parallelism-similarity of structure in a pair of related words, phrases, or clauses-e.g.,
"An ideal orator strives to teach, to please, and to move."
climax-repetition of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance-e.g., "Let a man acknowledge obligations to his family, his country, and his God.
antithesis-the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel form-e.g., "Many
things difficult to design prove easy to perform."
apposition-placing side by side two coordinate elements, the second of which serves as an explanation or modification of the first-e.g., "John Smith, president of the Sons of the Bolsheviks, could not be reached by telephone."
parenthesis-insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal syntactic flow of the sentence-e.g., "He tried-who could do more?-to restrain the fury of the mob."
zeugma-one part of the sentence governs something quite separate (yoking unlike things)-e.g., Inebriated mom at Las Vegas wedding tells husband: "I gotta get the kids. I gotta pick up the sitter. I gotta get to the midnight show." He responds: "What you gotta get is sober."
asyndeton-deliberate omission of conjunctions between related clauses-e.g., "I came, I saw, I conquered."
polysyndeton-repetition of conjunctions in close succession-e.g., "We have ships and men and money and stores."
anadiplosis-repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause-e.g., "Labor and care are rewarded with success, success produces confidence, confidence relaxes industry, and negligence ruins the reputation which diligence had raised."
anaphora-repetition of the same word or groups of words at the beginning of successive clauses-e.g., "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."
alliteration-repetition of initial or medial consonant sounds in two or more adjacent words-e.g., "It is lawful to picket premises for the purpose of peaceful persuasion."
assonance-repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in stressed syllables of adjacent words-e.g., "a blind, despised, and dying king."
consonance-words at the ends of verses in which the final consonants in the stressed syllables agree but the words that precede them differ; sometimes called "half-rhyme"-e.g.,
A quietness distilled,
As twilight long begun.
Or nature, spending with herself
Sequestered afternoon
Todd Alexander's English
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