APL Rhetorical Terms

Question 1

Abstract

Answer 1

refers to a language that describes concepts rather than concrete images(ideas/qualities rather than observable/specific things, people, places)

Question 2

Allegory

Answer 2

narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events,& settings represent abstract qualities. Writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story. (Moral, religious, political, social, and satiric)

Question 3

Anecdote

Answer 3

short, simple narrative of an incident. Used for humorous effect or to make a point

Question 4

Annotation

Answer 4

explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.

Question 5

Antithesis

Answer 5

presentation of two contrasting images. Ideas balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. “To be or not to be…” “ Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country…”

Question 6

Aphorism

Answer 6

short, witty statement of a principle or truth about life: “Early bird gets the worm.”

Question 7

Apostrophe

Answer 7

poetry sometimes prose. device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to be a place, thing, or personified abstraction.

Question 8

Arguementation

Answer 8

writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing

Question 9

Cacophony; Dissonance

Answer 9

harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose, Opposite of Euphony

Question 10

Caricature

Answer 10

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality

Question 11

Colloquialism

Answer 11

word or phrase (slang) used in everyday conversation & informal writing but is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all/aren’t)

Question 12

Coherence; Unity

Answer 12

quality of a piece of writing in which all parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle

Question 13

Concrete Language

Answer 13

language that describes specific, observable things, people or places, rather than ideas or qualities

Question 14

Connotation

Answer 14

implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind

Question 15

Consonance

Answer 15

repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, boost/best, also seen in several compound words, fulfill/ping-pong

Question 16

Conundrum

Answer 16

riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; may also be a paradox or difficult problem

Question 17

Deduction

Answer 17

Process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

Question 18

Denotation

Answer 18

Literal meaning of a word as refined

Question 19

Description

Answer 19

picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; 1 of the 4 modes of discourse.

Question 20

Diction

Answer 20

word choice, element of style; creates tone, attitude, and style as well as meaning. Different types and arrangement of words have significant effects on meaning. Essay written in academic diction much less colorful but perhaps more precise than street slang

Question 21

Didactic

Answer 21

writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. Usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns.May be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Question 22

Discourse

Answer 22

Spoken or written language, literary work; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse ore description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.

Question 23

Emotional Appeal-Pathos

Answer 23

when a writer appeals to a readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in the argument.

Question 24

Epigraph

Answer 24

The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is “you are a lost generation” by Gertrude Stein.

Question 25

Ethical Appeal-Ethos

Answer 25

When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.

Question 26

Euphemism

Answer 26

More acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable.”He went to his final reward” is a common euphemism for “he died ‘. Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.

Question 27

Euphony

Answer 27

Succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose: opposite of cacophony.

Question 28

Example

Answer 28

Individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrated true or factual as well as relevant.

Question 29

Explication

Answer 29

Art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.

Question 30

Exposition

Answer 30

The immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot: also, explanation: one of the four modes of discourse.

Question 31

Generalization

Answer 31

When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some.

Question 32

Genre

Answer 32

Type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also sub-genres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres.

Question 33

Humor

Answer 33

Anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person’s temperament.

Question 34

Hyperbole

Answer 34

Deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis.

Question 35

Image

Answer 35

Word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense, an image is always a concrete representaion

Question 36

Paradox

Answer 36

Statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”

Question 37

Parallelism

Answer 37

Technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form. Parallel structure may be as simple as listing two or more modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb; it may take the form of two or more of the same type of phrases that modify the same noun or verb; it may also take the form of 2 or more subordinate clauses that modify the same noun or verb. Or, parallel structure may be a complex bend of single-word, phrase, and clause parallelism all in the same sentence.

Question 38

Parody

Answer 38

A work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. Depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content.

Question 39

Pathetic Appeal; Pathos

Answer 39

When a writer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade

Question 40

Pendantic

Answer 40

Term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distand

Question 41

Persuasion

Answer 41

Form of argument, one of four modes of discourse; Language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.

Question 42

Regionalism

Answer 42

Element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot.

Question 43

Repitition

Answer 43

Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity.

Question 44

Rhetorical Modes

Answer 44

Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation

Question 45

Rhetorical Question

Answer 45

One that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience

Question 46

Sarcasm

Answer 46

Harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony

Question 47

Satire

Answer 47

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. Satire doesn’t simply abuse or get personal. Targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.

Question 48

Speaker

Answer 48

Voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious peerson

Question 49

Stereotype

Answer 49

Character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality; a convectional pattern, expression or idea

Question 50

Style

Answer 50

An author’s characteristic manner of expression-his or her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style.

Question 51

Subjectivity

Answer 51

A personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions

Question 52

Syllogism

Answer 52

Form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. Consists of a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.

EX: Major-all tragedies end unhappily
Minor-hamlet is a tragedy
Conclusion-therefore, Hamlet ends unahppily

Question 53

Synecdote

Answer 53

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using “boards” to mean a stage or “wheels” to mean a car–or “All hands on Deck”

Question 54

Syntactic Fluency

Answer 54

Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.

Question 55

Syntactic Permutation

Answer 55

Sentence structure s that are extraordinarily complex and involved. Are often difficult for the novice reader to follow.

Question 56

Syntax

Answer 56

Grammatical structure of a sentence; arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax includes length of sentences, kinds of senteces

Question 57

Theme

Answer 57

Central idea or message of a literary work

Question 58

Thesis

Answer 58

Main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author’s assertion or claim. Effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis.

Question 59

Tone

Answer 59

Characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience.

Question 60

Transition

Answer 60

Word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph –> paragraph

Question 61

Understatement

Answer 61

Opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.

Question 62

Voice

Answer 62

Refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between sentence’s subject and verbs.