In these lines we have an example of the relatively rare chiasmus: the use of a crisscross or reverse structure in a sentence or paragraph. Enjambment is a poetic technique in which the meaning and syntax of one line are carried over and finished in the next line (e.g. Robert Frost’s “And there's a barrel that I didn't fill / Beside it”). Imagery is language that calls upon vivid sensory descriptions (e.g. Gerard Manley Hopkins “a candycoloured… a gluegold-brown / Marbled river, boisterously beautiful”). Onomatopoeia is the use of a word that mimics the sound of the thing it is describing (e.g. “pop” or “buzz”).

Passage adapted from Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1604)

The repetition of the beginning of each clause (“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”) is an example of anaphora. Antimetabole, similar to chiasmus, is the repetition and transposition of words (e.g. Dr. Seuss’s “I meant what I said and I said what I meant”). Ellipsis is the deliberate omission of one or more words for the purpose of concision, while polysyndeton is the excessive use of conjunctions. Aposiopesis is the sudden, deliberate breaking-off of a line of writing or speech for deliberate effect (e.g. “When your father gets home…”).

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)

In line 4, the speaker describes his audience as his “brothers.” Lines 5-7 then expand upon that thought, clarifying how this group of unrelated soldiers could be brothers: “For he today that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, / This day shall gentle his condition.” Thus, even though the lines don’t appear in parentheses, they can be considered a parenthetical remark.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)

Throughout the passage, the speaker directly addresses the storm.  An aphorism is a pithy saying or adage (e.g. “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”). Allegory is the use of a story or extended metaphor to make a philosophical or moral point (e.g. George Orwell’s Animal Farm). Stream of consciousness is a style of writing designed to mimic the free-flowing thoughts of someone’s inner consciousness. Sarcasm is verbal irony and is often cutting or satirical.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606)

Line 9 contains an inversion of ordinary word order. Instead of saying “that makes man ingrateful,” the passage has reversed the typical word order. The technical term for this inversion is anastrophe, and it is often used for emphasis or metrical effect.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606)

In lines 1-2, we have a frequent repetition of the hard “k” sound. Specifically, we have “crack,” “cheeks,” “cataracts,” and “hurricanes.” This is an example of consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606)

This is anthimeria the use of one part of speech (in this case, “to clamor,” a verb) in place of another (in this case “clamours,” a noun), usually to create an apropos new word. A loan word is a word adopted into the vocabulary of another language without translation (e.g. café or bon mot from the French). Colloquialism is the use of an informal, conversational, or regional bit of speech (e.g. “y’all” for “you all”). A contraction is a different part of speech, as is an interjection.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (1602).

“And in my vantbrace put this wither’d brawn” represents an inversion of the usual word order: anastrophe. Anthimeria is the use of one part of speech in place of another (e.g. “gift someone a sweater,” with “gift” used as a verb instead of a noun), often to create an apropos new word. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds (e.g. Edgar Allan Poe’s “the mellow wedding bells”). Caesura refers to a dramatic pause in a sentence or line of poetry, often accomplished by use of an em dash.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (1602).

In the line “Therefore 'tis meet Achilles meet not Hector,” we have “meet” used in two different senses. In the first case, “meet” (adj) means “advisable”; in the second, “meet” (verb) has the traditional definition, “encounter.” This double usage of the same word is an example of antanaclasis.

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (1602).

In order to fit a fixed rhyme scheme and meter, the playwright has relied heavily on anastrophe, the intentional inversion of word order. An aside is a lengthy speech delivered to or for the benefit of the audience and not the other characters, while an anecdote is a short, often humorous story. Epiphany is a sudden realization that changes someone's life, and is often experienced by a character at the end of a short story. Litotes is the deliberate use of understatement or double negatives, the opposite of hyperbole.

Passage adapted from Ben Jonson’s Volpone (1606)