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32
votes
Accepted
Omitting "and" in a sentence
It's a rhetorical device called asyndeton, and you can find its definition (as well as those of other rhetorical figures) here. …
23
votes
Name for rhetorical technique of abandoning commas in a long list?
You are likely thinking of polysyndeton and asyndeton—probably the latter, but the former can achieve the same result in a different way. From your example, the list of which includes both comma-separ …
17
votes
Accepted
Heavy usage of synonyms in English or not?
The only exception I make is when I want to use repetition to add rhetorical emphasis: to make a point, to make a meaning clear, to make the reader stop and pay close attention. …
12
votes
Accepted
Writing "A , so B, so C..." for series of implications
is not incorrect per se, but you should be aware that it gives the sentence a rhetorical resonance (look up anaphora) that you may not intend. … But if the sentence does not merit the extra rhetorical effect, you might consider recasting it. …
11
votes
Is this a proper usage for a semicolon?
The dash turns the balance of the sentence into an anacoluthon (i.e., a change in direction or a break in structure), which is another rhetorical device used to express urgency or excitement. …
10
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to describe something with a question?
One of the most famous examples is, of course, Shakespeare's rhetorical question that begins Sonnet 18:
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's
day?" …
10
votes
Origin of "he's 6 feet tall if he's an inch"
What "if he's an inch" represents is, first of all, an example of the rhetorical device known as prolepsis, which in one of its meanings is the anticipation and addressing of objections to a premise before … For all its rhetorical resonance, however, this is also an example of the logical fallacy known as false dichotomy (similar to a "straw man" argument), in which two things are compared which are not in …
10
votes
Word for rhetorical style where different arguments get progressively weaker
This might be a form of catacosmesis, which is the ordering of components (usually words, not arguments) from most to least important. It is the opposite of climax (rhetorically speaking), so perhaps …
9
votes
Commas around non-parenthetical name like "The famous playwright, William Shakespeare, was b...
This is just a rhetorical figure called an appositive:
appositive a noun or noun substitute placed next to (in apposition to) another noun to be described or defined by the appositive. …
8
votes
Accepted
"We must eat to live, not live to eat." — What kind of rhetorical figure is that?
This is a type of chiasmus (in general) or antimetabole (to be specific).
Example of antimetabole from Sylvae Rhetoricae:
You can take the gorilla out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle …
8
votes
Accepted
"How to..", "How do you.." or "How do I.." when asking a practical question
The most charitable view of this phrasing is that it is a rhetorical phrasing using ellipsis. …
7
votes
"Nice to see you, to see you nice!"
This is an example of chiasmus, a rhetorical figure in which the structure of the first clause is reversed in the second clause, in an AB-BA pattern. … This device is powerful, as are most rhetorical devices, and one should take care in using them. Idle usage can sound silly or pompous. …
7
votes
"The odor of strong rum made a greasy pass through the room."
This is an example of the rhetorical figure known as catachresis, which is "an extravagant, implied metaphor using words in an alien or unusual way." …
7
votes
Accepted
Is “If not impossibly so” a popular phrase used in daily conversation?
As used in your passage, this is probably also a form of metanoia, which is a rhetorical device used to correct oneself in mid-sentence for various purposes, among them to strengthen an impression. …
7
votes
Accepted
Searching for a literary term for “if this, then I’m a this” statements
I would call it a "rhetorical conditional" which is amplified (or exploded) by use of hyperbole and reductio ad absurdum. … A rhetorical conditional:
If you be men, then you will take up arms and fight like men. …