics, law, diplomacy, and so on.
ETHOPOEIA
Ethopoeia is a figure of speech that deals with emotion, particularly to create empathy and understanding. It
is a way of putting oneself in the place of another person with an intention to relate to a person and make
other empathize with him or her.
EXAMPLES OF ETHOPOEIA:
1. Being born in a tribal society and that too in a very poor family, I could not aspire to achieve what he
has already achieved in his life.
2. If I were Sleepy, I’d weep for weeks in anguish for the death of Dogra.
3. Were I the CEO of my company, I would also fail to handle the labour unrest.
4. In a moment of achievement, I doubt whether I can remain as humble as they have been.
Ethopoeia is identifying oneself with another. It creates empathy. Consequently the person you refer to gets
the good will of your listeners/readers.
ETHOS
A rhetorical technique called Ethos indicates the authority and moral character of the speaker or writer. It
makes an ethical argument, persuading the reader of the author's dependability or credibility. Ethos
establishes the legitimacy or authority of the speaker or writer. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, highlighted
the significance of Ethos in rhetoric and noted that an audience is more likely to be persuaded by a speaker
who is seen as trustworthy and credible. All verbal, writing, visual, or digital communication requires Ethos.
Ethos can be developed through tone, style, reputation, and appropriate grammar and syntax.
Ethos entails using one's standing or reputation to persuade others of a viewpoint. The position or
reputation developed within the text's setting might serve as the importance. The argument's Ethos serves
as a moral compass or set of principles, and both the speaker and the writer realize this as well as the

audience and reader do.
EXAMPLES OF ETHOS:
1. “As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best
results.”
2. “I have studied this topic for over ten years and have published numerous articles on this subject.”
3. “I have served in this field for over thirty years, and I can tell you that...”
4. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not just your candidate; I’m also a concerned parent of a child in the
school system.”
5. “As a Nobel laureate, I can confirm that this is the most significant discovery in the field of physics in
the last decade.”
Ethos is crucial for speakers and writers because of its influence on establishing trustworthiness. According
to David McCullough, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, “Ethos allows the writer to speak with authority and to
articulate the noble goals that the reader may believe and respect. A writer's Ethos is comparable to their
professional reputation; it is the culmination of skill, knowledge, goodwill, and confidence in the writer's
authority and integrity. (David McCullough, as cited by Donald Hall in the 10th edition of Longman's book
“Writing Well,” 2007)
The ability of Ethos to be deceptive and convincing makes it effective. It is an emotional undertone that
subtly guides the audience's emotions, enabling deeper connections. Whether establishing the speaker's
authority or defending their stance, Ethos is crucial in determining how persuasive an argument is.
EUCHE
Speakers and writers express their emotions through euche, which uses prayer and mock-prayer. Euche is a
stylistic device that expresses emotion.
EXAMPLES OF EUCHE:
1. May God save India from the hands of corrupt politicians!

2. Heaven save us from such fools!
3. May God help us to meet the deadlines!
4. “You have wronged her sorely; may God forgive you.”
5. God can only protect us from the terrorists!
Euche, being in the form of a prayer, pre-empts reaction. It is used to highlight certain facts or to draw the
attention of the reader/listener through an emotional appeal.
EUPHEMISM
Euphemism refers to using a word or phrase to replace another word or phrase considered less offensive,
blunt or vulgar. The calling of the graveyard, a memorial park or the prison as a correctional facility is a
beautiful example of the use of euphemism.

EXAMPLES OF EUPHEMISMS:
Death: Passed away, departed, no longer with us;
Old: Senior, elderly, advanced in years;
Fat: Overweight, full-figured, curvy;
Lying: Stretching the truth, bending the facts, being economical with the truth;
Poor: Economically disadvantaged, financially challenged, less fortunate;
Fired: Let go, laid off;
Drunk: Intoxicated, under the influence, tipsy;
Toilet: Restroom, bathroom, powder room;
Cemetery: Memorial park, resting place, final resting grounds;
Dirty: Soiled, unclean, not entirely clean.
Some observations:
1. You are telling me a fairy tale. (Used instead of ‘lies’.)

2. ‘Life insurance’ is a euphemism for ‘death insurance’. (People insure against death, not against life.
Right?)
3. Euphemisms are frequently used while talking of death or death-related things. Instead of saying ‘He
has died’, it will be preferable to say ‘He is no longer with us,” or ‘He has gone west,’ or ‘He has gone
to meet his Maker,’ or simply ‘He has passed away.’”
4. Euphemisms are useful to mention taboo subjects such as sex. For example, euphemisms for the act
of sex include: “get busy,” “party for two,” “nail,” “park,” “thread the needle,” “water the lawn,” and
“walk the dog.”
5. Euphemisms are used to sound politically correct (i.e., not to use language or behave in a way that
could offend a particular group of people) — to make you appear correct and refined.
WORDS THAT MAY BE OFFENSIVE POLITICALLY CORRECT SUBSTITUTES

Crippled Differently-abled
Blind visually challenged
Lazy motivationally deficient
Fat gravitationally challenged
Poor economically marginalized
the Black (race) the African-American
Lying be economical with the truth
prostitute lady of the night
Urinate spend a penny
Maid domestic engineer
Genital private organs
pregnant in the family way
to fart to pass wind
unemployed between the jobs
drug addict substance abuser
garbage dump landfill
genocide ethnic cleansing

old person senior citizen

one-room apartment studio apartment
power failure service interruption
spying surveillance
steal (v) appropriate (v)
stupid slow
wrong questionable
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines Euphemism as “an indirect word or phrase that people
often use to refer to something embarrassing or unpleasant, sometimes to make it seem more acceptable
than it really is.” You can find an increasing use of euphemisms in business, politics, and socioeconomic
forums. The corporate world has come up with many euphemisms to communicate harsh decisions
disguised as euphemisms. Lynn Schneider explains:
If you are offered a career change or an early retirement opportunity, a career or employee
transition, or you are being involuntarily separated, or if personnel is being realigned or there is
a surplus reduction in personnel, or the staff is being re-engineered or right sized, or if there is
a workforce imbalance correction then: You’re fired!
Nowadays, euphemisms are a familiar means to communicate ‘bad news’ to the employees in the corporate
sector, especially in the MNCs (e.g. BPOs, KPOs, LPOs).
Euphemism is one of those features of the English language that make it flexible and beautiful. Robert
Burchfield, former editor of The Oxford English Dictionary, is right to say: “A language without euphemisms
would be a defective instrument of communication.” Euphemisms do not only allow you to be polite,
professional and polished. And if you are a lawyer, manager, leader or diplomat, euphemisms can help you
grow in your profession. For example, a defending lawyer may call a ‘collision’ simply an ‘accident’.
EUPHONY
The literary term “euphony” refers to the tasteful blending of sounds and words. Euphony, which derives
from the Greek word “euphnos,” which means “well-sounding” or “sweet-voiced,” tries to produce an aural
beauty in words to draw the listener or reader in and frequently improve the expressiveness of the
language.
With the help of euphony, a speaker or writer might utilize language to create a mood of beauty, calm, or
mellowness. Here, the smooth, enjoyable, and beautiful sound arrangement stands out. It is a word
symphony in which vowels replace melodic notes and consonants act as soft strokes on a harp's strings.
EXAMPLES OF EUPHONY:
1. “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run...”

(John Keats, “Ode to Autumn”)
2. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
(F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby)

3. “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
(Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”)
4. “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain” (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”)
5. “Sweet roses do not so, nor lilies, nor baby's breath.” (Shakespeare, Sonnet 94)
These examples reveal the allure of the euphony. The listener or reader is drawn in and wants to linger,
taking in the words' beauty since each emits a sense of tranquility, serenity, and aural aesthetics. One can
only speculate how words can make music to our ears and paint a lovely image in our brains!
The importance of euphony cannot be emphasized. It is an artistic language tool that elevates simple
communication into a melodic, enduring, and hypnotic experience. The ordinarily harsh language is given an
aesthetic dimension through euphony. Human discourse is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude
rhythms for bears to dance to while we yearn to create music that will melt the stars, as Gustave Flaubert
put it. Euphony is the type of music we aspire to create.
EXERGASIA
Repetition is often a good way of emphasizing an idea. Among the many stylistic devices used for repetition,
Exergasia is one. Exergasia is restating a point in so many different words. Its usefulness comes from the
ground reality that your listener/reader may not understand you in the very first instance and hence the
need of repeating/explaining your idea. Further, it helps in hammering the point by repetition. The merit of
Exergasia is that repetition is done through the use of different words to state the same idea.
EXAMPLES OF EXERGASIA:
1. Evening has approached. The sun has set and stars have begun to appear.
2. He must compromise with her. He should say ‘Sorry’ to her for being rude.
3. The government should wage a war against terror. It should ban all terrorist outfits and attack them
using the police and the military.
4. We must return to the city. It is evening already and we have to travel two hundred kilometers.
5. He is in dire need of employment. He should visit all offices for a vacancy. He should collect
references from influential people. He should attend training sessions to develop the necessary
skills. I think he should explore all options to get a job.
Restatements are used for elaboration. New points may be added and jargons are explained. In Exergasia, a
summary may follow the statements for conclusion.

F
FORESHADOWING:
A clever narrative technique called foreshadowing enables writers to drop hints or indicate what will happen
next in the story. It can pique interest, create suspense, or prepare the reader for what's to follow.
Foreshadowing can take many forms, including overt exposition of future events in the narrative, symbols
or symbolic actions, prophetic conversation, or even a particular mood or sensation that permeates the
story.
The speaker or writer employs foreshadowing to discreetly lead the listener through the plot, allowing them
to anticipate and speculatively forecast the story's future. The art of foreshadowing lies in its subtlety; it is
not a blatant reveal but rather a sneaky hint, almost like a whisper in the reader's or listener's ear. A writer
who employs foreshadowing effectively can increase the drama and suspense in the story, giving the reader
a more captivating and immersive experience.
EXAMPLES OF FORESHADOWING:
1. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare foreshadows the tragic ending in the prologue with the lines: “A
pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows. Do with their
death bury their parents' strife.”
2. In the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling subtly introduces the Deathly Hallows symbol in The Goblet of
Fire, long before they become central to the narrative in the final book.
3. “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson can be interpreted as foreshadowing her struggle
with mental health.
4. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the death of Candy's dog foreshadows the tragic end of Lennie.
5. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the broken clock that Gatsby knocks over in Daisy's house
foreshadows the end of Gatsby's dream and his life.
An author can influence the emotions and anticipation of their readers by foreshadowing, producing a more
emotionally resonant tale. If you mention a rifle hanging on the wall in the first chapter, it must
unquestionably go off in the second or third, according to the master storyteller Anton Chekhov. It shouldn't
be hanging there if it won't be fired. This idea, also called Chekhov's gun, perfectly captures the essence of
foreshadowing: a promise of action and a sign of things to come.

G
GNOME (APHORISM)
A gnome, also known as an aphorism, is a rhetorical device that briefly expresses a universal truth, guiding
principle, or incisive remark. This rhetorical device is frequently employed in speech and writing to convey
succinct, memorable truths that frequently function as guiding principles. As we learn more, we'll see that
the gnome, or aphorism, is useful for condensing knowledge into a few well-chosen words.
A gnome or aphorism is a testament to the effectiveness of concision. The speaker or writer seeks to
succinctly but powerfully capture universal truths or life's lessons through the deliberate use of gnome. The
gnome's essence is found in its literal meaning and the profound wisdom it conveys, which both the
speaker/writer and the listener/reader understand. A gnome's creative brevity and discernment frequently
cause its audience to experience a moment of insight and clarity.
EXAMPLES OF GNOME (APHORISM):

1. "A penny saved is a penny earned." 9. "The only thing we have to fear is fear
2. "Actions speak louder than words." itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. "All that glitters is not gold." 10. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
4. "Don't count your chickens before they 11. All's well that ends well. (William
hatch." Shakespeare)
5. "Honesty is the best policy." 12. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
6. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." 13. The pen is mightier than the sword.
7. "No pain, no gain." 14. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
8. "The early bird catches the worm." (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Gnome can be used to succinctly and forcefully make a point. The speaker or writer makes a lasting
impression on the listener or reader by briefly articulating a broad truth or wisdom. A well-made gnome
also frequently inspires reflection, leading to a richer comprehension and appreciation of the knowledge it
contains.
A gnome's efficacy comes from the force of its truth and how skillfully the words are combined. The forms
of “eternity,” according to Arthur Schopenhauer, “are the aphorisms in which I am the first master among
Germans; my objective is to explain in 10 lines what everyone else says in a book—what everyone else does
not say in a book.”
A gnome is a favorite tool of thinkers, authors, and orators because of its effectiveness, succinctness, and
depth. It can be used skilfully to distill knowledge, stimulate thought, and motivate action, turning into a
wisdom lighthouse that illuminates the way for many.

H
HARANGUE
The Latin term “Hirr,” which means to buzz or vibrate, is the root of the English word “harangue.” A
harangue is an impassioned, fervent, and emphatic speech frequently presented to a large audience to
motivate or urge action. A harangue may be a protracted, hostile speech that vehemently stirs emotions or
a ferocious verbal assault on a person or organization. When a character addresses a sizable crowd with a
powerful call to action or critique, harangue might be used in political rallies, protest speeches, or fictional
novels.
When delivering a tirade, the speaker or writer frequently uses emotive language, inflated emotions,
rhetorical questions, and other powerful rhetorical techniques to increase the impact of their remarks and
provoke strong responses from the listener. However, a persuasive tirade challenges the listeners' or
readers' preconceived notions and compels them to act, arousing emotions and sharpening their critical
thinking.
EXAMPLES OF HARANGUE:
1. Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most iconic harangues, stirring the
hearts of millions and sparking significant change in the Civil Rights Movement.
2. In William Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar,” Mark Antony delivers a powerful harangue at Caesar's
funeral, swaying the crowd's opinion and inciting them to riot.
3. Adolf Hitler's speeches, infamous for their manipulative power, are prime examples of political
harangues.
4. Charlie Chaplin’s speech in the film “The Great Dictator” is a brilliant cinematic instance of a
harangue, opposing dictatorship and promoting peace and equality.
5. In George Orwell's “Animal Farm,” the pig Squealer's speeches to the other animals are propagandist
harangues.
Harangue is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the speaker or writer, allowing them to convince, sway, or
correct their audience in a way that makes a lasting impact. But because of its strength, it must be used
properly. Truth is great, but silence about truth is even greater from a practical standpoint, as the British
author Aldous Huxley observed. Propagandist institutions have much more success swaying public opinion
by simply avoiding discussing certain topics than they can by making the strongest case possible for their
position. This statement highlights the ethical obligation that comes with verbal power while also capturing
its potency.

HENDIADYS
Hendiadys, which means “one through two” in Greek, is an expressive device that uses two parts joined
together by “and” to portray a single idea. The speaker or writer uses two nouns connected by a conjunction
to paint a more vivid, forceful, or nuanced picture rather than using an adjective to modify a noun.
Hendiadys is a figure of speech where two words connected by "and" are used to express a single idea. It
adds emphasis or complexity to the expression.
Hendiadys as a rhetorical technique enhances language's expressive power and, in some instances, can
subtly alter its meaning. It is used frequently in speech, poetry, literature, and everyday speech.
EXAMPLES OF HENDIADYS:
1. “It's nice and cool.” (Instead of “It's nicely cool.”)

2. “The sound and the fury.” (William Faulkner’s novel title, instead of “the furious sound”)
3. “Through thick and thin.” (Instead of “through thick-thin times”)
4. “To make null and void.” (Instead of “to nullify”)
5. “A servant with this clause / Makes drudgery divine; / Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws, / Makes
that and the action fine.” (George Herbert, The Elixir, instead of “makes that fine and the action”)
6. "Nice and warm" - Instead of just saying "warm," "nice and warm" emphasizes the pleasant quality of
the warmth.
7. "Safe and sound" - This combines two attributes to indicate someone's safety in a stronger way.
8. "Bright and early" - "Bright" is combined with "early" to emphasize the early morning's vibrant
quality.
9. "Fit and healthy" - This combination emphasizes someone's overall well-being.
10. "Quick and easy" - This hendiadys emphasizes the speed and simplicity of a process.
11. "Lost and confused" - Combining "lost" and "confused" strengthens the idea of being disoriented.
12. "Live and learn" - This phrase combines the concepts of living life and gaining wisdom from
experiences.
13. "Part and parcel" - The phrase implies that two elements are inherently connected.
14. "High and mighty" - This phrase combines two attributes to emphasize someone's sense of
superiority.
15. "Wine and dine" -This phrase combines the actions of enjoying both wine and a good meal.
Hendiadys is a unique rhetorical device that enhances the attraction and expressiveness of the language. It
gives words a distinctive rhythm and hints of unexpectedness, making them more memorable. It is similar
to other rhetorical devices like alliteration, chiasmus, or metaphor in this regard. As Ernest Hemingway so
eloquently stated, there is no set way to write. Sometimes it flows naturally and flawlessly, and other times
it's like shooting charges into rock after drilling it.” The hendiadys might be viewed in this sense as a
delicious “charge” to increase language expressivity, causing it to “come readily and wonderfully.”

HYPERBATON
A hyperbaton is a special figure of speech that enables a writer or speaker to reorder individual words or
groups of words. Hyperbaton's main purpose is to emphasize a topic, startle the reader, denote complexity,
or build on it in a sentence. The word itself is a translation of a Greek word that means “stepping over.”
Hyperbaton is a rhetorical device that involves altering the normal or expected order of words in a sentence
for emphasis, artistic effect, or to create a unique style. Use of a hyperbaton allows the speaker/author to go
beyond the typical word order and leave a more lasting impression.
EXAMPLES OF HYPERBATON:
1. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." (John F. Kennedy)
- By placing the verb "ask" at the beginning and separating it from its direct object, this line becomes
more memorable and impactful.
2. “Alone he walks on the pebbly shore.” (Standard order: He walks alone on the pebbly shore.)
3. “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” (William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure)
4. “Objective I seek.” (Standard order: I seek the objective.)
5. “Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “The Charge of the Light
Brigade”)
6. “In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.” (Arthur Conan Doyle, The
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
7. "Beautiful she looked." - By inverting the subject and verb, this hyperbaton gives the sentence a
poetic quality.
Hyperbaton deviates from standard grammatical conventions in the same way as poetry does to elicit strong
emotional responses. It can emphasize a particular word, produce a memorable phrase, or even give a
sentence a sense of uncertainty or disorder. The sentence's distinctive, out-of-the-ordinary wording might
impart rhythm or even imitate the activity it describes. The beauty of hyperbaton lies in its adaptability and
capacity to draw attention to a language's skill and complexity.
Hyperbaton exploits the malleability of phrase structure to draw attention to the most crucial components,
much like Adynaton purposefully pushes the limits of hyperbole, alliteration thrills with sound, and
ambiguity introduces numerous interpretations. It is a tool in the writer's arsenal that can be utilized to
develop a specific mood, improve audience comprehension, or produce a memorable or quotable phrase.
The delight and surprise of running into hyperbaton in literature is found in the unexpected. It adds a sense
of novelty and intrigue to reading, like finding a new path in a familiar landscape.
HYPERBOLE
When you see a good friend of yours after a week or so, you may well say Ages have passed since I saw you
last. Neither your friend nor anybody else will ever call you a liar; rather they will appreciate your friendship.
By saying so, you have knowingly or unknowingly used a figure of speech called hyperbole. Hyperbole is an
exaggeration (as Ages used to describe a few days) to make a point or for the sake of emphasis. It may be

used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but it is never meant to be taken literally. For
example, hyperbole is in use when Hamlet says “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers / Could not with all
their quantity of love / Make up my sum.” Hamlet is emphasizing his unmatchable love for his beloved
Ophelia. We know Ophelia has one brother called Laertes, not forty thousand brothers. Thus, forty thousand
brothers is an abstract idea, a hyperbole used to highlight his unmatchable love. Hyperboles can be used to
express your emotions, emphasize your views, praise the people you like and blame the people you hate.
EXAMPLES OF HYPERBOLE:
1. I have told you a million times not to make a noise.

2. I’ve seen this movie at least one thousand times.
3. My son knows everything about computers.
4. If you marry me, I will be the happiest man in the world.
5. I can smell pizza from a mile away.
6. Macbeth: “What hands are here? Ha! they pluck out mine eyes./ Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash
this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this hand will rather./ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/
Making the green one red.” (William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Sc I)
7. “I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could
have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.” (Mark Twain, “Old Times on the Mississippi”)
As hyperbole is a figure of speech based on exaggeration, it can be a useful device for persuasion. It can thus
be suitable for lawyers, politicians, advertisers, and all who have to do public speaking. Hyperbaton can be
used to create emphasis, evoke emotions, and add a unique rhythm or style to language. However, one
needs to be careful as extreme exaggerations may be counterproductive.
HYPOPHORA
Hypophora is a figure of speech in which a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an
answer to that question. Commonly, a question is asked in the first paragraph and then the paragraph is
used to answer the question. It is also known as antipophora or anthypophora. The basic difference
between hypophora and a rhetorical question is that in a rhetorical question the answer is not provided by
the speaker/writer since it does not require an answer.
EXAMPLES OF HYPOPHORA:
1. “You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and
with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed
in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can
answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long
and hard the road may be.” (Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940)
2. “What made me take this trip to Africa? There is no quick explanation. Things got worse and worse
and worse and pretty soon they were too complicated.” (Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow)
3. “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’ We can
never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.

We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging
in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the
Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as
our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites
Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York
believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied
until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.,
28 August 1963)
4. “Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. To ‘Why am I here?’
To uselessness. It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be
astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something,
to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.” (Enid Bagnold, Autobiography, 1969)
5. “Are they meeting and having discussions on these things? Yes. Have they been meeting for some
weeks and months? Yes. Does that imply a certain amount of understanding that that process might
be useful? Yes.” (Donald Rumsfeld, 26 October 2006)
Hypophora is the stylistic device that involves the technique of asking a question and immediately
answering it. It is used to get the audience’s attention and hold that by sustaining their curiosity. By raising
the questions, you may pre-empt your audience. And when they become curious to know the answer or
become eager whether their answer matches with that of yours, you have become successful. You have got
their attention; you have made them wait for your answer; you have led them to share their concerns with
you, unconsciously though. Use the hypophora to introduce a paragraph in an essay, in an article, in a
thesis. It is a great stylistic device for speakers and writers.

I
IN MEDIAS RES
A literary and artistic device known as in medias res, Latin for “in the middle of things,” places the beginning
of the story at a pivotal moment in the middle of the action. This rhetorical strategy questions the traditional
chronological structure of the story. Instead of a peaceful introduction, an important event or a dire
circumstance is introduced immediately. The backdrop or exposition is then gradually given via various
techniques, such as character memories, dialogue, or flashbacks.
In medias res has the function of immediately grabbing the audience's attention. By thrusting the reader or
spectator right into the heart of the plot, it aims to elicit an immediate response. The plot then takes various
turns, frequently oscillating among multiple points in time. The technique frequently discloses personality
traits or historical incidents that have contributed to the current circumstance.
EXAMPLES OF IN MEDIAS RES:
1. The Iliad by Homer: This epic poem begins near the end of the ten-year Trojan War, bypassing the
events leading up to the conflict and diving straight into the quarrel between Achilles and
Agamemnon.
2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: This film starts with Princess Leia being pursued by the Galactic
Empire. The backstory and context are filled in later through dialogue and subsequent events.
3. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk: The novel opens with the unnamed protagonist held at gunpoint by
Tyler Durden. The circumstances that led to this situation are revealed through flashbacks.
4. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: The novella begins with the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, waking
up one morning to be transformed into a monstrous insect, and the reasons are never fully
explained.
5. “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: The novel starts with the scene of Colonel
Aureliano Buendia facing the firing squad, a critical point in his life. The events leading to this point
are revealed as the story progresses.
Authors and artists can construct intriguing storylines that captivate their viewers by employing medias res.
It starts with mystery and intrigue and gradually reveals the past, engrossing readers and watchers in the
drama playing out. As a result, to fully understand this narrative device, the audience must actively
participate in the story by putting pieces of information together. It is a potent tool for telling stories that
add to the depth and richness of our literary and artistic experiences.

INNUENDO
Innuendo is an indirect or subtle reference, especially one made maliciously or indicating criticism or
disapproval; insinuation (www.collinsdictionary.com). It is a stylistic device which is “generally critical,
disparaging or salacious in nature, and its use is almost always derogatory.” Besides, innuendo can also be a
remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion. In the
latter sense the intention is often to insult or accuse someone in such a way that one’s words, taken literally,
are innocent. Innuendo is ‘saying something without saying it.’
Innuendo is a form of indirect or subtle suggestion, often with a negative or suggestive connotation. It's a
way of implying something without explicitly stating it.
EXAMPLES OF INNUENDO:
1. Far be it from me to call my opponents liars.

2. “Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some
ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish
delusion before. (President George W. Bush, speech to the members of the Knesset in Jerusalem,
May 15, 2008. He was referring to Barack Obama but he did not name Obama.)
3. I congratulate my able friend on his election to the Mayor’s post, notwithstanding by questionable
means. (Meaning that the election was not ‘free and fair’.)
4. Given the tendency of Sridhar Pandit to find fault with anybody’s writing, I do not really mind his
calling the writings of Swami Vivekananda as sheer carp.
5. They do not have any doubt regarding Deepa Mishra’s character. (Ironical statement as innuendo)
6. I am not least surprised that Sleepy has started calling Dogra Prasad ‘brother’. She has done that
with all her ex-boyfriends. (Meaning that the affair between the two has ended.)
7. I refuse to believe the rumour that Sridhar Pandit has misappropriated rupees twenty thousand
from the I.C.A.R. funds. He will never settle for less than rupees one lakh. (Insinuation: Sridhar Pandit
is out-and-out corrupt.)
8. "I heard you had an interesting night last Saturday." (implying a wild or scandalous event without
directly stating it)
9. "She's quite the social butterfly, isn't she?" (implying someone is very active socially, potentially in a
critical tone)
10. "They seem to have a lot of late-night meetings at the office." (suggesting a potential romantic
relationship between coworkers)
11. "He's really committed to his workout routine, spending a lot of time with his personal trainer."
(implying a potential romantic relationship between the person and their trainer)
12. "I guess some people have all the luck when it comes to promotions." (suggesting favoritism or
unfair practices)
13. "She's known for her extensive collection of 'art books'." (using air quotes to imply that the books
might have explicit content)
14. "I wonder what they discuss during those long lunches together." (hinting at potentially
inappropriate conversations)

15. "He seems to have a way with words that people find hard to resist." (implying manipulative
behavior)
16. "I can't believe they've become such close friends after just a few weeks." (hinting at a potential
romantic involvement)
17. "She's always so focused on helping her neighbors with their problems." (suggesting gossip or
meddling behavior)
Innuendoes are indirect and they are generally used to attack or insult somebody or some section of society.
They can be very useful for those who want to say something without saying it. Innuendo can be a good
communication tool for lawyers, diplomats, teachers, reporters and mangers.
“Sisters and Brothers of

America,
It fills my heart with joy

unspeakable to rise in
response to the warm
and cordial welcome
which you have given us. I
thank you in the name of
the most ancient order of
monks in the world; I
thank you in the name of
the mother of religions;
and I thank you in the
name of millions and
millions of Hindu people
of all classes and sects.”
-- Swami Vivekananda

J
JABBERWOCKY
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, a work by Lewis Carroll, established the literary
nonsense form known as “Jabberwocky” (1871). Because they combine the sounds and meanings of two
words, Carroll referred to these absurd words as “portmanteau words” and built an entire story around
them. Jabberwocky is a classic example of poetry that uses neologisms and pseudo-words that imply but do
not define their meanings to construct a cogent and captivating story despite its invented vocabulary.
This form of writing encourages reader creativity and multiple interpretations. Jabberwocky is not just a
collection of nonsense; it is a purposefully constructed language that simultaneously encourages and defies
interpretation.
EXAMPLES OF JABBERWOCKY:
1. The most famous example of Jabberwocky is, of course, the eponymous poem itself:
“'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”
2. A notable excerpt from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake is also considered a work in the Jabberwocky
tradition:
“riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius
vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”
3. Another example is from the poem 'The Dong with a Luminous Nose' by Edward Lear:
“And when the day was hot and sunny,
He went to search for the Jumbly Girl,
In the realms of the Bong-Tree, for his heart was full of woe,
And he hopped and he skipped, and he cried Tantivy,
His plaintive pipe making echoes fly,
Over the mountains, like a raven,
Till he reached the great Gromboolian Plain,
And there he found her, his Jumbly Girl.”
It's important to understand that Jabberwocky is a complex play on words, even though it may appear
absurd initially. According to the Jabberwocky tradition, words' meanings are determined more by their

phonetic properties and the context in which they are employed than by the words themselves. This
strategy pushes the limits of language and tests our notions of meaning and comprehension.
Using Jabberwocky as a rhetorical tool is similar to inviting the audience to engage in a dance of their
imagination, where the language's rhythm, tone, and flow lead the audience to an intuitive or emotional
understanding even while the precise lexical meaning is unclear. Such is the beauty and mystique of the
Jabberwocky, a form of literature that simultaneously fascinates, amuses, and enlightens.
JACTITATION
A rhetorical technique called jactitation is used to express a belief or truth in a self-aggrandizing way,
frequently by making exaggerated or misleading assertions. Jactitation, a boastful exaggeration, gives a
statement dramatic flair and draws attention to the speaker and the topic. It's frequently employed in
exaggerated contexts and can occasionally be taken for arrogance or pretense. But when used skilfully,
jactitation may be a potent instrument for grabbing the audience's attention and advancing ideas.
Jactitation's main goal is to leave a memorable impression, even though it may not necessarily reflect the
facts. This works especially well when narrating a story, persuading an audience, or developing a strong
character in literature. Both the speaker and the writer know that the phrase is not intended to be taken
literally but to inspire awe or adoration.
EXAMPLES OF JACTITATION:
1. “I have the best words.” (Donald Trump, in a political campaign speech)

2. “I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” (Muhammad Ali, Boxer)
3. “I've never met a person I couldn't call a beauty.” (Andy Warhol, Pop Artist)
4. “I've never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.” (W. Eugene
Smith, Photographer)
5. “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” (Robert Capa, War Photographer)
6. “It takes a long time to become young.” (Pablo Picasso, Painter)
When a writer or speaker uses jactitation, they try to portray themselves or their subject in a certain light.
They might be trying to give a figure heroic stature, develop a larger-than-life public image, or persuade
their audience of their special powers, expertise, or skills. Jactitation, like other rhetorical tools, can enhance
the language and provide a certain vibrancy and power when utilized carefully and precisely.
JUXTAPOSITION
A complex literary technique, juxtaposition, asks readers or listeners to compare or contrast two or more
things by putting them side by side. This effective rhetorical technique enables authors to draw attention to
the similarities or differences between two ideas or things, giving their topics more life and frequently
offering deeper insight.

Contradiction and comparison are the lifeblood of juxtaposition, as opposed to Adynaton, which
exaggerates impossibilities or alliteration, which depends on repeated sounds. Similar to how ambiguity
benefits from having numerous interpretations, juxtaposition draws attention to the clarity brought about
by contrast.
Juxtaposition can establish mood or tone, create tension, highlight certain themes, create characters, or
lampoon social or political issues. The speaker/writer forces the listener/reader to interact more deeply with
the text or voice by placing two items side by side.
EXAMPLES OF JUXTAPOSITION:
1. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)
2. “Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge
break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (William Shakespeare, Romeo,
and Juliet)
3. “Making a living and making a life sometimes point in opposite directions.” (Pico Iyer)
4. “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” (Jimi Hendrix)
5. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” (Robert Frost)
6. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love
can do that.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)
Juxtaposition is a diverse and nuanced technique that elicits strong laughter or discloses profound truths. It
is strong because it may shock the reader out of complacency, disclose the unexpected, and shed light on
the complexity of the human condition. The art of juxtaposition continues to be a potent tool for proficient
speakers and writers, whether to contrast characters in a novel, concepts in an essay, or imagery in a poem.
Poetry, according to the poet Robert Frost, “is what happens when nothing else can.” The dynamic dance of
juxtaposition is where we locate the beating heart of such transforming events.

K
KENNING
Kenning is a figurative expression that replaces a name or a noun with a compound of two words or more.
As a stylistic device, a kenning is a way of describing something using clues rather than just saying what it is.
In effect, kennings work like synonyms of the words they substitute.
EXAMPLES OF KENNING:
1. Arrows = War needles 10. Sea = Whale-road (Old English)
2. Blood = Battle-sweat 11. Ship = Horse of the sea (Old Norse)
3. Body = Bone-house (Old English) 12. Ship = Sea-wood (Old Norse)
4. Cave or Cavern = Earth-cave (Old English) 13. Ship = Wave-steed (Old English)
5. Cigarette = Cancer stick 14. Snow = Winter’s blanket
6. Cold wind = Northern kiss 15. Sun = Sky-candle (Old English)
7. Dog = Postman chaser 16. Thunder = Thor’s laughter
8. Environmentalist = Tree hugger 17. TV addict = Couch potato
9. Moon = Candle of the night
You can create kennings of your own. Use kenning to end monotony in speech/writing by introducing
variety at the right place at the right time.
LITOTOES
Litotoes is a figure of speech in which understatement is employed for rhetoric effect. For example, rather
than saying that something is attractive (or even very attractive), one might merely say it is “not
unattractive”. As a stylistic device, litotoes is an understatement to enhance the quality of the remarks made
by negating the opposite. A litotoes serves the purpose of variation, embellishment and emphasis when
expressing an idea. This stylistic device is equally useful in speech and writing.
EXAMPLES OF LITOTOES:
1. She was not unfamiliar with the works of Ruskin Bond. (= She was familiar with the works of Ruskin
Bond.)
2. Isaiah 55:11 — “My word...it shall not return unto Me void.” (= My word...will have meaning and be
important.)
3. Hitting a ton in a Twenty-20 match is no small achievement. (= big achievement)
4. I am not unaware that he has donated handsomely to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
5. She was not a little careful. (= She was careless.)

6. “It was unearthly, and the men were—No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the
worst of it—the suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and
leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their
humanity—like yours—the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar.
Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough; but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there
was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim
suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you—you so remote from the night of first ages—
could comprehend. And why not?” (Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness)
7. He is not the cleverest person I have ever met.
Litotoes is a stylistic device that allows you to talk about something in a negative way, making it appear
important. I think it is the suggestive quality of litotoes that has kept it still in use, particularly at a time when
style guides are not at variance saying that negative words and phrases should be replaced with positive
words and phrases.
“I have cherished the

ideal of a democratic
and free society in which
all persons live together
in harmony and with
equal opportunities. It is
an ideal which I hope to
live for and to achieve.
But if needs be, it is an
ideal for which I am
prepared to die.. ”
― Nelson Mandela

M
MALAPROPISM
The word Malapropism comes from the French mal a propos which means inappropriate. M. H. Abrams
states, “Malapropism is that type of solecism (the conspicuous and unintended violation of standard diction
or grammar) which mistakenly uses a word in place of another that it resembles; the effect is usually comic.”
It should be avoided.
Malapropism refers to the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a
nonsensical, often humorous utterance. Not uncommon in speech and writing, Malapropism refers to an act
or habit of misusing words by confusing them with the ones that are similar in sound.
Malapropism is usually associated with Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Sheridan’s play The
Rivals (1775). Mrs. Malaprop habitually uses words which mean quite the opposite to the words she
intended to use but which have similar sounds to the words she replaces. For example, she says: “Sure, if I
reprehend anything in this world it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!”
(She comically replaces apprehend by reprehend, vernacular by oracular, arrangement by derangement and
epithets by epitaphs.) You should try to avoid Malapropism as it is a grave stylistic error. However, if you are
writing a story or novel, you may exploit this figure of speech to produce comic effects.
EXAMPLES OF MALAPROPISM:
1. “I am sure I have done everything in my power since I exploded the affair.” (Mrs. Malaprop actually
meant exposed.)
2. “...she’s as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of Nile.” (Mrs. Malaprop meant alligator.)
3. If you buy an incubator, power cuts will not affect you. (The correct word is inverter.)
4. “He was a man of great statue,” said Thomas Menino, Boston mayor. (The correct word is stature.)
5. “I don’t have to accept their tenants. I was trying to convince those college students to accept
my tenants. And I reject any labeling me because I happened to go to the university.” — George W.
Bush, 2000 (He should have used the word tenets.)
6. “I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.” —
George W. Bush, Washington, DC, Jan. 29, 2001 (The correct word is successors.)
7. I’m dropping our goalkeeper, he’s too erotic. (Correct word is erratic. )
Malapropism is an unintentional error of style. Hence, while revising your text, watch out for Malapropism.
This kind of error occurs more in speech than in writing.

MEIOSIS
The word meiosis originated from the Greek word meioo which means “to diminish” or “to make smaller.”
For example, calling a poet “rhymester”, a psychiatrist a “shrink”, and a surgeon just a “slasher” is an
example of meiosis. Meiosis can be defined as a witty understatement that belittles or dismisses something
or somebody, particularly by making use of terms that gives the impression that something is less important
than it is or it should be (www.literarydevices.net). Sister Miriam Joseph observed that “Meiosis, often
achieved through a trope of one word, may range from bitter scorn to light derision” (Shakespeare’s Use of
the Arts of Language, 1947).
EXAMPLES OF MEIOSIS:
1. To describe the First War of Indian Independence (1857) as a “sepoy mutiny” is nothing but an
example of meiosis.
2. He is an ambulance chaser. (for personal injury lawyer)
3. Daydreamers like him will never taste success in life. (for a visionary leader)
4. “It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” (J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye)
5. Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s only a scratch. (referring to a sizeable wound)
6. He is a well-to-do person. (Referring to a billionaire)
7. Such a meager amount from the Centre will not be sufficient to rehabilitate the cyclone-hit people.
(Referring to the central assistance of 5000 crore rupees)
You can use meiosis to make something seem less important or significant than it really is. Similarly, you can
use this technique to belittle a person or an event. It can be a powerful weapon in the hands of lawyers,
spokespersons, politicians, diplomats, and business people.
METAPHOR
A metaphor is “a figure of speech which contains an implied comparison. A metaphor compares two, unlike
things without using words such as like and as, for example “all the world’s a stage”, “the curtain of the
night”, etc. In his book, The Philosophy of Rhetoric, I. A. Richards describes a metaphor as having two parts:
the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor is the subject to which attributes are ascribed. The vehicle is the object
whose attributes are borrowed. In the previous example, “the world” is compared to a stage, describing it
with the attributes of “the stage”; “the world” is the tenor, and “a stage” is the vehicle; “men and women” is a
secondary tenor, “players” is the secondary vehicle.
A metaphor differs from a simile in that the latter uses words like as, like, etc.
EXAMPLES OF METAPHOR:
1. The camel is the ship of the desert.

2. “Language is a road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are
going.” (Rita Mae Brown, American writer, and feminist, author of the novel Rubyfruit Jungle.)

3. “Humor is the shock absorber of life; it helps us take the blows.” (Peggy Noonan, What I Saw at the
Revolution, 1990)
4. “I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”
5. (Mother Teresa)
6. “Anger is the wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.” (Bodie Thoene, author of 45 works of
historical fiction.)
7. “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” (Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter, sculptor,
printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet, and playwright.)
8. “Life is a game played on us while we are playing other games.” (Evan Esar, famous American
humorist)
9. “Conscience is a man’s compass.” (Vincent Van Gogh, famous post-Impressionist painter)
10. "Time is a thief." (Time is compared to a thief, implying that time steals moments from us.)
11. "Her voice is music to my ears." (The quality of her voice is compared to the beauty of music.)
12. "The world is a stage." (Life is compared to a stage, suggesting that we play different roles in our
lives.)
13. "He's the black sheep of the family." (Comparing someone to a black sheep implies they are different
or an outsider in their family.)
14. "The classroom was a zoo." (Comparing the chaos in a classroom to a zoo suggests a lack of order or
control.)
15. "The city never sleeps." (Comparing the city to a person implies that it is always active and bustling.)
16. "She has a heart of gold." (Comparing someone's kindness to having a heart of gold suggests their
exceptionally good nature.)
17. "Life is a journey with its ups and downs." (Comparing life to a journey emphasizes its various
experiences and challenges.)
18. "The world is your oyster." (Comparing the world to an oyster suggests that it's full of opportunities
waiting to be discovered.)
19. "Love is a battlefield." (Comparing love to a battlefield implies that relationships can be challenging
and involve conflicts.)
A metaphor is different from a simile in that the latter makes similar comparisons using words like “as” and
“like”. METAPHOR: He was a lion on the battlefield. SIMILE: He fought like a lion on the battlefield. Metaphors
are more powerful than similes.
METONYM [METONYMY]
Instead of using the actual name of the thing or concept, a metaphor will use the name of something
directly related to it. This rhetorical device results in a more intricate, oblique, and lyrical way of presenting
ideas. Metaphor, in its simplest form, is a verbal shortcut that encourages expression economy and draws
readers' or listeners' attention by bringing up a related concept rather than the topic at hand.
It is useful to look at the origin of the word “metonymy.” The prefixes “meta-,” which denotes “change,” and
“-nyma,” which denotes “name,” come from the Greek word “metnyma.” So, “a change of name” is what the
metaphor means. This “change of name” provides our expressions fresh energy, helping us to steer clear of
clichés and draw the audience's attention.

EXAMPLES OF METONYMS:
1. The bench passed the verdict in favour of the state. (‘Bench’ stands for the judges on it.)
2. In the parliament, you must address the chair. (‘Chair’ for the chairperson or speaker.)
3. I am reading Dr Kalam. (The author here stands for his work.)
4. Can you lend me your ears, please? (‘Ears’ stand for attention.)
5. Thank you for serving us so nice dishes. (Dishes stand for the food items they contain.)
6. Can you please give me a hand carrying this box up the stairs? (‘Hand’ means help.)
7. Uncle Sam cannot afford to bully the third world countries. (‘Uncle Sam’ stands for America.)
8. The House gave the president a standing ovation. (The ‘House’ stands for its members.)
9. The government cannot defeat the rebels with bullet. (‘Bullet’ stands for violence or force.)
10. “By the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread.” (In this quotation from Genesis 3:19, ‘sweat’
means labour or hard work.)
11. “The pen is mightier than the sword.” (Edward Bulwer-Lytton) — Here, “pen” is used for “the written
word,” and “sword” for “military power.”
12. “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” (William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar) — In this
famous line, “ears” are used to represent “attention” or “hearing”.
13. “The White House issued a statement today.” — “The White House” refers to the U.S. presidential
administration.
14. ”Hollywood has been very quiet since the incident.” — Here, “Hollywood” represents the American
film industry.
15. “The Crown has decided to levy more taxes.” — In this instance, “The Crown” stands for the reigning
monarch or the monarchy of a country.
16. “All hands on deck!” — “Hands” means “crew members” on a ship.
The use of metonyms in place of ordinary, every-day words makes writing more effective, livelier, and more
impressive. Metonyms render the sentences more interesting, as texts exhibit deeper or hidden meanings
and draw readers’ attention. Similarly, a speaker or a writer can use substitute words to express his or her
ideas. The use of metonymy helps achieve variety and conciseness. You can use metonyms to rescue
yourself from over-used words and phrases, i.e., clichés.

N
NEOLOGISM
A neologism is a new word, phrase, or inventive application of an already existing word. This linguistic
change, which frequently reflects cultural shifts, technical advancements, or creative wordplay, is crucial to
language evolution. A neologism is a rhetorical device that adds a novel layer of texture to spoken or written
content and engages the audience due to its novelty.
Neologisms include any existing word given a new definition or being used in a new semantic context. Other
neologisms only exist temporarily and are primarily used by a certain group, generation, or circumstance.
These neologisms can occasionally enter the lexicon and become an irreplaceable part of the language.
EXAMPLES OF NEOLOGISM:
1. Google, originally the name of a search engine, is now often used as a verb to search for something
on the internet.
2. “Tweet” - An expression devised by Twitter to denote a post made on their platform.
3. “Muggle” - A term coined by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series to refer to a person who lacks any
magical ability and was not born into the magical world.
4. “Selfie” - A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or
webcam and shared via social media.
5. “Brexit” – a combination of “Britain” and “exit,” signifying the United Kingdom's exit from the
European Union.
Neologisms offer writers and presenters a unique opportunity to convey their ideas concisely and creatively.
This use of language art is prevalent in literature and social, political, and academic discourse, where it
frequently emerges and has an effect. Marshall McLuhan, a pioneer in media theory, has observed that we
shape our tools, and then those tools shape us. Similarly, we mold our language, shaping our perspectives
on the world, our cultures, our civilizations, and ourselves.

O
ONOMATOPOEIA
Onomatopoeia is a rhetorical device where a word's pronunciation closely resembles the sound it
represents. It's often used to create vivid sensory experiences. In fact, onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in
which the formation of a word is done by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. For
example, the word ‘hiss’ refers to the sound made by a snake. Thus, hiss is an onomatopoeic word.
Onomatopoeia adds a sensory layer to language, allowing readers to hear, see, and experience what's
described more vividly. Onomatopoeia, like other styles of descriptive language, can help paint a visual and
aural picture in the minds of your audience. Says one writer: “The word onomatopoeia charms me because
of its pleasing sound and symbolic precision. I love its lilting alternation of consonant and vowel, its tongue-
twisting syllabic complexity, its playfulness.” (Letty Cottin Pogrebin, quoted by Lewis Burke Frumkes
in Favorite Words of Famous People. Marion Street Press, 2011)
EXAMPLES OF ONOMATOPOEIA
1. Human Sounds:
(a) Voice: hum, grunt, mutter, chatter, yack or yak, blab, lisp, sneer, snicker, giggle, whimper, bawl,
squeal, shriek, whoop
(b) Nose and Mouth: shush, whistle, smooch, cluck, smack, crunch, munch, gulp, spit, sputter,
splutter, slobber, cough, sniff, sniffle, hiccup, huff, snort, snore, belch
(c) Hands: pat, clap, slap, smack
2. Animal Sounds
(a) Dogs: woof, yip, yap, growl, snarl, howl
(b) Cats: meow or miaow, mew, purr
(c) Birds: chirp, cheep, tweet, peep, twitter, crow, squawk
(d) Insects: buzz, chirp, hum
3. Vehicle Sounds
1. Engines: roar, hum, purr
2. Horns: honk, beep
3. Exhaust pipes: sputter, rumble ; Brakes: squeal, screech
4. Explosions: boom, bang, pop
5. Collisions: crash, bang, clash, wham, smack, whomp, whump, thump, bump
6. High Speed: zoom, whoosh, swoosh, zing
4. Objects: creak, squeak, pop, boing, sizzle, fizzle, flap
5. Groups of Objects: rustle, clack, clunk, clank, jingle, rattle, clatter

6. Sirens: blare, shriek

7. Alarms: ding, buzz, beep, clang
8. Music: drum, throb, thump, twang, plink, plunk, bong
9. Liquids: squish, slush, burble, gurgle, trickle, glug, splatter, squirt, fizz, plop
10. Air: puff, hiss, whistle, swoosh, whoosh (Collected from www.noisehelp.com)
A SENTENCE USING ONOMATOPOEIA: “He saw nothing and heard nothing but he could feel his
heart pounding and then he heard the clack on stone and the leaping, dropping clicks of a small rock
falling.”(Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls)
In the following passage, one writer has highlighted the advantages of onomatopoeia:
“A sound theory underlies the onomaht—that we read not only with our eyes but also with our ears.
The smallest child, learning to read by reading about bees, needs no translation for buzz.
Subconsciously we hear the words on a printed page.
“Like every other device of the writing art, onomatopoeia can be overdone, but it is effective in
creating mood or pace. If we skip through the alphabet we find plenty of words to slow the
pace: balk, crawl, dawdle, meander, trudge and so on.
“The writer who wants to write ‘fast’ has many choices. Her hero can bolt, dash, hurry or hustle.”
(James Kilpatrick, “Listening to What We Write” in The Columbus Dispatch, Aug. 1, 2007)
OVERSTATEMENT [HYPERBOLE]
As reputable rhetorical and literary researchers, we welcome you to the interesting world of exaggeration,
often known as overstatement. Hyperbole is a rhetorical device exaggerating the subject to create a
grandiose impression. It deliberately departs from reality as an overstatement technique to emphasize a
point or make a powerful impression.
Let me draw your attention to the etymology of the word “hyperbole.” The English translation of its Greek
source, hyperbol, is “overcasting” or “excess.” This figure of speech involves intentionally exaggerating reality
to emphasize a point or add drama. The overstatement heightens the audience's emotions, piques their
imagination, and strengthens the impact of the stated message rather than seeking to deceive.
CONSIDER SOME VIVID EXAMPLES OF HYPERBOLE:
1. “I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.”

2. “I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.”
3. “It's raining cats and dogs.”
4. “He's older than the hills.”
5. “She cried a river of tears.”
6. "I've told you a million times to clean your room!"
7. "This suitcase weighs a ton!"

8. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

9. "Her smile was as bright as the sun."
10. "I'm dying of embarrassment."
11. "He's as old as the hills."
12. "I waited in line for ages."
13. "I'm so tired, I haven't slept in weeks."
14. "I've got a million things to do today."
We observe a construction of reality every time. No one has ever been taught something a million times,
that no one has ever been able to cry a river, that no one has ever eaten an entire horse out of hunger, and
that no one can ever be older than a hill. However, these words emphasize the argument more effectively
than it could be with only the facts.
When reading or hearing exaggeration, the listener is fully aware that the speaker or writer does not intend
for the overstatement to be taken literally. Instead, the goal is to evoke strong emotions, make people
laugh, or create powerful imagery. The speaker or writer intends to startle the audience or reader by stating
something that is not exactly true or even exaggerated. This will intensify the reaction.
Hyperbole offers our speeches and stories a special color that enhances the vividness of our mental and
emotional impressions. This artistic technique exaggerates for clarity, elevating the unimpressive to
impressive status and creating an unforgettable experience from the mundane. And thus, my dear readers,
we go on a captivating journey into the land of hyperbole, where reality is nothing more than a blank canvas
for our inventive exaggerations.
OXYMORON
Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which words opposite in meaning are juxtaposed. A phrase is called
oxymoron when it combines two qualities or ideas which are seemingly opposite, such as ‘open secret’.
Apparently, what is open cannot be secret and vice versa. Yet, the phrase open secret is a valid expression,
though it seems to be mysterious. Phrases like ‘irregular rhythm’ and ‘static flow’ examples of oxymoron.
Thus, oxymorons are a useful tool to express peculiar situations. English language is flexible enough for
making room for oxymorons. Read the passage below:
It was an open secret that the company had used a paid volunteer to test the plastic glasses.
Although they were made using liquid gas technology and were an original copy that looked almost
exactly like a more expensive brand, the volunteer thought that they were pretty ugly and that it
would be simply impossible for the general public to accept them. On hearing this feedback, the
company board was clearly confused and there was a deafening silence. This was a minor crisis and
the only choice was to drop the product line.
Did you notice anything extraordinary in the above passage? Now read the passage that follows:
It was an open secret that the company had used a paid volunteer to test the plastic glasses. Although
they were made using liquid gas technology and were an original copy that looked almost exactly like

a more expensive brand, the volunteer thought that they were pretty ugly and that it would be simply
impossible for the general public to accept them. On hearing this feedback, the company board was
clearly confused and there was a deafening silence. This was a minor crisis and the only choice was to
drop the product line.
If you observe carefully, you will find in italics certain phrases containing two words. They are oxymorons.
EXAMPLES OF OXYMORON:
bitter sweet, deceptively honest, eloquent silence, found missing, larger half, loud whisper, peace force,
genuine imitation, old news, wise fool, constant variable, clearly misunderstood, a fine mess, almost certain,
born dead, casual formality, civil unrest, close distance, constant change, cruel joke, current history, easy
task, false hope, friendly war, half full, solid water, silent speech, a new classic, agree to disagree,
accidentally on purpose, cruel to be kind, pain for pleasure, clearly confused, act naturally, deafening
silence, pretty ugly, only choice, virtual reality, random order, original copy, dark light, open secret, grow
smaller, least favorite, typically odd, sweet agony.
Oxymorons are not always a pair of words; they can also be scattered in a sentence. For example: Drive
slowly, we’re in a hurry. (Winston Churchill to his chauffeur)
The use of Oxymoron produces a dramatic effect in prose. As a stylistic device, an oxymoron can help you
express an idea which is otherwise difficult to express. It will provoke your listener/reader to take you
seriously. The listener/reader is more likely to remember a sentence which contains an oxymoron than a
sentence which uses ordinary words.

P
PARADEIGMA
Paradeigma is a stylistic device that uses examples on the basis of which conclusions are done. It’s a
perspective. The conclusion may be wrong or right, but as it is drawn from examples it appears logical.
EXAMPLES OF PARADEIGMA:
1. Yesterday I saw you loitering with your friends. The previous week I also saw you smoking with some
lads. Today you have not gone to attend your classes. In fact, you have given up study altogether.
2. The price of diesel has gone up. The price of sugar has gone up. The same thing has happened with
edible oil. Certainly, the government has failed to check the inflation.
3. Fighting for truth, Gandhiji was killed. Fighting for truth, Tilak died. Fighting for truth many eyes
witness of crimes are being killed every day. Hence let the phrase ‘fight for truth’ remain only a
slogan.
4. Every day Seeta comes to office in a new saree. She is more interested in fashion than in teaching.
5. “You didn’t call last week or the week before or the week before that. You never call me!”
Paradeigma is a figure of speech based on reasoning. As examples are cited in order to generalize, it
appears very convincing. Yet the example may be drawn randomly and the conclusion drawn may be
misleading. Paradeigma can be used to persuade or convince somebody about something. Lawyers can
make the best use of this figure of speech.
PARADOX
The term Paradox is derived from the Greek word paradoxon that means contrary to expectations, existing
belief or perceived opinion. Interestingly enough, it is a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or
proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.
EXAMPLES OF PARADOX:
1. "Deep down, you're really shallow." - This paradox uses the contrasting terms "deep" and "shallow"
to create an ironic statement.
2. "I am nobody." (Emily Dickinson) - This paradox captures a sense of humility while also drawing
attention to the person saying it.
3. "I can resist anything but temptation." (Oscar Wilde) - This paradox humorously highlights the
struggle to resist something tempting.

4. "Less is more." - This paradox suggests that simplicity and minimalism can often be more impactful
and effective than complexity.
5. "Life is too important to be taken seriously." (Oscar Wilde) - This paradox humorously reflects on the
balance between the seriousness of life and the need for a light-hearted perspective.
6. "The more you learn, the less you know." - This paradox suggests that knowledge brings awareness
of how much there is left to learn.
7. "The only constant is change." - This paradox points out that change itself is the only consistent
element in life.
8. "This is the beginning of the end." - This paradox plays on the idea that the beginning of a significant
event or process also marks the eventual conclusion.
9. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." (George Orwell, "1984") - This paradox
from the novel "1984" by George Orwell presents the slogans of a dystopian society that reveal the
manipulation of language for control.
10. "You have to be cruel to be kind." - This paradox suggests that tough decisions or actions can
sometimes lead to the best outcomes.
11. “Child is father of the man.” (William Wordsworth)
12. “Freedom is not doing what you want, freedom is wanting to do what you have to do... this kind of
freedom is always rooted in practiced habit.” (Northrop Frye)
13. “If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness.” (Alexander Smith, in “On the Writing of
Essays”)
14. “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” (Carl Rogers)
15. “You are doomed to make choices. This is life’s greatest paradox.” (Wayne Dyer)
16. I know that I know nothing.
17. If you get this message, call me, and if you don’t get it, don’t call.
18. tatements to reveal deeper truths or provoke thought. Here are some examples of paradoxes in
rhetoric:
19. This is the beginning of the end.
20. You shouldn’t go in the water until you know how to swim.
Paradoxes make reading of the texts an enjoyable experience and listening to the speech a pleasure. A
paradox is often used to make a listener/reader ponder over an idea in all possibilities. You will make your
reader/listener interested in your writing/speech if you can make good use of paradoxes.
PARALLELISM
Parallelism is a rhetorical device that involves using similar grammatical structures, patterns, or rhythms to
create balance and symmetry in sentences or phrases.
Parallelism is a stylistic strategy that repeats similar grammatical phrases to express equally significant
themes. This powerful rhetorical technique emphasizes ideas or images by framing them within the same
grammatical and syntactic framework. In writing and speech, parallelism enhances rhythm, balance, and
intelligibility. Additionally, it facilitates comprehension and memory of the message. We'll see in the next
paragraphs that parallelism is a creative mixing of form and content that heightens the overall impact of a
statement.

EXAMPLES OF PARALLELISM:
1. “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” (Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Criticism”)
2. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” (John F. Kennedy,
Inaugural Address)
3. “Like father, like son.”
4. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness...” (Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”)
5. “I came, I saw, I conquered.” (Julius Caesar)
6. "Like father, like son."
7. "Easy come, easy go."
8. "Alice ran into the room, through the hallway, and out the door."
9. "He likes swimming, hiking, and cycling."
10. "She was determined, focused, and unyielding."
11. "To succeed in life, you need determination, dedication, and hard work."
12. "The sun sets, the moon rises, and the stars twinkle."
13. "He not only studied diligently but also practiced regularly."
14. "I came, I saw, I conquered."
15. "In the spring, we plant flowers; in the summer, we watch them bloom; in the fall, we enjoy their
colors."
Parallelism adds rhythm and balance to sentences and helps emphasize ideas. It's commonly used in
literature, speeches, and other forms of communication to create a pleasing and effective flow of language.
Parallelism can be used in writing or speaking to emphasize similarities, contrasts, or listings. When used
properly, the strategy improves your message's appeal, memorability, and persuasiveness. The symmetry
and rhythm of parallel structures naturally are perceptible to the speaker, writer, listener, and reader,
strengthening the statement's dramatic impact or persuasiveness. The speaker or writer emphasises the
notions' equal importance and interdependence by employing comparable verbal patterns.
In his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr., for instance, successfully uses parallelism:
“So let freedom resound from the gorgeous hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom resonate from the lofty
heights of New York. Let Pennsylvania's towering Alleghenies proclaim our independence. The repetition of
the example in this instance emphasizes how King envisioned freedom as having a universal reach and the
power to unite people.
Parallelism is an intriguing stylistic device that speakers and writers use because of its rhythmic and
harmonizing effects. William Safire, an American novelist, columnist, journalist, and speechwriter for the
president, claims that effective parallelism improves clarity, highlights your message, and increases the
likelihood that it will linger in the reader's or listener's mind. The fact that you will typically get a “Good
Writing” nod is an added benefit. (William Safire's Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good
Usage)

PARAPROSDOKIAN
A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or
unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to re-frame or re-interpret the first part. Capable of
creating suspense because of the surprising ending, paraprosdokian is extremely popular among satirists.
Paraprosdokians play with the reader's /listener’s expectations, delivering a punchline that diverges from
the anticipated direction of the sentence. This unexpected twist often leads to humor or a fresh perspective.
EXAMPLES OF PARAPROSDOKIAN:
1. “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing — after they’ve tried everything else.”
(Winston Churchill)
2. “For every complex problem, there is an answer that is short, simple—and wrong. (H. L. Mencken)
3. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
4. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.
5. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
6. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
7. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
8. Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.
9. I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure.
10. You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
11. Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.
12. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another
woman.
13. Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
14. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
15. “He was at his best when the going was good.” (Alistair Cooke on the Duke of Windsor)
16. “A modest man, who has much to be modest about.” (Winston Churchill said of Clement Attlee)
17. “She got her good looks from her father; he’s a plastic surgeon.” (Groucho Marx)
18. “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.” (Groucho Marx)
19. War does not determine who is right — only who is left.
20. A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.
21. I used to be conceited, but now I’m perfect.
22. "I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for
forgiveness."
23. "I'm on the patch right now. Where it releases small dosages of approval until I no longer crave it,
and then I'm gonna rip it off."
24. "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."
25. "If I am reading this graph correctly, I'd be very surprised."
26. "Take my advice; I'm not using it."
27. "I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure."
28. "I'm not arguing; I'm just explaining why I'm right."
29. "You're never too old to learn something stupid."

30. "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
31. "I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done."
As you see in the above examples, paraprosdokian can take your reader/listener by surprise for its
unexpected ending. And the unexpected ending can create humorous and comic effects. You can use this
stylistic device in debates and group discussions to create the mood of the public favourable to you. You can
criticize your opponent; you can play with ideas and become the master of the occasion. Sir Winston
Churchill loved paraprosdokians.
PATHOS
Pathos is the Greek word for “experience” or “suffering,” it is a rhetorical device used to inspire pity or
empathy from the listener. By appealing to the emotions of the listener or reader, pathos provides a
personal touch and turns impersonal concepts into concrete, emotional experiences. Aristotle classified the
three primary means of persuasion as Ethos, logos, and pathos. Since antiquity, it has been an essential tool
in rhetoric, language, communication, and world literature.
Pathos can arouse many feelings, including love, fear, patriotism, remorse, melancholy, or joy. It can make
us feel happy or sad, amazed or moved to take action. By boosting the audience's emotional investment,
pathos frequently increases the rhetorical impact of an argument.
As a result, pathos is frequently employed in speeches, advertisements, films, books, and casual
conversation. Instead of merely playing on or manipulating the audience's emotions, the best uses of
pathos try to establish a true emotional connection with them. Through this empathic communication, the
speaker, writer, and reader may develop a deeper understanding and closer relationship.
Consider these examples of pathos:
1. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged
by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” - A six-word story often attributed to Ernest Hemingway.
3. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse
of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the
golden door!” - Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”
4. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” - Martin
Luther King Jr.
5. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in
want of a wife.” - Jane Austen, “Pride and Prejudice”
Each of these involves an emotional appeal by the author or speaker to increase the impact of their
message. Consequently, pathos can transform the impersonal into the emotive, enhance audience
engagement, and ultimately present a more compelling narrative or argument.
So, let's celebrate pathos, a tried-and-true rhetorical device that appeals to our shared human emotions and
enables us to relate to one another, communicate with one another, and be persuaded on a deep

emotional level. As we explore the vast, dynamic realm of rhetoric, language, communication, and world
literature, let pathos serve as a reminder of the important role that our emotions play in how we see and
experience the world.
PERSONIFICATION
Personification is a figure of speech in which inanimate objects or non-human beings are given human
characteristics. It is a common literary strategy that enables writers to breathe life and emotion into their
writing. By giving things and nature human characteristics, we can explore human emotions and thoughts in
novel and creative ways, frequently resulting in a deeper comprehension of the human condition.
Personification is a creative technique used to transform the mundane into the remarkable. We give life to
the non-living by imparting our emotions, behaviors, and mental and verbal capacities. A skilled writer may
make the wind howl in wrath, the sun shines warmly, or the passage of time steal our youth. Readers can
connect with the story in a more compelling and personal way because of these words.
EXAMPLES OF PERSONIFICATION:
1. The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

2. The run-down house appeared depressed.
3. The first rays of the morning sun gently awakened him.
4. Opportunity knocked on the door.
5. The wind sang through the meadows.
6. The fire swallowed the entire forest.
7. The car complained as the key was roughly turned in its ignition.
8. The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.
9. The thunder grumbled like an old man.
10. Time marches to the beat of its own drum.
Personification can breathe new life into a book, strengthen the reader's relationship with it, and improve its
effect. By allowing non-human beings to take on human traits, we enable ourselves to create friendships
and tell stories that address a larger range of emotions and issues. When we consider our environment as a
player in our lives rather than just a backdrop, we may form relationships with it as we do with others. Such
is the power of personification to make the silent vocal and the invisible visible. Emily Dickinson famously
wrote, “The light only touched the dawn, the morning, happy thing, imagined that he had come to dwell, and
existence would be all spring.” Through personification, our environment is a little more relatable,
understandable, and fascinating.
PLEONASM
Pleonasm refers to the the use of more words than are required to express an idea. In the words of Richard
Nordquist, pleonasm is “the use of more words than are necessary to make a point,” as in burning fire, end
result or ATM machine. Who does not know that fire burns, ‘end’ and ‘result’ mean the same thing and the full
form of ATM is Automated Teller Machine? Pleonasm is usually understood to mean a word or phrase which

is useless, clichéd, or repetitive. In it you find “the use of words whose omission would leave one’s meaning
intact.” Yet writers like William Shakespeare have used pleonasm to their advantage. “Pleonasm may be
justifiable,” says the Century Dictionary, “when the intention is to present thoughts with particular perspicuity
or force.” The Oxford English Dictionary regards pleonasm as “a rhetorical figure used for emphasis or clarity.”
In his essay, “Pleonasm: A Word Every Writer and Copyeditor Should Know,” Charles Harrington Elster, the
author of The Accidents of Style, observes:
Sometimes a superfluously worded idea is easy to spot. Audible to the ear, popular with the people,
unexpectedly without warning, a panacea for all ills, and simultaneously at the same time fairly
scream “pleonasm.” (The pleonastic—a rare word meaning “one addicted to pleonasms”—would call
these repetitions blatantly obvious.) But most pleonasms aren’t so glaring, and all too often, and all
too easily, their excess wording eludes even the most vigilant among us, as one humbling example
should illustrate.
Let the writer/speaker anticipate whether pleonasm is going to help him or her in making a point or it is
going to be a stylistic defect (e.g. redundant or unnecessarily repetitive; boring).
EXAMPLES OF PLEONASM:
1. “The most unkindest cut of all.” — William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2 (Emphasis
created.)
2. The two companies have achieved this by their joint collaboration. (collaboration is sufficient)
3. “In the farmhouse, I saw, with my own eyes, this sight: there was a man, of young age and graceful
proportion, whose body had been torn limb from limb. The torso was here, an arm there, a leg
there. . . .
“All this I saw with my own eyes, and it was the most fearsome sight I ever witnessed.” (Michael
Chrichton, Eaters of the Dead. Random House, 1976. Pleonasm has added emphasis.)
4. “These terrible things I have seen with my own eyes, and I have heard with my own ears, and
touched with my own hands.” (Isabel Allende, City of the Beasts. Rayo, 2002. Pleonasm states
conviction.)
5. Everybody knows her for her false pretense. (Redundant; remove ‘false’.)
6. Pakistan has always been a safe haven for terrorists. (Redundant; remove ‘safe’.)
7. “Their home is still in the process of being renovated after Hurricane Katrin.” (Associated Press).
[Compare ‘in the process’ and ‘still’]
8. “The band performed three original numbers that they had written” (San Diego public radio). [Elster
observes, “The last four words, that they had written, are repetitive and superfluous. Or you could
keep them and delete original.”]
9. “The two are both recently divorced.” (Buffalo News). [Both is unnecessary when the idea of both is
implied by the context. — Elster]
10. “It was a sudden and unexpected surprise.” (Old Bailey Correspondent for the BBC)
11. “I never make predictions, especially about the future.” (Samuel Goldwyn)
12. “Sometimes you can observe a lot just by watching.” (Yogi Berra)
13. “If we do not succeed, we run the risk of failure.” (Dan Quayle, former US Vice-President)

14. “With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go.” (Murray Walker, Formula One motorsport
commentator and journalist)
15. “The answer’s an affirmative ‘yes’.” (Nigel Mansell, a British racing driver who won both the Formula
One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series.)
16. “And there’s the Victoria Memorial, built as a memorial to Victoria.” (David Dimbleby)
17. I’m not a jealous person. I’m just a girl that would love to punch every other girl in the face that gives
you a second look. (Anonymous)
18. I know that she works for you. (Syntactic pleonasm: ‘that’ is unnecessary.)
19. “Get a free gift with every purchase.” (Remove ‘free’; gift is always free.)
Like it or not, pleonasm happens to be one of the features of Legal writing. Phrases like ‘null and void’, ‘terms
and conditions’, ‘rules and regulations’, ‘discharged and acquitted’, ‘retain, possess, and enjoy’, ‘assault and
battery’, etc. are examples of pleonasm occurring in legal speech and writing. You should use pleonasm to
clarify and emphasize, to explain and highlight (Oh! I have already used pleonasm!).
POLYSYNDETON
The stylistic device known as polysyndeton frequently uses conjunctions without commas and even in
situations when they should be dropped. Polysyndeton is a rhetorical device that involves using multiple
conjunctions (such as "and," "or," or "but") in close succession to create a deliberate and often rhythmic
effect in a sentence or passage. It can be used to emphasize a list, create a sense of urgency, or evoke a
certain tone.
This technique emphasizes variation and gives sentences a rhythm and cadence. It exudes a sense of
affluence and abundance. It is used to make a phrase sound slower, add a somber touch, or suggest a
continuous series that never appears to end. When a speaker or writer uses polysyndeton, they want the
audience or reader to focus on each idea or concept separately.
EXAMPLES OF POLYSYNDETON:
1. “And Joshua, and all of Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment,
and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep,
and his tent, and all that he had.” (Joshua 7:24)
2. “I wore my pants and my shirt and my hat and my boots and my socks and my watch and my ring.”
3. “For Christmas, I want a doll and a ball and a bike and a kitten and a puppy and a dollhouse and a
pony.”
4. “There were fountains and trees and bushes and benches and lights and big buildings everywhere.”
5. “He was overwhelmed, by the evidence, by the facts, by the reality, by the truth of the situation.”
6. "We have apples and bananas and oranges and grapes and pears."
7. "He was brave and strong and determined and fearless."
8. "They laughed and danced and sang and celebrated."
9. "She opened the letter and read it and cried and smiled."
10. "I want pizza and pasta and salad and garlic bread."
11. "We went to the beach and played volleyball and swam and built sandcastles."

12. "The concert was loud and exciting and vibrant and energetic."
13. "She cooked and cleaned and organized and decorated."
14. "He is talented and intelligent and kind and charismatic."
15. "I need to buy milk and eggs and bread and butter."
The Greek word polysyndeton means “woven together.” A variety, vigorous enumeration, and accumulating
influence are produced. Using polysyndeton, the speaker or writer might give the impression of having
immense force or impact. It also creates rhythm and provokes a more intense emotional response from the
reader or listener. The speaker or writer uses this tactic to ensure that you don't skip anything. They want
you to pause, consider each idea or concept, and fully grasp its significance.
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky was a well-known user of polysyndeton. Almost astonished that they
had been left alone, he awoke, got up, and sat on the bed. However, he remembered everything in detail,
and the looming doom came before him vividly and pitilessly on all sides. For example, this is from Crime
and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, translated by Constance Garnett, was
published in 1866.
As you can see, polysyndeton can substantially modify a piece's speed, tone, and overall interpretation,
making it a helpful tool for speakers and authors. Few other literary techniques can bring your words to life
the way they can by giving your language a rhythmic, flowing style.
PORTMANTEAU [Portmanteu]
The word “Portmanteau” has a fascinating linguistic background. To put it simply, a portmanteau word is
created by fusing two different words into one. There is a blending of sounds and meanings. The term
comes from the French word “portmanteau,” which describes a split-open suitcase. Like a suitcase filled with
two items, a portmanteau term mixes two distinct words to convey a new, combined meaning.
A portmanteau, a favorite tool for creative wordplay, is a fun way to convey complex ideas swiftly. From the
world of fiction to the words we use daily, it is a gift that keeps giving. The “Through the Looking-Glass”
author, Lewis Carroll, is credited with popularising this rhetorical device. The words “slithy” and “mimsy,”
which are used in the poem “Jabberwocky,” are explained to Alice by Humpty Dumpty in this book.
EXAMPLES OF PORTMANTEAU:
1. Advertorial = advertisement + editorial 11. Edutainment = education + entertainment
2. Bash = bang + smash 12. Email = electronic + mail
3. Bionic = biology + electronic 13. Emoticon = emotion + icon
4. Blog = web + log 14. Fantabulous = fantastic + fabulous
5. Camcorder = camera + recorder 15. Fortnight = fourteen + nights
6. Chunnel = channel + tunnel 16. Freeware = free + software
7. Cineplex = cinema + complex 17. Gainsay = against +say
8. Diabesity = diabetes + obesity 18. Genome = gene + chromosome
9. Dumbfound = dumb + confound 19. Glitz = glamour + ritz
10. E-commerce = electronic + commerce 20. Grue = green + blue

21. Guesstimate = guess + estimate 37. Sci-Fi = science + fiction

22. Hi-tech = high + technology 38. Skype = sky + peer-to-peer
23. Infotainment = information + 39. Sexploitation = sex + exploitation
entertainment 40. Soundscape = sound + landscape
24. Intercom = internal + communication 41. Telecast = television + broadcast
25. Interpol = international + police 42. Telex = teleprinter + exchange
26. Malware = malicious + software 43. Transistor = transfer + resistor
27. Medicare = medical + care 44. Transponder = transmitter + responder
28. Modem = modulator + demodulator 45. Webinar = web + seminar
29. Moped = motor + pedal 46. WiFi = wireless + fidelity
30. Multiplex = multiple + complex 47. Brunch = breakfast + lunch
31. Netiquette = internet + etiquette 48. Smog = smoke + fog
32. Newscast = news + broadcast 49. Motel = motor + hotel
33. Oxbridge = Oxford + Cambridge 50. Internet = interconnected + network
34. Paratroop = parachute + troop 51. Bit = binary + digit
35. Pixel = picture + element 52. Podcast = iPod + broadcast
36. Pulsar = pulsating + star 53. Chillax = chill + relax
54. Sitcom = situation + comedy
55. Spork = spoon + fork
56. Guesstimate = guess + estimate
Like the items in a portmanteau suitcase, the two words combine to generate a new notion while retaining
their original meanings, demonstrating the speaker's or writer's inventiveness and command of the
language. Moreover, because they are smart and distinctive, portmanteau words are commonly employed
in company names, commercials, and news headlines. To use a portmanteau appropriately, one must be
aware of the intricacies of the combined terms; otherwise, the result could be amusing or embarrassing. If
you want to succeed in the world of portmanteaux, you should be a language aficionado with a strong sense
of linguistic adventure and familiarity with the words you intend to combine.
PROLEPSIS
Greek for “anticipation,” prolepsis is a rhetorical device in which anticipated objections are foreseen and
addressed verbally or in writing. As a rhetorical device, Prolepsis involves the anticipation, addressing, or
answering of objections or counterarguments that might arise from the other side-- the reader or listener.
It's a way of acknowledging and preemptively addressing potential criticisms. Prolepsis can help strengthen
an argument, clarify a point, or show that the speaker or writer has considered different perspectives.
Prolepsis is a strategy that can help persuade and engage an audience by demonstrating careful
consideration of different viewpoints and objections.
Prolepsis allows the speaker or writer to foresee objections or inquiries and prepare an answer in advance,
bolstering their argument. By doing this, the speaker or writer ensures the audience won't have a chance to
harbor any reservations or opposition. This technique is known as prolepsis in literature when future events
are alluded to in the present to build tension or prepare the reader for them.

EXAMPLES OF PROLEPSIS:
1. "Before you say that this project is too ambitious, let me assure you that we have a highly skilled
team and a well-thought-out plan in place to tackle the challenges."
2. "I know you might be thinking that this solution is costly, but let me explain how the long-term
benefits far outweigh the initial investment."
3. "Now, some of you might wonder why we're discussing this topic again. The reason is that recent
developments have brought new insights that we need to address."
4. "Before anyone suggests that this is an isolated incident, let me remind you of similar occurrences
that happened in the past."
5. "You might ask why we're taking this unconventional approach. The answer lies in the fact that
traditional methods have proven ineffective."
6. "You might be concerned about the potential risks involved. Let me assure you that we've conducted
thorough risk assessments and have mitigation strategies in place."
7. "I can hear you asking, 'Why change a winning formula?' The truth is, market dynamics have shifted,
and adaptation is essential for sustained success."
8. "Before you raise objections about the timeline, consider the advancements in technology that allow
us to expedite the process."
9. "I anticipate that some of you may doubt the feasibility of our proposal. However, our research and
prototypes demonstrate its viability."
10. "You may be skeptical about the impact of this initiative. Rest assured, we have a comprehensive
monitoring plan to track and measure results."
11. "Before anyone dismisses this as just another trend, remember that societal shifts are driving a
demand for such solutions."
12. “Yes, I did use the company credit card for personal expenses. But let me assure you that I did so
only for urgent matters when my own funds were unavailable, and I fully reimbursed the company
promptly.”
13. In Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar,” Antony mentions, “And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate
by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip
the dogs of war.” Here, the death of Caesar is foretold before it actually happens.
14. “But, someone may ask, 'Don't we have a duty to protect our nation’s cultural heritage?' To them, I
say, 'Yes, but not at the expense of living, breathing human beings.'“
15. “Now, I know what you’re thinking: why should we invest more money into space exploration when
we have so many problems here on Earth? The answer is simple: the advancements we make in
space technology have direct applications in our daily lives.”
16. “It's true, I have a bias. I believe in the potential of our youth. I am guilty, if guilt is the appropriate
word, of believing that our children, if given proper education and care, can change the world for the
better.”
A potent rhetorical device is prolepsis. It improves the speaker's or writer's arguments by anticipating and
responding to probable criticisms. In literature, it can also arouse suspense or imply future developments.
Business guru John C. Maxwell asserted that having foresight is the essence of leadership. Prolepsis serves
as a sort of verbal and written proof of that assertion.

PUN (PARONOMASIA)
A pun is a form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word, or words that sound similar but have
different meanings, to create humor, add wit, or convey a clever message.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia define Paronomasia as “a play upon words; a figure by which the
same word is used in different senses, or words similar in sound are set in opposition to each other, so as to
give antithetical force to the sentence; punning.”
“A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two
or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings”
(http://literarydevices.net).
EXAMPLES OF PUN
1. “Your children need your presence more than your presents.” (Jesse Jackson)
2. “Contraceptives should be used on every conceivable occasion.” (Spike Milligan)
3. A horse is a very stable animal. (The word ‘stable’ refers to the place as well as the quality.)
4. You must leave if you want to live. (play on sound)
5. A good pun is its own reword. (Correct and suggests ‘reward’.)
6. Why are fish so smart? Because they live in schools. (Pun is on ‘school.’)
7. She had a photographic memory that was never developed. (Pun on ‘developed’.)
8. No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery. (Pun on ‘stationery’.)
9. How do celebrities stay cool? They have many fans! (Pun on ‘fans’.)
10. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress. (‘a dress’ for address)
11. "I'm friends with all electricians. We have good current relationships."
12. "The math book looked sad because it had too many problems."
13. "I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough." (dough literal and also money)
14. "I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised."
Apart from being witty and humorous, puns add spice to speech and writing. They do away with monotony
and reawaken interest of the reader in the text and the listener in the speech. Puns can make your text
livelier, besides offering comic relief to your reader. Through word play, puns make speech more interesting
as compared to ordinary, plain statements.
PYSMA
Pysma is a device often used to overwhelm an opponent through a rapid series of questions. In the words
of Jeremy Bentham, one has “to deliver question after question—to let fly (as it were) a volley of questions,
without waiting for the answers.” According to Brett Zimmerman, “[P]ysma can be used as a wonderfully
intimidating device. It can also be considered a type of rhetorical question if the many questions asked do
not require answers but are asked to bully someone or to express emotion” ( in Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric
and Style). By asking multiple questions in succession, the orator/writer can downplay the arguments of the
opponent, vehemently oppose him or her, and take him or her off guard.

EXAMPLES OF PYSMA:
1. Pysma in Queen Margaret’s Monologue:
“Where is thy husband now? Where be thy brothers?
Where be thy two sons? Wherein dost thou joy?
Who sues and kneels and says, ‘God save the queen’?
Where be the bending peers that flattered thee?
Where be the thronging troops that followed thee?”
(William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act IV, Sc. IV)
2. Here we can cite a historical record in which pysma had been successfully used. On May 26,
1797, while speaking in favor of parliamentary reform, Sir Charles James Fox had said so in the
House of Commons:
If it be true, as we have been taught to believe by our ancestors, that government is the
strongest, whose basis is the broadest, it must be conceded to me, that a prudent extension of
the representative system is a salutary means of widening the foundations of the fabric of the
British government. The right honorable gentleman speaks of the strength of government. What
symptom of strength does it exhibit? Is it the cordiality of all the branches of the national force?
Is it the harmony that happily reigns in all the departments of the executive power? Is it the
reciprocal affection that subsists between the government and the people? Is it the energy with
which the people are eager and alert to carry into execution the measures of the administration,
from the heartfelt conviction, that they are founded in wisdom, favorable to their own freedom
and calculated for national happiness? Is it because our resources are flourishing and
untouched, because our vigor is undiminished, because our spirit is animated by success, and
our courage by our glory? Is it because the government has in a perilous situation, when they
have been obliged to call upon the country for sacrifices, shown a conciliating tenderness and
regard for the rights of the people, as well as marked disinterestedness and forbearance on
their own parts, by which they have, in an exemplary manner, made their own economy to keep
pace with the increased demands for the public service; and have they by these means secured
to the government the confidence, the affection, the generosity, and the spirit of the people? Are
these the sources of the strength of government? I forbear. Sir, to push the inquiry: I forbear to
allude more particularly to symptoms which no man can contemplate at this moment without
grief and dismay.
In The Garden of Eloquence, Henry Peachum claims that PYSMA can be used for several purposes. Pysma is
suitable to make pitiful complaints, provocations, and confirmations in order to confute, provoke, create
mood swings, draw attention, insult, distract, and even get the sympathy of the audience.

Q
QUIBBLE
A quibble is a rhetorical device used to debate, clever banter, or demonstrate a point. It depends on the
various word meanings or the subtleties of language. It typically uses puns to portray a clever, humorous, or
critical tone by using the ambiguity of language. Shakespeare is renowned for employing literary devices like
quibbles to highlight a character's intelligence, wit, or dishonesty.
A quibble is a rhetorical device involving the use of a play on words or a clever verbal trick to avoid directly
addressing or answering a question, criticism, or argument. It's often used to deflect attention, create
confusion, or humorously sidestep a serious issue. Quibbles often rely on subtle wordplay or ambiguities.
Quibbles allow the speaker or writer to take advantage of the ambiguity of language, whether for humorous
or argumentative consequences. A clever use of a quibble can disarm an adversary or keep the audience
interested in a debate or comedy. However, they call for a perceptive reader or listener who can pick up on
subtle wordplay.
EXAMPLES OF QUIBBLE:
1. "You said you would be here on time."

"I did arrive here at a point in time; it just might not have been the exact time you expected."
2. "Did you eat the last slice of cake?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny any cake consumption activities on my part."
3. "Your report is full of errors."
"Well, 'full' might be an exaggeration; it's not entirely error-free, but there are some correct parts."
4. "Did you finish your homework?"
"I did complete the assignment, but whether it's considered 'finished' is subjective."
5. "Your explanation doesn't make sense."
"Sense-making can be a subjective experience, and perceptions of clarity vary."
6. "You promised you would help with the cleanup."
"I promised that I would contribute; I didn't specifically promise 'cleanup.'"
7. "Did you forget to call the client?"
"Forget is a strong word; it might have momentarily slipped my mind."
8. "You're always late."
"I wouldn't say 'always'; there have been occasions where I arrived on time."

9. "Are you avoiding the issue?"

"I'm not avoiding it; I'm just exploring alternative perspectives."
10. "Are you responsible for the mess in the staffroom?"
"I bear some responsibility for contributing to the dynamic state of the staffroom's appearance."
A quibble manipulates the meanings of words to shock, make light of, or deceive. What gives a text its
beauty is the speaker's or writer's ingenuity in generating a text with multiple meanings and then leaving it
up to the listener to interpret them. It forces us to focus on language's subtleties, understand its
complexities, and enjoy the mental games that words may offer. The useful reminder that language is both
a tool for communication and a place for the mind to play is provided by quibbles.
Yes, We Can!
“Yes, we can, to
opportunity and
prosperity. Yes, we can
heal this nation. Yes,
we can repair this world.

Yes, we can.”
- Barack Obama

R
RED HERRING
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, red herring is “something unimportant that is used to
stop people from noticing or thinking about something important.” Based on the principle of logical fallacy,
red herring is a literary and stylistic device which presents an irrelevant topic in order to divert attention
from the original issue. Besides detective fictionists, politicians, diplomats and lawyers have to rely on red
herrings. These people often use fake arguments to mislead and confuse.
EXAMPLES OF RED HERRING:

Read the conversation below. Mark how a child called Jane uses a red herring to distract her mother.
Mother: Its bedtime Jane
Jane: Mom, how do ants feed their babies?
Mother: Don’t know dear. Close your eyes now.
Jane: But mama, do ant babies cry when hungry?
The Leader of the Opposition: ‘Mr Minister, the House wants to know actually how much money has been
spent by your government from the Army Welfare Fund for the support of the martyrs of the Kargil war. Will
you please quote the figures?’
The Minister: ‘Ladies and gentlemen! I would love to give you not only the figures you have asked for
but also the details. But I’m afraid I cannot disclose any information regarding this issue because it
concerns the national security.’ (In fact, invoking national security issue was an alibi, a red herring.)
There are many ways to use red herrings. Some of them include:
1. Ad hominem — Attacking the arguer instead of the argument.

2. Poisoning the Well – a type of ad hominem where adverse information about a target is presented
with the intention of discrediting everything that the target person says. (Douglas Walton)
3. Argumentum ad baculum — appeal force or threat) – an argument made through coercion or threats
of force to support position.
4. Argumentum ad populum — appeal to widespread belief, appeal to the majority, appeal to the
people) – where a proposition is claimed to be true or good solely because many people believe it to
be so.
5. Association Fallacy (guilt by association) – arguing that because two things share a property they are
the same.
6. Appeal to Authority (argumentum ab auctoritate) – where an assertion is deemed true because of the
position or authority of the person asserting it.

7. Appeal to Consequences (argumentum ad consequentiam) – the conclusion is supported by a premise

that asserts positive or negative consequences from some course of action in an attempt to distract
from the initial discussion.
8. Appeal to Emotion – where an argument is made due to the manipulation of emotions, rather than
the use of valid reasoning.
a) Appeal to fear – a specific type of appeal to emotion where an argument is made by increasing
fear and prejudice towards the opposing side.
b) Appeal to flattery – a specific type of appeal to emotion where an argument is made due to the
use of flattery to gather support.
c) Appeal to pity (argumentum ad misericordiam) – an argument attempts to induce pity to sway
opponents.
d) Appeal to ridicule – an argument is made by presenting the opponent's argument in a way that
makes it appear ridiculous.
e) Appeal to spite – a specific type of appeal to emotion where an argument is made through
exploiting people’s bitterness or spite towards an opposing party.
f) Wishful thinking – a specific type of appeal to emotion where a decision is made according to
what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than according to evidence or reason.
9. Appeal to Tradition (argumentum ad antiquitam) – a conclusion supported solely because it has long
been held to be true.[74]
10. Appeal to Nature – wherein judgment is based solely on whether the subject of judgment is ‘natural’
or ‘unnatural’.
11. Reductio ad Hitlerum (playing the Nazi card) – comparing an opponent or their argument to Hitler or
Nazism in an attempt to associate a position with one that is universally reviled.
12. Straw man – an argument based on misrepresentation of an opponent’s position.
13. Two wrongs make a right – occurs when it is assumed that if one wrong is committed, another
wrong will cancel it out.
The common ways the red herrings occur, as shown above (www.wikipedia.org), show how people use
them. You should be able to detect a red herring in order to avoid being trapped, but at the same time you
may use this device to defend yourself or to win a debate in case of need. To get more examples of red
herrings, read the interview of a wily politician on a controversial issue, listen to the arguments of a cunning
lawyer in the courtroom, and watch a colleague what he or she says as an alibi to avoid responsibility.
RHETORICAL QUESTION
A rhetorical question is a question asked not for the purpose of eliciting an answer but for making a point,
emphasizing a statement, or engaging the audience's thought. The fact that the solution is implied or that
the speaker or writer moves on to directly answer the question shows that they are not anticipating a
reaction from the audience. Rhetorical questions are used in literature and speech to provoke discussion,
emphasize a point, or guide the audience to a planned conclusion.
Rhetorical questions typically have an interrogative tone but aren't meant to be replied to. These questions
force the reader or listener to critically evaluate what is being stated. Rhetorical questions question the
perspective of the reader or listener, and they can also highlight a deeper error in one's logic.

Rhetorical questions typically have an interrogative tone but aren't meant to be replied to. These questions
force the reader or listener to critically evaluate what is being stated. Rhetorical questions question the
perspective of the reader or listener, and they can also highlight a deeper error in one's logic.
EXAMPLES OF RHETORICAL QUESTION:
1. “Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” (L.M. Montgomery in
“Anne of Green Gables”)
2. “Are you so stupid?” (The implied answer is: “You must be stupid if you don't understand what I'm
saying.”)
3. “Who knows?” (The speaker is suggesting that no one knows the answer.)
4. “Is the Pope Catholic?” (Used to say that something is obviously and indisputably true.)
5. “Does a bear poop in the woods?” (Used in response to a question or statement seen as blatantly
obvious.)
6. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?” (Macbeth by William
Shakespeare)
7. “To be or not to be, that is the question?” (Hamlet by William Shakespeare)
8. "Isn't it a beautiful day?"
9. "Who can deny the importance of education?"
10. "Why should we continue to tolerate injustice?"
11. "Do you really think I would let you down?"
12. "Is there anyone who hasn't faced challenges in their life?"
13. "Could you imagine a world without art and creativity?"
14. "Aren't we all seeking happiness in our own way?"
15. "Do you think this problem can be solved with just words?"
16. "Isn't it time to stand up for what you believe in?"
17. "Who doesn't want a brighter future for our children?
A potent rhetorical tool, the rhetorical question, is used in everyday speech in addition to literature and
formal discourse. Speakers and writers can more successfully elicit feeling, stimulate thought, and engage
their audience using rhetorical questions. A rhetorical question's effectiveness is determined by the
listener's or reader's response, not by the question itself. The speaker or writer establishes a powerful
resonance that might influence the direction of discourse by posing questions for which the solutions are
implied or unnecessary. “Rhetorical questions are not questions at all but statements made in question
form,” as John M. Gottman so eloquently phrased it. A rhetorical question is frequently employed to make
an antagonistic argument. (Academic Press, 1979) “Marital Interaction: Experimental Investigations”.

S
SIMILE
The Simile is a figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in
a phrase introduced by like or as. Without these words, we are likely to get a metaphor. A rhetorical figure
expressing comparison or likeness that directly compares two objects through some connective word such
as like, as, so, than, or a verb such as resembles, simile is an implied metaphor.
EXAMPLES OF SIMILE:
1. “Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound,/Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found.”
(Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism)
2. “Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong.” (slogan of Pan-American Coffee Bureau)
3. Her eyes twinkled like stars.
4. “Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.” (Carl Sandburg)
5. “The living self has one purpose only: to come into its own fullness of being, as a tree comes into full
blossom, or a bird into spring beauty, or a tiger into lustre.” (D.H. Lawrence, “Each Man Shall Be
Spontaneously Himself”)
6. She swims as fast as a fish.
7. “If you are interested in becoming a TV journalist, it is a fine example of how not to do it. I look like
an exploding tomato and shout like a jet engine and every time I see it [the video] makes me cringe.”
(John Sweeney, “Row Over Scientology Video,” BBC News, May 14, 2007)
8. He was as blind as a mole. (i.e., completely blind)
9. She is as busy as a bee.
10. He is as cool as cucumber.
11. That child is as innocent as a lamb.
12. Sridhar Pandit is as obstinate as a mule.
13. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.
14. You should be as solid as a rock.
Use similes to attract the attention of your readers or listeners by the method of comparison. Similes bring
clarity to the idea being communicated. They allow the writer or speaker relate his or her personal
experiences. Therefore, the use of similes makes it easier for the readers to understand the writer or
speaker and the topic. Similes bring freshness to the text or speech.

SPOONERISM
Spoonerism and malapropism are both types of linguistic errors involving the accidental swapping or
misplacement of words, but they have distinct characteristics and causes. A spoonerism is a type of error in
speech or writing where the initial sounds or letters of two or more words are swapped to create a
humorous or nonsensical result. This often occurs unintentionally and is named after Reverend William
Archibald Spooner, who was known for making such errors. Example of Spoonerism: "You have hissed all
my mystery lectures and were caught fighting a liar in the quad" (Spoonerism of "missed all my history
lectures and were caught lighting a fire in the quad"). A malapropism is a type of error where a word is
substituted with a similar-sounding word, often resulting in a sentence that doesn't make logical sense.
Malapropisms are usually unintentional and can add humor to the conversation. Example of Malapropism:
"Texas has a lot of electrical votes" (Malapropism of "electoral votes").
Spoonerism is a stylistic error: it happens as a result of slip of tongue or to put it humorously, a slip of pen.
The name Spoonerism comes from the verbal slips of Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930) who
was dean and then later became the president of New College in Oxford, England. Although he was a
distinguished professor, Mr Spooner was more well-known for his hilarious slips of the tongue. Once he
scolded one of his students, “You have hissed all my mystery lectures.” (“You have missed all my history
lectures.”)
EXAMPLES OF SPOONERISM:
1. Fighting a liar (FOR lighting a fire)

2. Tons of soil (FOR sons of toil)
3. Nosey little cook (FOR cosy little nook)
4. Cattle ships and bruisers (FOR battle ships and cruisers)
5. A half-wormed fish (FOR a half formed wish)
6. Lack of pies (FOR a pack of lies)
7. Pit nicking (FOR nit picking)
8. Tease my ears (FOR ease my tears)
9. Flutter by (FOR butterfly)
10. Cop porn (FOR popcorn)
11. I must mend the sail (FOR I must send the mail)
12. Fight in your race (FOR right in your face)
13. Go and shake a tower (FOR go and take a shower)
Spoonerism happens not only through the switching of sounds but also with the transposition or switching
of words.
EXAMPLES OF SPOONERISM ARISING OUT OF MISPLACING WORDS:
1. He has to gap the bridge. (Correct: He has to bridge the gap.)

2. You should bill the pay. (pay the bill)

3. Stop living and start worrying. (CORRECT: Stop worrying and start living.)
4. Language your mind. (CORRECT: Mind your language.)
You should try to avoid Spoonerisms. Spoonerism creates a bad impression for speakers and writers. A
spoonerism is not a regular phenomenon in writing. It is a stylistic error. Spoonerism is more a problem of
speech than of writing.
SYLLEPSIS
According to the Free Dictionary, Syllepsis is “a construction in which a word governs two or more other
words but agrees in number, gender, or case with only one, or has a different meaning when applied to
each of the words, as in He lost his coat and his temper.” Another linguist states that syllepsis is a figure of
speech in which one word simultaneously modifies two or more other words in such a way that the
modification must be understood differently with respect to each modified word; often causing humorous
incongruity.
EXAMPLES OF SYLLEPSIS:
1. “Fix the problem, not the blame.” —Dave Weinbaum

2. “Vegetarianism is harmless enough, though it is apt to fill a man with wind and self-righteousness.”
(Robert Hutchinson, address to the British Medical Association, 1930)
3. “I finally told Ross, late in the summer, that I was losing weight, my grip, and possibly my mind.”
(James Thurber, The Years with Ross, 1959)
4. “You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality.”
(Margaret Atwood, “Ten Rules for Writers.” The Guardian, Feb. 19, 2010)
5. “You took my hand and breath away.” (Tyler Hilton, “You, My Love”)
6. She lowered her standards by raising her glass; her courage, her eyes and his hopes. (Flanders and
Swann)
7. “We must all hang together or assuredly we will all hang separately.” (Benjamin Franklin)
You may use syllepsis to make the text livelier and consequently memorable. This stylistic device gives you
an opportunity to make your reader/listener surprised. Syllepsis involves verbal wit. It can be used to
juxtapose two separate ideas through a single verb. Use it to amuse your readers/listeners. Sometimes a
syllepsis can startle your reader/listener with extraordinary freshness.

T
TAUTOLOGY
Tautology is a linguistic term that can be defined as “needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other
than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman”
(www.dictionaryreference.com). The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines Tautology as “A
statement in which you say the same thing twice in different words.” Keith Waterhouse observes that
“Tautology is either an unnecessary elaboration (the Inland Revenue’s white-collar workers), pointless
repetition (pair of twins), superfluous description (Europe's huge butter mountain), a needless appendage
(weather conditions) or a self-canceling proposition (He is either guilty or not guilty)” (in Waterhouse on
Newspaper Style, rev. ed. Revel Barker, 2010). Tautology should be avoided in formal speech and writing.
Sometimes you may have used tautology without knowing it. For example, I have heard many students
using the phrase ‘more better’. When ‘better’ is the comparative degree of ‘good’, the use of ‘more’ with
‘better’ is not required. Besides, it is grammatically wrong. In the phrase ‘advance warning’, ‘advance’ is not
necessary, for the warning is always given in advance or before something happens. Try to avoid a tautology
like that.
EXAMPLES OF TAUTOLOGY:
1. They spoke in turn, one after the other. [Either in turn or one after the other will do.]
2. He lives in close proximity. [Remove ‘close’.]
3. I warn you: I’ll never repeat it again. [Remove ‘again’]
4. Say it again once more. [Use either ‘again’ or ‘once more’; not both.]
5. First and foremost, let’s begin… [Let’s begin is adequate.]
6. It is a new innovation. [Say ‘an innovation’; innovation is always new; so remove ‘new’.]
7. Call me at 5 a.m. in the morning. [Remove ‘in the morning’.]
8. A relic of the past [Relic implies past]
9. An audible click [A ‘click’ is audible. Remove ‘audible’.]
10. More preferable [‘preferable’ means better in comparison with something. Remove ‘more’ before
‘preferable’.]
11. No other alternative [Remove ‘other’. It is redundant.]
12. Usual habits [Habits are usual. So remove ‘usual’.]
13. I need minimum of at least three months to complete this book. [Either say ‘minimum three months’
or ‘at least three months’, but not both.]

TRANSFERRED EPITHET
Transferred Epithet (also known as Hypallage meaning “interchange, exchange”) is generally a stylistic device
that allows an unusual or unexpected change of two segments or words in a sentence. Transferred Epithet
is a figure of speech in which an epithet (or adjective) grammatically qualifies a noun other than the person
or thing it is actually describing. For example, in the term ‘criminal lawyer’ the lawyer is not a criminal; he or
she deals with criminal cases. Thus the epithet ‘criminal’ has been transferred to the lawyer instead of the
cases and the lawyer becomes to be known as ‘criminal lawyer’. As we know criminal lawyers are not
necessarily criminals.
A transferred epithet is often found occurring in which the modifier or adjective that usually applies to
human beings or animals but qualifying inanimate things or objects. Expressions like “sleepless night”, “cruel
knife”, “cheerful money”, “lazy file”, cheerless bottles”, etc. point out at the popularity of transferred epithets.
Grammatically they are wrong, but usage approves them. And usage is more powerful than grammar.
EXAMPLES OF TRANSFERRED EPITHET:
1. Silly question
2. Foolish idea
3. Curious eyes
4. Brilliant performance
5. Cruel joke
6. Smart move
7. Indifferent smile
8. Lifeless words
9. Unhappy marriage
10. Giddy heights
Notwithstanding its dubious grammatical status, Transferred Epithet is a popular figure of speech. It cuts
down verbosity and boosts conciseness. “As a poetic device, transferred epithet is a useful ornament, and it
is often serviceable in ordinary prose as well. But the journalistic urge to compress, to shorten, to be breezy,
which inevitably has its effect on other kinds of writing, occasionally produces some dubious uses of the
device: ‘A brief visitor to Paris’; ‘Premier Castro spends incredible hours before the microphone’; ‘Three out
of five fires are caused by a careless cigarette or a careless match.’ If a transferred epithet creates an
immediate feeling of incongruity or ludicrousness, it is best avoided.” (Theodore M. Bernstein, The Careful
Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. Free Press, 1998)

U
UNDERSTATEMENT
When a situation or idea is portrayed in a way that minimizes its actual relevance or significance, that is an
example of an understatement. It is a form of irony when a speaker purposely downplays the severity or
relevance of an issue, typically for emphasis or humorous effect. Writers can show their humor and wit
while frequently displaying a deeper understanding of the subject by explaining complicated ideas in less
grandiose language.
For the same reason, Adynaton uses exaggeration to emphasize a point, and understatement focuses on
downplaying or minimizing a point. To emphasize a point, add humor or sarcasm, or be diplomatic and
oblique, a speaker or writer will purposely minimize or downplay a crucial issue. Although the speaker and
the reader may be aware of the topic's importance, the understatement produces the effect.
EXAMPLES OF UNDERSTATEMENT:
1. Saying, “It's a bit cold today.” when the temperature is -20 degrees.
2. A person with a broken leg says, “It's just a scratch.”
3. After a catastrophic event, someone says, “Well, that wasn't ideal.”
4. Describing an earthquake as a “slight tremor.”
5. A desert is referred to as “a little bit sandy.”
To avoid appearing pompous or boastful, one can use understatement to downplay one's accomplishments
or skills. This can improve a speaker's likeability and credibility, and it's frequently viewed as a modesty-
inspiring move. Another way understatement is sometimes used for comedic effect is by underplaying a
huge or serious situation, which can generate a sense of irony and humor. It's crucial to remember that
understatement, in all its intricacy, can draw attention to one's intelligence and refinement in writing or
speaking, enticing the reader or listener to consider the words' deeper meaning.
Mark Twain claimed that pain, not joy, is the true source of humor. There is no humor in heaven. In this line,
Twain quietly emphasizes the connection between comedy and grief, hinting that the connection between
these two emotions may be deeper than one might first assume. Understatement can be powerful in this
way. It makes us pause, think, and search for significance in the stillness and subtly indicated.

V
VERBAL IRONY
Verbal irony is a technique for communicating something entirely at odds with its intended meaning. It is
deliberate to utilize this rhetorical device in both writing and speaking. A figure of speech known as verbal
irony occurs when a speaker or writer says one thing while meaning something completely different.
Sometimes, this is done in a cutting-edge or sarcastic manner. The conflict between what is spoken and
what is intended is what makes the irony. It will become evident as we continue reading that verbal irony is
a powerful tool for expressing strong emotions, sarcasm, humor, or criticism.
EXAMPLES OF VERBAL IRONY:
1. Saying “What a beautiful view” when looking out the window at a wall.
2. “Oh great, another parking ticket” when finding a parking ticket on your windshield.
3. “I can't wait to read the seven hundred page report,” indicating the opposite sentiment of dread.
4. Telling a clumsy friend after he has broken something, “You're as smooth as a surgeon.”
5. “As clear as mud” to describe a complex or confusing situation.
A situation can be ridiculed, criticised, or made fun of using verbal irony. The listener/reader and the
speaker/writer are both aware that the literal meaning of the words should not be taken at face value. It
may suggest a deeper meaning or a contrary declaration because it is a symbol. The speaker or writer
surprises the audience or reader by saying something they weren't expected to say, which makes them stop
and consider.
Similar to Adynaton, alliteration, and ambiguity, verbal irony tremendously impacts language and
communication. Shakespeare's plays and everyday talks benefit from verbal irony, making the mundane
and depressing more interesting and bearable. Verbal irony's bitter beauty lies in its ability to discreetly
convey a feeling while feigning nuance or nonchalance, which can have a stronger effect than plain words.

W
WIT
A speaker or writer with wit can offer observant, clever, and frequently hilarious observations or responses.
Wit is a quality of mental acuity and creativity. Recognizing relationships, connections, and insights others
overlook is a sign of wit. Wittiness frequently enlivens conversation, holds audiences' attention, or gives
satirical remarks its razor-sharp edge.
In addition to making people laugh, it also aims to make them think. Wit serves as a mirror to society by
providing sharp commentary on social, political, and personal issues. Fundamentally speaking, it is the
ability to speak quickly and intelligently in a way that surprises and educates readers or listeners. The ability
to challenge beliefs, norms, and assumptions in a way that can be both humorous and thought-provoking
goes hand in hand with knowledge.
EXAMPLES OF WIT:
1. “I can resist everything except temptation.” (Oscar Wilde)

2. “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” (Thomas Edison)
3. “I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way.” (Carl Sandburg)
4. “If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.” (Unknown)
5. “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” (Will Rogers)
6. “I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.” (Groucho Marx)
7. “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” (Groucho Marx)
8. “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” (Oscar Wilde)
9. “The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” (Oscar Wilde)
10. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)
11. “He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.” (Confucius)
12. “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” (Confucius)
13. “You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of. " (Roald Dahl)
14. “One day you will ask me which is more important? My life or yours? I will say mine and you will walk
away not knowing that you are my life.” (Khalil Gibran)
A speaker or writer can use it expertly to engage an audience's mind and emotions, fostering a grasp of the
nuances of language and cognition. Witt is a powerful rhetorical device that, whether it offers a biting
critique, a perceptive observation, or a clever phrase, may provoke laughter, thinking, and appreciation in
equal measure. Indeed, as English novelist Samuel Johnson once said, “Wit is the unexpected copulation of
ideas.”

Z
ZEUGMA
Zeugma is a figure of speech “in which a word applies to two others in different senses (e.g. John and his
driving license expired last week).” (www.oxforddictionaries.com)
EXAMPLES OF ZEUGMA:
1. She broke his car and his heart.

2. He lost his coat and his temper.
3. His boat and his dreams sank.
4. You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit.”
5. “Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral,
grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.” (Francis Bacon, “Of Studies”)
6. “He was alternately cudgeling his brains and his donkey when, passing the workhouse, his eyes
encountered the bill on the gate.” (Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist)
7. “And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the
mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” (Bible)
8. He fished for compliments and trout.
9. He lost his laptop and his job.
10. She gave him an explanation and a lie.
11. He lost his job and his wife.
12. He lost his job and his life.
As zeugma can be used to modify two different words (with two different meanings) through a single word
(usually a verb), it can help you to create a dramatic effect. It can heighten emotion by creating emphasis.
The sentence He lost his job and his life suggests that the loss of his job has resulted in or to is to some
extent responsible for his death. Using zeugma, you can confuse, you can clarify, and you can also
emphasize an idea.

EXERCISES ON STYLE
EXERCISE-1
Directions: Read the sentences below and try to identify each sentence with a stylistic device that you have
studied in this book.
1. “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” (Winston Churchill)

2. “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” (Scott Hamilton)
3. “Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them so much.” (Oscar Wilde)
4. “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner
has a future.” (Oscar Wilde)
5. “Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love,
but no friendship.” (Oscar Wilde)
6. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” (Oscar Wilde)
7. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry,
their passions a quotation.” (Oscar Wilde)
8. “A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone’s feelings unintentionally.” (Oscar Wilde)
9. “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
(Oscar Wilde)
10. “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” (Oscar Wilde)
EXERCISE-2
1. “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” (Oscar Wilde)
2. “What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” (Oscar Wilde)
3. “Clever and attractive women do not want to vote; they are willing to let men govern as long as they
govern men.” (George Bernard Shaw)
4. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” (George Bernard Shaw)
5. “The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.” (George Bernard Shaw)
6. “When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all.” (Theodore Roosevelt)
7. “I think there is only one quality worse than hardness of heart and that is softness of head.”
(Theodore Roosevelt)
8. “Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive.” (Theodore Roosevelt)
9. “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to
live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he
is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” (Abraham Lincoln)
10. “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot
fool all the people all the time.” (Abraham Lincoln)

EXERCISE-3
Directions: Read the sentences below and try to identify each sentence with a stylistic device that you have studied
in this book.
1. “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”
(Abraham Lincoln)
2. “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” (Abraham Lincoln)
3. “Everybody likes a compliment.” (Abraham Lincoln)
4. “It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” (Abraham Lincoln)
5. “The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that
anybody wishes to hinder him.” (Abraham Lincoln)
6. “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth
can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” (Thomas Jefferson)
7. “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” (Thomas
Jefferson)
8. “Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.” (Thomas Jefferson)
9. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your
confidence.” (George Washington)
10. “Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.” (George Washington)
EXERCISE-4
studied in this book. Some hints, by underlining the keywords, are provided here and there to help you.
1. “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” (John F. Kennedy)
2. “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” (John F. Kennedy)
3. “The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.” (Swami Vivekananda)
4. “The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”
(Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking)
5. “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” (Norman
Vincent Peale)
6. “We’ve all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it’s more important to learn
from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors.” (Norman
Vincent Peale)
7. “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong
enough to correct them.” (John C. Maxwell)
8. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” (John C. Maxwell)
9. “Live to learn, and you will really learn to live.” (John C. Maxwell)
10. “Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” (Robert H. Schuller,
American author and motivational speaker)

EXERCISE-5
1. “Tough times do not last, but tough people do.” (Robert H. Schuller)
2. “You like it. It likes you.”(Seven-Up soft drink)
3. “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
(Mother Teresa, Nobel Laureate for Peace, India)
4. “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that
will unlock the door to personal excellence.” (Confucius, Chinese philosopher)
5. “Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over
which you have any control: now.” (Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker and writer)
6. “Never, never, never give up.” (Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of England)
7. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
(Jimmy Dean, American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman)
8. “Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
(Buddha)
9. “Hope is a waking dream.” (Aristotle)
10. “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” (Bruce Lee)
EXERCISE-6
1. “Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest
friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.” (Lao Tzu)
2. “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” (Margaret Mead,
American cultural anthropologist)
3. “If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.” (Albert Einstein)
4. “First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me.” (Steve
Martin)
5. Upon seeing the tear in my clothes I shed a tear.
6. “The best way to lie is to tell the truth . . . carefully edited truth.” (Anonymous)
7. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
8. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” (Ralph Waldo
Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, and poet)
9. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
10. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” (Muhammad Ali, boxing champion)

EXERCISE-7
1. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” (Robert Byrne)

2. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” (Mahatma
Gandhi)
3. “All generalizations are false, including this one.” (Mark Twain)
4. “A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.” (Milton Berle)
5. “Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.”
6. “Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping
around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.”
7. “The less you talk, the more you’re listened to.” (Pauline Phillips)
8. “For 2015 I wish you 12 months of happiness, 52 weeks of fun, 365 days of success, 8760 hours of
great health and 525600 lucky minutes! Happy New Year!”
9. “If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”
(Mary Engelbreit, graphic artist and children’s book illustrator)
10. “An intellectual is a person who’s found one thing that’s more interesting than sex.” (Aldous Huxley)
EXERCISE-8
1. “Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us.” (Earl Nightingale)
2. “Men in great place are thrice servants: servants of the sovereign or state; servants of fame; and
servants of business.” (Francis Bacon)
3. Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.
4. “People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.” (Epictetus)
5. “Nothing is interesting if you’re not interested.” (Helen MacInness)
6. “Wherever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think refreshment, think ice-
cold Coca-Cola.” (Coca Cola soft drink)
7. “Love creates happiness, happiness creates joy, joy creates enlightenment.”
8. “He who sheds the blood of man, by man, shall his blood be shed.” (Genesis 9.6)
9. “Once you change your philosophy, you change your thought pattern. Once you change your
thought pattern, you change your attitude. Once you change your attitude, it changes your behavior
pattern and then you go on into some action.” (Malcolm X, African-American Muslim minister and a
human rights activist)
10. “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” (Walter Winchell)

EXERCISE-9
Directions: Read the sentences below and try to identify each sentence with a stylistic device that you have studied in
this book. If there is no match found, read the book again and attempt once again.
1. “A true friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently,
defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.” (William Penn)
2. “A friend to all is a friend to none.” (Aristotle)
3. “False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life
and animation to the object it supports.” (Richard Burton)
4. “Never explain — your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.” (Elbert
Hubbard)
5. “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body,
but an evil friend will wound your mind.” (Anonymous)
6. “A man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts.” (Harold MacMillan, the Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963.)
7. “Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of
poison with milk on top.” (Chanakya)
8. “Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a
commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.” (Chanakya)
9. “Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to
men.” (Chanakya)
10. “A wise man should not reveal his loss of wealth, the vexation of his mind, the misconduct of his own wife,
base words spoken by others, and disgrace that has befallen him.” (Chanakya)
EXERCISE-10
Directions: Read the sentences below and try to identify each sentence with a stylistic device that you have studied in
this book.
1. “Poverty, disease, sorrow, imprisonment, and other evils are the fruits borne by the tree of one’s own
sins.” (Chanakya)
2. “Water is the medicine for indigestion; it is invigorating when the food that is eaten is well digested; it is
like nectar when drunk in the middle of a dinner; and it is like poison when taken at the end of a meal.”
(Chanakya)
3. “Who is there who has not been overcome by the ravages of time? What beggar has attained glory? Who
has become happy by contracting the vices of the wicked?” (Chanakya)
4. “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” (Albert Einstein)
5. “One may say the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.” (Albert Einstein)
6. “They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” (Confucius, Chinese
philosopher)
7. “I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.” (Confucius)
8. “Those who have knowledge, don’t predict. Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.” (Lao Tzu, Chinese
philosopher, and founder of Taoism)
9. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick
10,000 times.” (Bruce Lee)
10. “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a
miracle.” (Albert Einstein)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DR. RAJENDRA DASH
Rajendra Kumar Dash, Ph.D., has more than 20 years of experience that combines teaching, research, and research
administration. A Ph.D. in English Linguistics from Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha, Dr Dash holds an M.Sc.
in Psychology from the University of Madras and an MBA from Mewar University along with professional
certi�cates in Research methodology from the University of London, University of Amsterdam, and University of
California. Dr. Dash is a distinguished member of the international Oxford Teachers’ Club of Oxford University, UK.
Dr. Dash has worked in various universities in India. He worked as Chairman of Research at the Department of
English at K. L. University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. He is currently heading the Research India Foundation, an
association of hundreds of researchers across the world. Nine books and 20-plus research papers in national and
international journals, including Scopus-indexed and Web of Science-indexed papers, stand to his credit. His work
is on the list of course readings at Chapman University, California. The research interests of Dr. Dash include critical
discourse analysis, English literature, Ecolinguistics, Dalit language and literature, communication studies, and sustainable
development.
Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana did his Masters in English Language and Literature from Andhra University, Waltair.
He received a B.Ed., a professional teacher training degree from the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education
[I.A.S.E], Andhra University. He received Ph.D. in English [ELT] from the same university for his impactful study
entitled, ‘Use of ICT and Multimedia in Teaching Writing Skills in English Language: An Experimental Study.’ He
quali�ed for UGC NET JRF and SRF National Awards. He has been working in English Language Teaching using ICT
tools for the past eight years. Published books on English Language Teaching and English literature apart from
publishing 25 research articles. Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana has presented 20 papers at national and
international seminars and conferences. A versatile professional, he has o�ered several English language and
literature courses through Udemy’s online educational platform.

All successful speakers and writers till date have made use of rhetoric in their speech and writing,
knowingly or unknowingly. Rhetoric is the art of effective communication, using language and persuasive
techniques to influence, inform, enlighten, or entertain listeners and readers. Rhetoric teaches individuals
how to structure their arguments, present their ideas clearly, and engage their audience. This skill is vital in

various professional settings, from business negotiations and public speaking to academic presentations.
RHETORIC
Rhetorical techniques help individuals persuade and influence others by appealing to emotions, logic, and
ethics. Whether convincing someone to support a particular cause, buy a product, or adopt a certain
viewpoint, the ability to craft persuasive messages is a valuable asset. If you observe, Rhetoric is at play
almost all the times in the speeches of lawyers, politicians, managers, policymakers, public servants, and
media persons--almost all professions depend on Rhetoric to succeed in their communication goals. The
sooner one learns Rhetoric, the better.
In this self-explanatory book, RHETORIC: TECHNIQUES TO SPEAK WELL AND WRITE BETTER, experienced
authors Dr. Rajendra Kumar Dash and Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana not only define the rhetorical devices
crisply but also present the best examples of their use by impactful speakers and writers. What's more, the
readers of this book will get 100 exercise bits to check out their understanding of Rhetoric by identifying
the given sentences/paragraphs. Space is available at the end of each Rhetorical device to write down your
own model rhetoric device/figure of speech/literary device after the given ones in the book.

We authors are confident that your learning of rhetoric from this book will empower you to communicate
effectively, persuade, and navigate the complexities of various interpersonal, professional, and societal
interactions. Practice this book thoroughly and excel in your field.
AUTHORS
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Dash & Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana

DR. RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH


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All successful speakers and writers till date have made use of rhetoric in their speech and writing,

RHETORIC: Techniques to Speak Well and Write Better

Techniques to Speak Well and Write Better

Dr RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH

Dr. Rajendra Kumar Dash & Dr. Simhachalam Thamarana

DR. RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH

Dr RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH

BATHOS [ANTI-CLIMAX] .................................................................................................................24

BOMBAST [CLAPTRAP] ....................................................................................................................25

DOUBLE ENTENDRE ........................................................................................................................32

GNOME (APHORISM) ......................................................................................................................45

IN MEDIAS RES ............................................................................................................................... 51

METONYM [METONYMY] ............................................................................................................... 61

PUN (PARONOMASIA) ....................................................................................................................79

RED HERRING ..................................................................................................................................82

RHETORICAL QUESTION .................................................................................................................84

TRANSFERRED EPITHET ..................................................................................................................90

VERBAL IRONY ................................................................................................................................92

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana i

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana ii

You may watch and listen Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s speech at:

Let us read Severn Suzuki’s speech:

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 1

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 2

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 3

 “Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” (Plato)

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 4

RHETORIC & STYLE

SPEAK AND WRITE WITH STYLE USING FIGURES OF SPEECH

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 5

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 6

“What syllabus of intellectual pursuits was simultaneously possible? Snapshot photography,

4. Another excerpt from James Joyce’s Ulysses will be more convincing:

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 7

2. Fades physical beauty with disease or age.

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 8

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 9

In his book, Seven Types of Ambiguity, William Empson observed:

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 10

might otherwise embarrass the speaker/writer.

A kind of circumlocution, an amphilogy is an indirect or roundabout way of saying a thing. It is a method to

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 11

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Anangeon is a stylistic device which is used in self-defense.

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 13

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

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“I speak as a Republican, I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 15

1. I lost my business, but I gained many friends.

Dr Rajendra Kumar Dash Dr Simhachalam Thamarana Page 16

1. “That’s a nice argument. It’s a shame that it is invalid.”

1. Attitude can be your best friend or worst enemy.

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1. If you utter a single word against her, I’ll ….

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