Taken from A Common Sense Guide for Teaching Common Core Literacy Rhetorical Devices “My father always used to say, ‘Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument.’ ” — Desmond Tutu Taken from A Common Sense Guide for Teaching Common Core Literacy

Analogy The comparison of a familiar idea, concept, or thing with an unfamiliar one in order to explain or clarify the unfamiliar. Analogies are often used to explain complex or abstract concepts or topics. Example: “Knowledge always desires increase; it is like fire, which must first be kindled by some external agent, but which will afterwards propagate itself.”

Anecdotes A short, interesting, usually true story that is designed to make an important point. Anecdotes allow writers to add a human element to their writing and connect with the reader. Anecdotes can support opinions, support claims, inform, entertain, or persuade.

Allusion A brief, informally-made reference to a well- known person, place, event, or text. It is used to help readers see a broader picture, to evoke a positive or negative feeling or to apply a symbolic meaning to the thing being referenced. Allusions are often Biblical, literary, or historical.

Fragment Sentence fragment that is used to create emphasis or suspense. A fragment is a word, phrase, or dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence because it is missing either a subject or a predicate. Example: “A squat grey building of only thirty-four stories.”

Hyperbole An exaggeration used to emphasize a point. It is used to make a point strongly, to draw the reader’s attention back to the writer, or to demonstrate the difference between two things. Example: I’ve told you a million times!

Irony A situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant. It is used to express humor or sarcasm or to make a point by highlighting the contrast between the expected and the actual. Three types of irony: situational, verbal, and dramatic.

Metaphor A comparison of two unlike things (not using like or as). It is used to get the reader to see a new side of something or to highlight an aspect of something that is similar to something familiar. Example: “ All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”

Parallelism The writer uses equivalent grammatical forms to express ideas of equal importance. Words, phrases, or clauses can be parallel. It is used to give writing a sense of overall cohesion and balance. Example: “Let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

Repetition The writer repeats key words or phrases in order to highlight a point. Example: “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”

Rhetorical Question A statement that is formed as a question but not intended to be answered. Rhetorical questions are used for provocation or emphasis. Sometimes, the author’s answer is clearly intended to be “yes” or “no.” It is used to highlight something readers already know and focus their attention on the topic.

Syntax The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. By varying his/her syntax, a writer can emphasize key points.