| Reference number |
Name of rhetorical device | Total number in Balagha Corpus |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ ↓ | ↑ ↓ | |
| A03 | The Imperative  When the imperative is used for purposes other than for commanding. |
1 |
| A05 | The Interrogative  When the interrogative is used for purposes other than for asking questions. |
1 |
| A08 | Definiteness and Indefiniteness  The use of definiteness where indefiniteness is expected, and vice-versa, as well as by their use in unexpected ways. |
1 |
| A11 | Conjunction and Disjunction  Rhetorical effects achieved by joining words and clauses which do not have an apparent connection, and vice versa. |
3 |
| A12 | Foregrounding and Backgrounding  Foregrounding can be used to give emphasis, and backgrounding can be used to build suspense or anticipation. |
1 |
| A13 | Brevity, Verbosity and Moderation  Brevity is the exclusion of some information for rhetorical benefit. Verbosity is the inclusion of extra information for a rhetorical purpose. |
8 |
| A14 | Ellipsis  The omission of certain lexical items to create a rhetorical effect. |
1 |
| B1 | Simile  A rhetorical device that compares two things—the likened-to and the likened—through a shared attribute, using a word or expression of resemblance. |
1 |
| B2 | Metaphor  A rhetorical device where there is an implied comparison without explicit mention of the comparison. |
9 |
| B4 | Allegory  Taking a word which has one meaning, and using it in a different but closely related way. |
9 |
| B5 | Implicit Reference  Use of a descriptive word or phrase which alludes to the intrinsic characteristics of a thing, in place of the real name. |
3 |
| B6 | Hinting  Indirect suggestion of the intended meaning through the use of an aphorism, a proverb, a riddle or an innuendo, rather than directly stating the intended message. |
2 |
| CB1 | Antithesis  Two antonyms appear together, such as “big” and “small.” The two words may be allegorical or non-allegorical. |
6 |
| CC1 | Repetition  Repeated use of a lexical item for a rhetoric purpose such as emphasis, praise or criticism. |
8 |
| CC2 | Repetition With Varied Phrasing  A rhetorical technique in which a single idea is reinforced by repeating it through two or more lexical items with different wording but similar or complementary meaning. |
4 |
| CD02 | Evasive Response  Responding to a question with an evasive or ambiguous response. |
1 |
| CD1 | Deliberate Ambiguity  Use of a word or phrase ambiguously such that two opposite meanings can be understood. |
1 |
| CE2 | Syntactic Grouping  Combining several things together and giving a collective verdict or judgement on them together. |
2 |
| CE8 | Forewarning  A rhetorical device where the communicator subtly prepares the audience by providing preliminary hints, enabling them to anticipate the message before it is explicitly delivered. |
2 |
| CF2 | Finesse of Initiation  A rhetorical device where the communicator starts by hinting at the main objective of the text, attracting the attention of the addressee and making the addressee eager to hear the main proposition. |
2 |
| CF3 | Similarities of the Start and Finish  The end of a sentence has a similar meaning to the beginning of the following sentence, establishing a semantic link which bridges the two sentences. |
1 |
| CF4 | Parallelism  The communicator repeats the lexical, syntactic, or rhythmic structure of a sentence or phrase across two or more phrases, clauses, or sentences to create semantic balance, assonance, rhyme, or rhetorical emphasis. |
1 |
| CG10 | Meaningful Proper Nouns  Use of names of people or places that have can have multiple meanings or interpretations. |
2 |
| CG1 | Rhetorical Shift  A rhetorical device where the communicator deliberately changes grammatical elements—such as person, tense, form, or sentence type—to maintain engagement, create emphasis, or add expressive variety. |
1 |
| CG7 | Integration of Imagery  A rhetorical device where the communicator uses imagery to imply the existence of something else, rather than explicitly mentioning it. |
2 |
| CH11 | Personification  A rhetorical device where the communicator refers to non-human objects as if they were human. |
1 |
| CH1 | Hyperbole  A rhetorical device where the communicator exaggerates in describing a proposition. |
1 |
| CI3 | Concordance of Pronunciations  A rhetorical device where the communicator brings together strange, unusual and unexpected words for rhetorical effect. |
1 |