APL Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
Abstract
refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images
Allegory
a work in which the characters and events are to be understood as representing other things and symbolically expressing a deeper, often spiritual, moral, or political meaning
Anecdote
a short simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous sffect or to make a point
Annotation
adding of notes: the addition of explanatory or critical comments to a text; explanatory note: an explanatory or critical comment that has been added to a text
Antithesis
direct opposite: the complete or exact opposite of something; figure of speech: a use of words or phrases that contrast with each other to create a balanced effect
Aphorism
a short, often whitty statement of a principle or a truth about life
Apostrophe
usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out an imaginary, dead or absent person or to a place, thing , or personified abastraction
Argumentation
debate: the process of debating or discussing something; logical reasoning: reasoning that proceeds methodically from a statement to a conclusion
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Cacophony; Dissonance
use of jarring sounds: the use of harsh unpleasant sounds in language, e.g. for literary effect
Caricature
comic exaggeration: a drawing, description, or performance that exaggerates somebody’s or something’s characteristics for humorous or satirical effect
Colloquialism
informal expression: an informal word or phrase that is more common in conversation than in formal speech or writing
Coherence; Unity
logically or aesthetically consistent: logically or aesthetically consistent and holding together as a harmonious or credible whole
Concrete language
language that describes specific, observable things, people, pr places, rather than ideas or qualities
Consonance
similarity between consonants: a close similarity between consonants or groups of consonants, especially at the ends of words, e.g. between “strong” and “ring”
Conundrum
something confusing: something that is puzzling or confusing; word puzzle: a riddle, especially one with an answer in the form of a play on words
Deduction
the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
Denotation
literal meaning of a word
Description
process of describing: the process of giving an account or explanation of something: one of the four modes of discourse
Diction
spoken clarity: the clarity with which somebody pronounces words when speaking or singing: choice of words: choice of words to fit their context
Didactic
with message: containing a political or moral message: fond of instructing or advising others: tending to give instruction or advice, even when it is not welcome or not needed
Discourse
serious speech or piece of writing: a serious and lengthy speech or piece of writing about a topic; the four modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion
Emotional appeal - Pathos
when a writer appeals to the readers a emotions to excite and involve them in argument
Epigraph
introductory quotation: a quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, or section of a book, usually related to its theme
Ethical Appeal - Ethos
when a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him based on a presentation of immage of self
Euphemism
less offensive synonym: a word or phrase used in place of a term that might be considered too direct, harsh, unpleasant, or offensive
Euphony
pleasant sound: a pleasant sound, especially in speech or pronunciation
Example
representative of a gerneral plan
Explication
the art of interpreting or dicovering the meaning of a text
Exposition
act of describing or discussing something: the act of describing and discussing a theory, problem, or proposal, or of commenting on a written text
Generalization
sweeping statement: a statement presented as a general truth but based on limited or incomplete evidence
Genre
category of artistic works: one of the categories, based on form, style, or subject matter, into which artistic works of all kinds can be divided.
Humor
funny quality: the quality or content of something such as a story, performance, or joke that elicits amusement and laughter
Hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis
Image
likeness seen or produced: the likeness of somebody or something that appears in a mirror, through a lens, or on the retina of the eye, or is produced electronically on a screen
Imagery
mental images: a set of mental pictures produced by the memory or imagination or conjured up by a stimulus
Induction
the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization
Inference
a conclusion one can draw from presented details
Invective
a verbally abusive attack
Inversion
reversal: a reversing of the order, arrangement, or position of something; reversed state or thing: a state in which the order, arrangement, or position of something is reversed, or something in such a state
Connotation
implied additional meaning: an additional sense or senses associated with or suggested by a word or phrase. Connotations are sometimes, but not always, fixed, and are often subjective
Jargon
special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Logical Appeal; Logos
when a writer tries to persuade the audience based on facts and reasons. the process of reasoning.
Lyrical
songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivly, and imagination
Mood
the feeling of a work; the atmosphere; similar to tone
mode
the method of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written
narration
the action or process of telling a story.
objectivity
an impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writers attempt to remove himself from and subjective, personal involvement in the story.
parrallelism
the technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form
Parody
an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect;produce a humorously exaggerated imitation of (a writer, artist, or genre).
Pathetic Appeal; Pathos
when a witer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions
Paradox
a statement or proposition that, despite sound(or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory
Pedantic
writing that borders lecturing
Persuasion
language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion
rationalism
a belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response
repetition
word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity
rhetorical modes
exposition, description, narration, argumentation
rhetorical question
question that does not expect an explicit answer
sarcasm
harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone, less subtle than irony
satire
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues
speaker
the voice of a work
stereotype
a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality
style
an authors characteristic manner of expression, his diction, syntax, imagery, stricter, and content all contribute to style
subjectivity
judgment based on individual personal impressions and feelings and opinions rather than external facts
syllogism
an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs )
syntactic fluency
Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple
and varied in length
syntactic permutation
Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often
difficult for a reader to follow
syntax
the grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax includes length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound)
theme
the central idea or “message” or a literary work
thesis
the main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author’s assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis
tone
the characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience (anger, sarcastic, loving, didactic, emotional, etc.)
transition
a word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph
understatement
the 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 a sentence’s subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total “sound” of a writer’s style
asyndeton
leaving out conjunctions: the omission of conjunctions in sentence constructions in which they would usually be used
polysyndeton
repetition of conjunctions: the use of multiple conjunctions or coordinate clauses in close succession, as in “The bad news caused him to weep and cry and wail”
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