first 45 vocab Flashcards
Active Voice
The opposite of passive voice, the active voice is essentially any sentence with an active verb.
ex.) ‘Johnny Appleseed planted his seeds in the garden.’ The active verb is “planted.” Active voice is usually preferred in writing because it expresses more energy than does the passive voice.
Ad-Hominem
This is an attack on the person rather than the issues at hand–
a common fallacy, especially during an election year
Alliteration
the repetition of a phonetic sound at the beginning of several words in a sentence.
Students sometimes mention alliteration in rhetorical analysis essays, although it should only be discussed if the alliterative phrase itself is noticeable and the author has a legitimate purpose for using it. Otherwise, it is linguistic window dressing more often used in poetry
Allusion
A reference that recalls another work, another time in history, another famous person, and so forth.
Allusions are always important and begin a literary ripple effect. If you call a piece of real estate “the promised land” you are alluding to the Hebrews’ forty-year search for the sacred land promised to them by God and found in Israel.
Anadiplosis
In anadiplosis, the last word of the clause begins the next clause, creating a connection of ideas important to the author’s purpose in some way.
Ex.) The Furies chased the men. The men were chased by their nightmares. The nightmares awakened everyone in the room.
Analogy
A term that signifies a relational comparison of similarity between two objects or ideas.
Ex.) The analogy between heart and a pump (a heart pushes the flow of blood through the body as a pump pushes air into a tire)
Anaphora
In rhetoric, this is the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive poetic lines prose sentences, clauses, or paragraphs.
Ex.) You will see this quite often in political speeches when politicians make promises to voters: I will fight for medical care for ever man, woman, and child. I will fight for social security for our children. I will fight to raise the minimum wage.
Anastrophe
The reversal of the natural order of words in a sentence or line of poetry. It has a nice–if somewhat alarming–effect at times, and it has been known to occasionally cause confusion in inexperienced readers.
Ex.) Shakespeare was a whiz with anastrophe, which is also the reason so many people mistakenly think Shakespeare wrote in Old English. (He didn’t! If you can understand the words, it is modern English!) The poisoned apple she ate to her gave cramps of a serious nature
Antithesis
An observation or claim that is in opposition to your claim or an author’s claim.
If we argue for the drilling of wells, the antithesis might be to divert water from the river. If we claim that the electoral college is an outdated anachronism, the antithesis would be like the rest of the constitution, it has managed to adapt to the changing times.
Aphorism
a brief statement of an option or elemental truth.
Apostrophe
prayer-like, this is a direct address to someone who is not present, to a deity or muse, or to some other power
Appositive
also called a noun phrase, this modifies the noun next to it
Argument from Ignorance
an argument stating that something is true because it has never been proven false
Asydeton
the deliberate omission of conjunctions from a series of related independent clauses
Bandwagon
also called vox populi, this argument is the “everyone’s doing it” fallacy
Begging the Question
this argument occurs when the speaker states a claim that includes a word or phrase that needs to be defined before the argument can proceed, the argument fails to explain their reasoning
Cause and Effect
another fallacy, this is also known as post hoc ergo propter hoc (Latin for “after this, therefore because of this”), and it falls under the general umbrella of a causality fallacy or false cause. Relationship between two things when one thing makes something happen (Not always logical/true)
Chiasmus
this is an ABBA syntactical structure rather than the more common parallel ABAB structure
Ex:When the going gets tough, the tough get going
(a: going, b: tough)
Complex Sentence
a sentence structure that is a combination of a dependent clause and an independent clause
Compound Sentence
a sentence structure made up of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction
Compound-Complex Sentence
a combination of a compound and a complex sentence
Connotation
the associations or moods that accompany a word
Declarative Sentence
a basic statement or an assertion; the most common type of sentence
jargon
a pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people
Computer analysts have their own vocabulary, as do doctors, astronauts, and plumbers
juxtaposition
making one idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite
logos
an appeal to reason
loose sentence
an independent clause followed by all sorts of debris, usually dependent clauses
she wore a yellow ribbon that matched the shingles of the house, which were painted last year, just before he left for the war
malapropism
a wonderful form of word play in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds familiar
ex.) ´he is the very pineapple of politeness´ instead of ´he is the very pinnacle of politeness´
metaphor
a figure of speech in which what is unknown is compared to something that is known in order to better gauge its importance
ex.) the loose floorboards of his mind rattled
metonymy
a minor figure of speech in which the name of one thing is substituted for another with which it is closely associated .
ex.) the crown spoke with authority about the gathering crisis over bread and cheese. ´crown´ is not literal, but is associated with a king or queen.
non sequitur
Means, “it does not follow.” An argument by misdirection and is logically irrelevant.
object
A noun toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed. Not all sentences have objects, although all must have subjects and predicates.
Ex: The entrance to the dark fortress dared the KNIGHT to try his hand at entering.
onomatopoeia
A minor figure of speech in which a sound imitates the thing or action associated with it.
Ex: Bonks, conks, and calamities whirled through the air from the shifting coconut shells hung on strings.
oxymoron
Two words that together create a sense of opposition. Oxymorons often call attention to a particular point in an argument.
Ex: The mariner’s CULTIVATED VULGARITY was alarming to sailors more comfortable with the BUBBLY HEAVINESS of their capitan.
paradox
A major figure of speech in rhetorical analysis seeks to create a mental discontinuity, which then forces the reader to pause and seek clarity. A paradox is a truth or group of sentences that defy our intuition. A statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true.
parallel syntax (or parallelism)
A pattern of language that creates a rhythm of repetition often combined with some other language of repetition. Parallel sets of sentences or parallel clauses can exist within a sentence. Parallel syntax may best be likened to a train gaining momentum. It drives through a piece of writing, gathering emotional steam as it goes. a rhetorical device that consists of repetition among adjacent sentences or clauses.
Ex.) We will fight them on the beaches, and fight them in the hills, and fight them in the forests, and in the villages of the dell.
parentheticals
Phrases, sentences, and words inside parentheses ( ). In rhetorical analysis, pay attention to parenthetical statements. They add flow and concision to an essay.
subject
The formal term for the noun that is the basic focus of the sentence. It is who or what is doing the action in the sentence. Ex: An anxious gryphon got lost in the queen’s maze.
subordinate conjunction
A conjunction that makes an independent clause into a dependent clause. There is a huge list of subordinate conjunctions, but some of the more common is because, since, which, if, when, and although.
syllogism
In its basic form, this is a three-part argument construction in which two premises lead to a truth. Ex: all human beings are mortal. Heather is a human being. Therefore, Heather is mortal.
synecdoche
a minor figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole. Ex: All hands on deck.
syntax
the study of the rules of grammar that define the formation of sentences.
synthesis
To unite or synthesize a variety of sources to achieve a common end. Using your wits and argumentative skill, you combine memory, the commentary you’ve recently read, and a discussion to create a single coherent argument. For example, you may argue and conclude that bicycles would be safer in battle than a hummer.
theme
Theme is the basic message or meaning conveyed through elements of character and conflict. The term appears often in literature and is paralleled in nonfiction prose by an argument’s thesis.
thesis
The writer’s statement of purpose. Every well-written essay will have one. It is how the reader identifies what the writer is arguing, the position the writer is taking, and the action the writer is advocating. Focal intent of the essay.
