The Writer's Toolbox - Using Rhetorical Devices to Improve Communication

Many students are familiar with simile, metaphor, and personification, but good writers make use of many other rhetorical tools like climax, parallelism, and antithesis, not to mention polysyndeton, litotes, and synecdoche. Whether you are a teacher, a student, or simply a lover of words, The Writer’s Toolbox will help develop your appreciation for the well-crafted phrase using time-tested tools called rhetorical devices. Rich in examples from famous authors and orators, this book provides an unintimidating introduction to the rhythms of well-crafted writing. We want you to understand that words matter, and that using words skillfully is one of the joys of life.

The Writer’s Toolbox is a great addition to any writing, public speaking, or debating program, and can be used in a classroom setting or at home for students grade 7 and up. Anyone interested in the ways words work will enjoy these lessons and examples from literature and oratory. Whether you are fifteen or fifty, The Writer’s Toolbox helps you improve your writing without a large time commitment. Each lesson takes no more than 30 minutes to complete, and you can easily finish the book in a school year by studying one lesson every week.

The Writer’s Toolbox teaches students to identify, appreciate, and use rhetorical devices. Every lesson begins with a simple explanation of one of the rhetorical devices, along with examples from literature, oratory, and real life. The lesson closes with suggestions on the best way to begin using the device. After each lesson are exercises that encourage students to recognize and use the tool for themselves.

Rhetorical devices introduced in The Writer’s Toolbox: simile-metaphor-personification-allusion-metonymy-synecdoche-climax-asyndeton-polysyndeton-irony-understatement-litotes-hyperbole-parallelism-chiasmus-antithesis-anaphora-epistrophe-anadiplosis-epanalepsis-ellipsis-erotema-alliteration-assonance-oxymoron-onomatopoeia.