Some ways to spice up your writing:
Rhetorical devices
Alliteration – the recurrence of initial consonant sounds – baby buggy bumpers
Allusion – a reference to an event, literary work or person – I can’t do that because I am not Superman.
Amplification – repeats a word or expression for emphasis – Love, real love, takes time.
Analogy – compares two different things that have some similar characteristics – He is flaky as a snowstorm.
Anaphora – repeats a word or phrase in successive phrases (often in three’s) – “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?” (Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare)
Antanagoge – places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact – The car is not pretty but it runs great.
Antimetabole – repeats words or phrases in reverse order – “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” (J F Kennedy)
Antiphrasis – uses a word with an opposite meaning – The Chihuahua was named Goliath.
Antithesis – makes a connection between two things that are otherwise dissimilar – “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Neil Armstrong)
Appositive – places a noun or phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes – Mary, queen of the land, hosted the ball.
Assonance – the repetition of vowels to create internal rhymes – “That solitude which suits abstruser musings” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) in “Frost at Midnight”
Consonance – the repetition of consonants that are close together – animals named Sam are clammy
Enumeratio – makes a point with details – Renovation included a spa, tennis court, pool and lounge.
Epanalepsis – repeats something from the beginning of a sentence at the end – My ears heard what you said but I couldn’t believe my ears.
Epithet – using an adjective or adjective phrase to describe – mesmerizing eyes
Epizeuxis – repeats one word for emphasis (similar to anaphora) – The amusement park was fun, fun, fun.
Hyperbole – an exaggeration – I have done this a thousand times.
Litotes – makes an understatement by denying the opposite of a word that may have been used – The terms of the contract are not disagreeable to me.
Metanoia – corrects or qualifies a statement – You are the most beautiful woman in this town, nay the entire world.
Metaphor – compares two things by stating one is the other (i.e. using one in place of the other) – The eyes are the windows of the soul.
Metonymy – a metaphor where something being compared is referred to by something closely associated with it – The knights are loyal to the crown. (crown is stand in for king)
Onomatopoeia – words that imitate the sound they describe – plunk, whiz, pop
Oxymoron – a two-word paradox – near miss, seriously funny
Parallelism – uses words or phrases with a similar structure – I went to the store, parked the car and bought a pizza.
Rhyme – familiar to everyone but it comes in countless variations
Feminine rhyme – the line ends in an unstressed syllable
Masculine rhyme – the line ends in a stressed syllable
Near rhyme (semi-rhyme) – weak, forced, or imperfect rhymes (bend, ending) (one, thumb)
Slant rhyme (half rhyme) – matching final consonants (bent, ant)
Personification – speaking of inanimate objects as if they are alive- Purple wildflowers demanded space among the rocks.
Sibilance – consonance that uses sibilants (S, Sh, Z) – Zack’s uncertain, sad milkshake
Simile – compares one object to another – He smokes like a chimney.
Understatement – makes an idea less important that it really is – The hurricane disrupted traffic.
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