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entity go
that which is perceived or known or inferred to have its own distinct existence (living or nonliving)

abstraction, abstract entity go
a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples

communication go
something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups

style, expressive style go
a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period

device go
something in an artistic work designed to achieve a particular effect

rhetorical device
a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance)

noun.communication

33 Subcategories

anacoluthia, anacoluthon go
an abrupt change within a sentence from one syntactic structure to another
asyndeton go
the omission of conjunctions where they would normally be used
repetition go
the repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device
inversion, anastrophe go
the reversal of the normal order of words
antiphrasis go
the use of a word in a sense opposite to its normal sense (especially in irony)
antithesis go
the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance
antinomasia go
substitution of a title for a name
apophasis go
mentioning something by saying it will not be mentioned
aposiopesis go
breaking off in the middle of a sentence (as by writers of realistic conversations)
apostrophe go
address to an absent or imaginary person
catachresis go
strained or paradoxical use of words either in error (as `blatant' to mean `flagrant') or deliberately (as in a mixed metaphor: `blind mouths')
chiasmus go
inversion in the second of two parallel phrases
climax go
arrangement of clauses in ascending order of forcefulness
conversion go
interchange of subject and predicate of a proposition
ecphonesis, exclamation go
an exclamatory rhetorical device
emphasis go
special and significant stress by means of position or repetition e.g.
enallage go
a substitution of part of speech or gender or number or tense etc. (e.g., editorial `we' for `I')
epanorthosis go
immediate rephrasing for intensification or justification
epiplexis go
a rhetorical device in which the speaker reproaches the audience in order to incite or convince them
hendiadys go
use of two conjoined nouns instead of a noun and modifier
hypallage go
reversal of the syntactic relation of two words (as in `her beauty's face')
hyperbaton go
reversal of normal word order (as in `cheese I love')
hypozeugma go
use of a series of subjects with a single predicate
hypozeuxis go
use of a series of parallel clauses (as in `I came, I saw, I conquered')
hysteron proteron go
reversal of normal order of two words or sentences etc. (as in `bred and born')
litotes, meiosis go
understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)
onomatopoeia go
using words that imitate the sound they denote
paralepsis, paraleipsis, paralipsis, preterition go
suggesting by deliberately concise treatment that much of significance is omitted
paregmenon go
juxtaposing words having a common derivation (as in `sense and sensibility')
polysyndeton go
using several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in `he ran and jumped and laughed for joy')
prolepsis go
anticipating and answering objections in advance
wellerism go
a comparison comprising a well-known quotation followed by a facetious sequel
figure, image, trope, figure of speech go
language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense