Guía Inglés
Rhetorical devices
1. Rhetorical Questions
Ask a question that you don’t expect an answer to.
“How can we encourage more people to recycle? Well, one way would be to…”
2. Personification
Giving human actions or emotions to non-living/inanimate things.
“I could hear the pack of cookies calling to me from the cupboard.”
“The music industry chewed him up and spat him out.”
“The soft bed welcomed me with open arms.”
3. Hyperbole
Using exaggeration to draw attention to the severity of the matter or to make a
strong point.
“I called her a thousand times.”
4. Litotes
Ironic understatement in which an armative is expressed by the negative of
its contrary.
“How did Steve look when you visited him? Not great to be honest.”
“How was the film? Yeah, not bad.”
“Let’s just say he doesn’t have the best attendance record.”
5. Anadiplosis
Repetition of the last word in a phrase at the beginning of the next phrase or
sentence.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suering.” –Yoda,
Star Wars
"We ordered a pizza. A pizza that changed our lives.”
6. Simile
A simile is a comparison in which something is said to figuratively be like
something else. They usually contain “like” or “as”.
“It was as hot as a desert this morning.”
7. Juxtaposition:
2 or more ideas, characters, settings, or objects are placed side by side in
order to highlight their contrasts or dierences.
Ex.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
“Night and day”
