Rhetorical and Grammatical Figures in Language

Grammatical Categories

Definition

Grammatical categories (parts of speech) classify words according to their type. Introduced by Nebrija in Spanish grammar, the term originally encompassed a limited set of word types. Modern linguistics uses "grammatical category" to describe a broader range of linguistic variables influencing a word's morphological form.

Traditional Parts of Speech

Traditional grammar identifies nine parts of speech (eight from Nebrija):

• Determiner
• Noun
• Pronoun
• Verb
• Adjective
• Adverb
• Preposition
• Conjunction
• Interjection

Literary Devices

Figures of Repetition

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sound in two or more closely placed words.

Anadiplosis

Anadiplosis (conduplicatio) repeats a word or phrase at the end of one line and the beginning of the next.

Anaphora

Anaphora repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive verses or clauses.

Concatenation

Concatenation is the continued use of anadiplosis.

Epanadiplosis

Epanadiplosis repeats the same word(s) at both the beginning and end of a phrase or sentence.

Epiphora

Epiphora (epistrophe) repeats a word or phrase at the end of consecutive phrases, clauses, or sentences.

Parallelism

Parallelism uses similar grammatical structures in different parts of a text.

Figures of Sound

Paronomasia

Paronomasia (annominatio) uses words with similar sounds but different meanings, often for humorous or satirical effect.

Other Figures of Speech

Tautology

Tautology is an expression containing redundant terms.

Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton uses more conjunctions than grammatically necessary, creating a sense of slowness and reflection.

Asyndeton

Asyndeton omits conjunctions, creating a sense of speed and urgency.

Ellipsis

Ellipsis omits a word or phrase understood from the context.

Allegory

Allegory uses symbolic figures and actions to represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.

Antithesis

Antithesis presents contrasting ideas or concepts.

Apostrophe

Apostrophe directly addresses an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate object.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or dramatic effect.

Metaphor

Metaphor compares two unlike things by stating one is the other.

Metonymy

Metonymy refers to something by the name of something closely associated with it.