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David Perell published a recorded conversation with Mark Forsyth on 2026-08-05…

Brief

David Perell published a conversation with Mark Forsyth (2026-08-05) exploring 13 rhetorical tools from Forsyth’s The Elements of Eloquence — from polyptoton, chiasmus and tricolon to anaphora, epistrophe, synesthesia and iambic pentameter — using examples from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, the Beatles and Taylor Swift; full video and clips with timestamps are linked in replies and on YouTube/Apple/Spotify.

Why it matters

David Perell published a recorded conversation with Mark Forsyth on 2026-08-05; Perell calls Forsyth “one of the world’s leading experts” on memorable writing and cites Forsyth’s book The Elements of Eloquence and examples from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, the Beatles, and Taylor Swift.

Key details

  • They walked through 13 rhetorical techniques with timestamps: 1) Polyptoton; 2) Chiasmus; 3) Isocolon; 4) Tricolon; 5) Anaphora; 6) Epistrophe; 7) Synesthesia; 8) Personification; 9) Schesis Onomaton; 10) Paradox; 11) Veridical Paradox; 12) Hyperbole; 13) Iambic Pentameter.
  • Perell shared the full conversation and shorter clips; links and clips are posted in reply tweets and he points listeners to the full episode on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.
Source evidence

Mark Forsyth is one of the world's leading experts on what makes a piece of writing memorable.

He's famous for a book called The Elements of Eloquence, which follows the writing strategy of writers like Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, and also musicians like the Beatles and Taylor Swift.

We went through these tools together, one by one, so you can use them in your own writing.

Timestamps:
Technique 1: Polyptoton
Techniques 2 & 3: Chiasmus and Isocolon
Technique 4: Tricolon
Technique 5: Anaphora
Technique 6: Epistrophe
Technique 7: Synesthesia
Technique 8: Personification
Technique 9: Schesis Onomaton
Technique 10: Paradox
Technique 11: Veridical Paradox
Technique 12: Hyperbole
Technique 13: Iambic Pentameter

I've shared the full conversation with Mark below. If you'd rather watch the full thing on YouTube or listen on Apple or Spotify, check out the reply tweets.

I've shared clips from the conversation in the replies as well.

Video