APL Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
Abstract
refers to a language that describes concepts rather than concrete images(ideas/qualities rather than observable/specific things, people, places)
Allegory
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)
Anecdote
short, simple narrative of an incident. Used for humorous effect or to make a point
Annotation
explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.
Antithesis
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…”
Aphorism
short, witty statement of a principle or truth about life: “Early bird gets the worm.”
Apostrophe
poetry sometimes prose. device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to be a place, thing, or personified abstraction.
Arguementation
writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing
Cacophony; Dissonance
harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose, Opposite of Euphony
Caricature
descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality
Colloquialism
word or phrase (slang) used in everyday conversation & informal writing but is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all/aren’t)
Coherence; Unity
quality of a piece of writing in which all parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle
Concrete Language
language that describes specific, observable things, people or places, rather than ideas or qualities
Connotation
implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind
Consonance
repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, boost/best, also seen in several compound words, fulfill/ping-pong
Conundrum
riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; may also be a paradox or difficult problem
Deduction
Process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
Denotation
Literal meaning of a word as refined
Description
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.
Diction
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
Didactic
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.
Discourse
Spoken or written language, literary work; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse ore description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.
Emotional Appeal-Pathos
when a writer appeals to a readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in the argument.
Epigraph
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.
Ethical Appeal-Ethos
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.
Euphemism
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.
Euphony
Succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose: opposite of cacophony.
Example
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.
Explication
Art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.
Exposition
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.
Generalization
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.
Genre
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.
Humor
Anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person’s temperament.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis.
Image
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
Paradox
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.”
Parallelism
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.
Parody
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.
Pathetic Appeal; Pathos
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
Pendantic
Term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distand
Persuasion
Form of argument, one of four modes of discourse; Language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.
Regionalism
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.
Repitition
Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity.
Rhetorical Modes
Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation
Rhetorical Question
One that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience
Sarcasm
Harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony
Satire
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.
Speaker
Voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious peerson
Stereotype
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
Style
An author’s characteristic manner of expression-his or her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style.
Subjectivity
A personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions
Syllogism
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
Synecdote
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”
Syntactic Fluency
Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.
Syntactic Permutation
Sentence structure s that are extraordinarily complex and involved. Are often difficult for the novice reader to follow.
Syntax
Grammatical structure of a sentence; arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax includes length of sentences, kinds of senteces
Theme
Central idea or message of a literary work
Thesis
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.
Tone
Characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience.
Transition
Word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph –> paragraph
Understatement
Opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.
Voice
Refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between sentence’s subject and verbs.
