APL Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
Abstract
refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places.) the observable or “physical” is usually described in concrete language.
Allegory
an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric.
Anecdote
a short, simple narrative of an indecent, often 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
the presentation of 2 contrasting images. The ideas are 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.”
Auphorism
a short, often witty statement of a principle of a truth of life. “Early bird gets the worm.”
Apostrophe
Usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person place or thing and is an abstraction.
Argumentation
Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation.
Cacophony
harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in prose or poetry; the opposite of euphony.
Caricature
descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality
Colloquialism
a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t)
Coherence
quality of a piece of writing in which all the 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 2 or more words in close proximity, as in boost/ best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong.
Conundrum
a riddle whose answer is or involves a play on words; in may also be a paradox or difficult problem.
Deduction
the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example.
Denotation
literal meaning of a work as defined
Description
the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; on of the four modes of discourse.
Diction
word choice, and element of style; diction creates tone, attitude, and style as well as meaning. different types and style, as well as meaning. different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on the meaning. Academiv diction would be less colorful, but more precise than street slang
Didactic
Writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. Provides a model for correct behavior. Can be fiction or Nonfiction
Discourse
spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narrrator, and personation.
Emotional Appeal
Pathos; when a writer appeals to the reader’s 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.
Ethical Appeal
Ethos; when a writer trys to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal. but in all cases it is to guide the audiences confedience.
Euphemism
a more acceptable or more peasent way of saying something inappropriate or uncomfortable.
Euphony
A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cocophony.
Example
and individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern.
Explication
the art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. it usually invovles close reading and special attention to figurative language.
Exposition
the immediate revelationto the audience of the setting and other background information nessicery for understandin the plot
Generalization
when a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some
Genre
a type of lierary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as scientific fiction or sonnet.
Humor
anything that causes laughter or amusment. it did mean a person’s temperment
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration to create humor or emphasis.
Image
Word or words used to appeal to our senses to give us a visualization. It is always a concrete representation.
Imagery
words or phrases that are used in collection to appeal to the senses and give a mental picture.
Induction
The process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization
Inference
a conclusion on can draw from the presented details
Invictive
a verbally abusive attack.
Inversion
reversing the customary order of elements in a sentence or phrase; it is used effectively in many cases’ such as posing a question.
Jargon
The special language of a group or profession. the term usually has pejorative associations with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders.
Logical Appeal
When a writer tries to persuade through logical expression and the argument is based on fact, statistics and reason.
Lyrical
Song-like; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.
Mode
the method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written.
Mood
Similar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.
Narration
The telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the 4 modes of discourse.
Objectivity
An impersonal presentation of events and characters. it is a writer’s attempt to remove himself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story.
Parallelism
the technique of arranging words. phrases, clauses, or larger structures side by side and making the similar in form.
Parody
a work that riducules the style of another work.
Pahetic Appeal; Pathos
The emotional appeal of an argument.
Pedantic
a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing.
Persuasion
a form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse.
Regionalism
an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale.
Rhetorical Modes
Exposition, description, narrration, argumentation.
Rhetorical Question
One that does not expect an explicit answer.
Sarcasm
harsh, caustic remorks to or about someone.
Satirc
a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior.
Speaker
The voice of a work.
Stereotype
a character thatt represents a social or racail group and lacks individuality.
Style
an authors characteristic manner of expression.
Subjectivity
a personal presentation of events.
Syllogism
a form of reasoning in which 2 statments are made and a conclusion is drawn from them.
Synecdoche
a figure of speech where part of something represents a whole.
Syntactic Fluency
ablility to create a variety of sentence structures.
Syntactic Permutation
sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and invvled.
Syntax
the grammatical structure of a sentence.
Theme
the central idea or message of the literary work
Thesis
the main idea of a piece of writing
Tone
The characteristic attitude of the author to the subject.
Transition
a word or phrase that links on idea to the next idea.
Understatement
the opposite of exaggeration.
Voice
refers to writer’s style and the relationship between sentence subjects.
Fallacy
any aspect of writing that tends to weaken an argument.
Ad hominem
instead of attacking his/her opponent’s argument, the arguer attacks their opponent themselves.
