Rhetoric_Devices修辞格的使用

Rhetoric Devices:(

修辞

)

(Stylistic Devices, Figures of Speech)

ration:

（头韵）

( repetition of initial consonant sound

:

The initial consonant sound is

usually repeated

in two

neighbouring words (sometimes also

in words that are

not next to each

other). Alliteration draws attention to the phrase and is often used for emphasis. Examples:

1

）

. for the

g

reater

g

ood of

…

2

）

.

s

afety and

s

ecurity

….

3

）

. share a

c

ontinent but not a

c

ountry

Repetition

of

initial

consonant

sounds

means

that

only

the

sound

must

be

the

same,

not

the

consonants themselves. Examples:

1

）

.

k

iller

c

ommand

….

2

）

.

f

antastic

ph

ilosophy

….

3

）

A

n

eat

kn

ot

n

eed

n

ot be re-

kn

otted.

If

neighbouring

words

start

with

the

same

consonant

but

have

a

different

initial

sound,

the

words

are not

alliterated. Examples:

1

）

. a

C

anadian

c

hild

….

2

）

.

h

onoured and

h

umbled (the

?

h

‘

in honoured is silent)

2. Allusion:(

引喻

)

indirect reference to a person, event or piece of literature

Allusion

is

used

to

explain

or

clarify

a

complex

problem.

Note

that

allusion

works

best

if

you

keep

it

short

and

refer

to

something

the

reader

/

audience

is

familiar

with,

e.g.:

famous

people

;

history ; (Greek) mythology literature the bible .

If the audience is familiar with the event or person, they will also know background and context.

Thus, just a

few words are enough to create a certain picture (or scene)

in the readers

‘

minds.

The

advantages are as follows:

1

）

. We don

‘

t need lengthy explanations to clarify the problem.

2

）

. The reader becomes active by reflecting on the analogy.

3

）

. The message will stick in the reader's mind.

Examples:

1

）

. The software included a Trojan Horse. (allusion on the Trojan horse from Greek mythology)

2

）

. Plan ahead. It was not raining when Noah built

the Ark. (Richard Cushing) (allusion on the

biblical Ark of Noah)

Many

allusions

on

historic

events,

mythology

or

the

bible

have

become

famous

idioms.

Examples:

1

）

. to meet one

‘

s Waterloo (allusion on Napoleons defeat in the Battle of Waterloo)

2

）

.

to

wash

one

‘

s

hands

of

it.

(allusion

on

Pontius

Pilatus,

who

sentenced

Jesus

to

death,

but

washed his hands afterwards to demonstrate that he was not to blame for it.)

3

）

.

to

be

as

old

as

Methusalem

(allusion

on

Joseph

‘

s

grandfather,

who

was

969

years

old

according to the Old Testament)

4

）

.

to

guard

sth

with

Argus

‘

s

eyes

(allusion

on

the

giant

Argus

from

Greek

mythology,

who

watched over Zeus

‘

lover Io.)

3.

Anaphora

:

successive

clauses

or

sentences

start

with

the

same

word(s)

The same word or phrase is used to begin successive clauses or sentences. Thus, the reader's /

listener's attention is drawn directly to the message of the sentence.

Example: 1

）

Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And

every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.

2

）

If we

had

no winter, the spring

would

not be so pleasant;

if

we did

not sometimes

taste of

adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. (Anne Bradstreet)

3

）

The beginning of wisdom is silence. The second step is listening. (unknown)

A

man

without

ambition

is

dead.

A

man

with

ambition

but

no

love

is

dead.

A

man

with

ambition and

love

for

his blessings

here on earth

is ever

so alive.

(Pearl Bailey)

Anaphora

is

often used in conjunction with parallelism or climax.

esis :

（对照法）

contrasting relationship between two ideas

Antithesis emphasises the contrast between two ideas. The structure of the phrases / clauses is

usually

similar

in

order

to

draw

the

reader's

/

listener's

attention

directly

to

the

contrast.

Examples:

1

）

That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. (Neil Armstrong)

To err is human; to forgive, divine. (Pope)

2

）

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father. (Pope)

5.

Transferred

epithet:

(

转

类

形

容

词

)

an

adjective

or

adjective

phrase

appropriately

qualifying

a

subject

(noun)

by

naming

a

key

or

important

characteristic

of

the

subject,

as

in

water.

Sometimes

a

metaphorical

epithet

will

be

good

to

use,

as

in

road,

landscape,

billboards,

apple.

Aptness

and

brilliant

effectiveness

are

the

key

considerations

in

choosing

epithets.

Be

fresh,

seek

striking

images,

pay

attention

to

connotative

value.

A

transferred

epithet

is

an

adjective

modifying

a

noun

which

it

does

not

normally modify, but which makes figurative sense:

1. At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth of thieves and murderers . . . . --George Herbert

2. In an age of pressurized happiness, we sometimes grow insensitive to subtle joys.

6. Hyperbole:

（夸张法）

deliberate exaggeration

Used

sparingly,

hyperbole

effectively

draws

the

attention

to

a

message

that

you

want

to

emphasize. Example:

1

）

I was so hungry, I could eat an elephant.

2

）

I have told you a thousand times.

7. Hypophora

（自问自答）

question raised and answered by the author / speaker

The author / speaker raises a question and also

gives an answer to

the question.

Hypophora

is

used

to get the audience's attention and

make them curious. Often the question

is raised at the

beginning of a paragraph and answered in the course of that paragraph. Hypophora can also be

used, however, to introduce a new area of discussion. Example:

1

）

Why is it better to love than be loved? It is surer. (Sarah Guitry)

2

）

How

many countries

have actually

hit […] the targets set at

Rio, or

in Kyoto

in 1998,

for

cutting greenhouse-gas emissions? Precious few

8. Litotes

：（反语法）

form of understatement

Litotes

is a

form of

understatement

which

uses

the denied opposite of a word to weaken or

soften a message. Examples:

1

）

That's not bad. (instead of: That's good/great.)

2

）

Boats

aren't

easy

to

find

in

the

dark.

（

instead

of:

Boats

are

hard/difficult

to

find

in

the

dark.)

9. Metaphor:(

隐喻，暗喻

) figurative expression

Metaphor compares two different things in a figurative sense. Unlike in a simile (A is like B.),

―like‖ is not used in metaphor (A is B.).

Example:

1. Truths are first clouds, then rain, then harvest and food. (Henry Ward Beecher)

2. Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a

raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations

10. Metonymy: (

转喻

) figurative expression, closely associated with the subject

Metonymy

(unlike

metaphor)

uses

figurative expressions that are

closely associated with the

subject in terms of place, time or background. The figurative expression is not a physical part of

the subject, however (see synecdoche). Examples:

1. The White House declared

… (White House = US government / President)

2. The land belongs to the crown. (crown = king / queen / royal family / monarchy)

3.

Empty

pockets

never

held

anyone

back.

Only

empty

heads

and

empty

hearts

can

do

that.

(Norman

Vincent

Peale)

(empty

pockets

=

poverty;

empty

heads

=

ignorance

/

dullness

/

density; empty hearts = unkindness / coldness)

4.

The kettle boils. ( The water in the kettle boils)

11. Onomatopoeia: (

拟声法

)word imitating a sound

The

pronounciation

of

the

word

imitates

a

sound.

Onomatopoeia

is

used

because

it's

often

difficult to describe sounds. Furthermore, a story becomes more lively and interesting by the use

of onomatopoeia. Examples:

1. The lion roared.

2. The steaks sizzled in the pan.

3. The bomb went off with a bang.

12. Parallelism: (

并行体，对句法，平行句

)

parallel sentence structure

Successive clauses or sentences are similarly structured. This similarity

makes

it easier

for the

reader / listener to concentrate on the message. Example:

1. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interest, and

teach us what it means to be citizens.

2.

The

mediocre

teacher

tells.

The

good

teacher

explains.

The

superior

teacher

demonstrates.

The great teacher inspires. (William A. Ward)

3. The mistakes of the fool are known to the world, but not to himself. The mistakes of the wise

man are known to himself, but not to the world. (Charles Caleb Colton)

4. Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I will learn. (Benjamin

Franklin)

Note:

When writing, parallelism is a useful device for instructions. Due to the parallel structure,

the

reader

can

concentrate

on

the

message

and

will

immediately

know

what

to

do

(see

examples below).

Example 1 (no parallelism):

Open the book first.

You must read the text now.

There are pictures in the book

–

Look at them.

The questions must be answered.

Example 2 (parallelism):

Open the book.

Read the text.

Look at the pictures.

Answer the questions.

You surely agree that

the second

instruction

is easier to

follow (and

to remember) than the

first

one.

The change of structure

in

the

first example

is confusing and distracts

the reader

from the

actual

message.

It

might

be

okay

with

simple

messages

like

the

ones

we

used

here.

But

following more complex instructions is really hard if they are not in parallel structure.

13. Parenthesis: (

插入语

) additional information

The

normal

progression

of

a

sentence

is

interrupted

by

extra

information

or

explanations

enclosed in commas, brackets or dashes. The extra information can be a single word, a phrase or

even a sentence. Examples:

1. We (

myself,

wife

Lorraine and daughters Caroline and Joanna) boarded our boat 'Lynn', a

Duchess class vessel barely a year old, at Black Prince Holidays' Chirk boatyard.

2.

The

boats

have

remarkably

few

controls

and

we

were

given

a

thorough

briefing

about

'driving'

ours

–

along

with

advice

on

mooring,

lock

operation

and

safety

considerations

–

by

Pauline, who even set off with us for a few minutes to ensure we were confident.

Depending on

the

importance attached

to

it, additional

information can be

enclosed

in bracket,

commas or dashed.

Brackets

–

not important

Connor (A

my‘s boyfriend) bought the tickets.

Commas

–

neutral

Connor, A

my‘s boyfriend, bought the tickets.