Rhetorical questions: Grammatical questions which are not meant to be answered.
Not all rhetorical questions have the same function.
ANTHYPOPHORA
When someone asks themselves a question then immediately answers it themselves.
Also called Hypophora.
Teachers and lecturers use this rhetorical device all the time.
“How many moons does Jupiter have? As of March 2023, there are 95 moons of Jupiter with confirmed orbits.”
EPIPLEXIS
A sequence of rhetorical questions is used to criticise or blame, or more generally, to elicit an emotional response.
“Would you steal a car? Would you steal a handbag? Would you steal a television? Would you steal a movie? No? Well, downloading pirated films is stealing.”
(Riffing on the anti-piracy caution made in 2004 which used to appear at the beginning of every purchased DVD.)
EROTESIS
Ostensibly a question, but the audience understands it’s not a real question. There’s a strong yes or no answer, and everyone knows what the speaker means.
“If Jack jumped off a bridge would you also jump off a bridge?”
