Rhetorical Devices - ACT Reading

Simile. Explicit comparison using 'like' to connect ideas.

Hyperbole. Obviously exaggerated time claim for dramatic effect.

A question asked for effect rather than to obtain an answer. Engages audience while implying the obvious answer.

Simile. Uses 'like' to compare clumsy behavior explicitly.

Parallelism. Both phrases follow identical 'Like [noun], like [noun]' structure.

To create contrast and highlight differences. Places opposing ideas side by side for impact.

Personification. Wind given human ability to whisper softly.

Litotes. Double negative structure emphasizes positive significance.

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses. Highlights contrasts through structural balance.

Omitting conjunctions to speed pace or intensify emphasis. Creates urgency and rapid flow by removing connecting words.

Directly addressing an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate thing. Creates dramatic effect by speaking to the unreachable.

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Creates strong impact through obvious exaggeration.

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the start of successive clauses. Creates rhythm and emphasis through repetition at beginnings.

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses. Creates closure and emphasis through repetition at endings.

Using the same grammatical structure in a series to emphasize a point. Creates rhythm and balance for emphasis and clarity.

Pathos. Emotional appeal through personal fear and protection.

A figure of speech with contradictory terms. Combines opposing words for dramatic effect.

To provoke thought without requiring an answer. Engages audience and emphasizes points dramatically.

A story with a hidden meaning, often moral or political. Extended metaphor with symbolic characters and events.

To create emphasis through repetition at the beginning. Repeats words at the start of successive clauses.

A part representing the whole or vice versa. Creates powerful imagery through selective representation.

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent words. Creates musical quality and makes phrases more memorable.

Metaphor. Directly compares hardness without 'like' or 'as'.

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses. Highlights contrasts through structural balance.

A humorous play on words. Creates humor through multiple word meanings or sounds.

Understatement. Calls a deep wound 'just a scratch' to minimize severity.

Rhetorical question. Obviously rain is wet; question emphasizes the obvious.

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent words. Creates musical quality and makes phrases more memorable.

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. Creates internal rhyme and musical quality in speech.