The Elements of Eloquence

The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. While this book contains material that is educational, it is presented in an entertaining style that is witty and entertaining. This book is divided into the following 39 chapters that each describe and give examples of figures of rhetoric. 1 Alliteration: the rhetorical device of repeating the sound of the first consonant in a series of multiple words. 2 Polyptoton: the use of one word as different parts of speech or in different grammatical forms. 3 Antithesis: the use of two opposites for contrasting effect. 4 Merism: where a single thing is referred to by an enumeration of several of its parts, or a list of several synonyms for the same thing. 5 Blazon: "extended merism, the dismemberment of the loved one". 6 Synaesthesia: a device where one sense is described in terms of another. 7 Aposiopesis: a figure of speech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. 8 Hyperbaton: a figure of speech which describes an alteration of the logical order of the words in a sentence. 9 Anadiplosis: repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. 10 Periodic Sentences: are not complete grammatically before the final clause or phrase. 11 Hypotaxis and Parataxis: hypotaxis is a complex style of writing involving the use of a large number of subordinate clauses, while parataxis is the style of writing with short simple sentences. 12 Diacope: the close repetition of a word or phrase, separated by a word or words. 13 Rhetorical Questions: a device where a question is stated to make a point, without requiring any answer because it is intended to be obvious. 14 Hendiadys: a device used for emphasis, where an adjective-noun form is swapped for noun-and-noun. 15 Epistrophe: a device using the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences for emphasis. 16 Tricolon: a sentence is composed of three equal parts. Forsyth points to the national motto of France (Liberté, égalité, fraternité) as one of his many examples of the impact of this device. 17 Epizeuxis: the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, for emphasis. 18 Syllepsis: a single word is used with two other parts of a sentence but must be understood differently in relation to each. 19 Isocolon: Forsyth's definition seems to state that a sentence is composed by two parts equivalent in structure, length and rhythm. Other sources suggest two or more parts, and relate tricolon which is mentioned in the earlier chapter. 20 Enallage: a "deliberate grammatical mistake". 21 Versification: the effect of a few different verse forms used, including examples of iambic pentameter. 22 Zeugma: a series of clauses which use the same verb. 23 Paradox: a statement that is logically false or impossible for emphasis or contrast. 24 Chiasmus: a symmetrical repetition of structure or wording. 25 Assonance: the repetition of a vowel sound. 26 The Fourteenth Rule: the rhetorical device of providing an unnecessarily specific number for something for emphasis. 27 Catachresis: a grammatically wrong use of words as a means of creative expression. 28 Litotes: emphasizes a point by denying the opposite. 29 Metonymy and Synecdoche: where something connected to the thing described, or a part of it, is used in place of the thing itself. 30 Transferred Epithets: where an adjective is applied to the wrong noun, for effect. 31 Pleonasm: the use of superfluous and unnecessary words in a sentence for emphasis. 32 Epanalepsis: repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and end of a sentence or clause to emphasize circularity. 33 Personification: a description which imputes human actions or characteristics to an inanimate or non-human thing. 34 Hyperbole: the rhetorical device of exaggeration. 35 Adynaton: a hyperbole so extreme as to be a complete impossibility. 36 Prolepsis: the use of a pronoun at the start of a sentence, which reverses the normal order. 37 Congeries: a bewildering list of adjectives or nouns. 38 Scesis Onomaton: sentences without a main verb. 39 Anaphora: starting each sentence with the same word.

The humorous tone, the varied examples from times historical and contemporary, and the author's obvious love for language and rhetoric, make this a most enormously entertaining and educational book. Thank you very much, Mr. Forsyth!

Mark Forsyth's breath taking erudition will delight anyone who thinks of themselves as a wordsmith. You read him and think that you knew that but you also know sneakily that you didn't quite know it, and certainly didn't know the big words he teaches you to sound oh so, so, clever. It is deep and it is light hearted and very, very, witty. I wanted to give him five stars for intelligent entertainment and the only reason I held back was that the author's prose at time became the intellectual mirror of himself showing off. Not for everyone. But for those who love language, a joy to read.

I have hardly read a book that I so enjoyed, laughed through, or recommended to friends as enthusiastically as this. Richly informative, dizzyingly entertaining. I finished it in one week, and will spend another month going through it slowly. Some people were offended by his explicit sexual language, and his arguably irreverent comments on Biblical language. He did, however, overlook explicitly sexual Biblical language, and included crucial quotes from Jesus and the Apostle Paul, arguably reverently.

Usually, a coffee-table book is a light picture book -- something full of pleasant things to look at for a brief few moments of entertainment. Consider "Elements of Eloquence" a coffee-table book for the brain. This is a brilliant piece of work. Author Mark Forsyth captures dozens of means by which a writer (or speaker) can turn a more memorable phrase, and, breaking them into short five-to-ten-page bursts, manages to make a long English writing lesson into a delightful bit of easy reading. His examples are well-chosen and illustrative, the rules are obvious in the same way as the rules of nature or architecture (all around us, but hard to grasp until you know what you're looking for), and almost every chapter delivers a true laugh-out-loud moment. Go ahead and leave it on the coffee table -- most people will be discouraged by the title alone -- but those who read it will be extremely well-rewarded.

I actually felt sad when I finished this book. It was so charming, informative and amusing, I hated for it to end. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that most of the items work much better with poetry than general prose, however they are explained so well that there is no reason that you can't come out of the book with the ability to deliberately insert certain forms of rhetoric into your writing. He explains how they work, gives examples from history (and modern day), and suggests what sort of impact the word form has on the reader. If you love understanding better how language works, I recommend this book. If you simply wish to be entertained by a deft and witty writer, this book has that going for it as well.

Received in excellent condition.

My next book after reading this has been Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities" and I find myself enjoying the language more than I think I would have previously. I've also found that my own writing has become nicer to read. A warning, however: I have no idea whether employing some of these elements in my research papers will go down as particularly academic or professional in the Law Faculty!