Glossary #4 Flashcards
Definition- Rhetoric
The art of effective communication.
Definition- Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
The relationships in a piece of writing or a speech among the speaker/writer, the event(s) or experiences that inspired the subject (exigence), the audience, the message, the author’s purpose, and the appeals, tools, and techniques used to achieve that purpose. Context (history, environment, background information, culture) surround and influence every part of the triangle.
All analysis of writing is essentially an analysis of the relationships between the points on the triangle.
Definition- Rhetorical Question
Question not asked for information but for effect.
Example- Rhetorical Question
“The angry parent asked the child, ‘Are you finished interrupting me?’”
Impact- Rhetorical Question
engage the audience, influence their ideas, encourage them to answer such questions, and create a connection between the audience and the speaker
Definition- Romanticism
Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature. Does not rely on traditional themes and structures
Example- Romanticism
Beauty and the Beast
Definition- Sarcasm
A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded. However, not all satire and irony are sarcastic. It is the bitter, mocking tone that separates sarcasm from mere verbal irony or satire.
Example- Sarcasm
“they’re really on top of things” to describe a group of people who are very disorganized
Impact- Sarcasm
to mock or convey contempt. It is often used for comedic purposes
Definition- Satire
A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions. Good satire usually has three layers: serious on the surface; humorous when you discover that it is satire instead of reality; and serious when you discern the underlying point of the author.
Example- Satire
South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy
Impact- Satire
to leverage a critique of society in a way that’s interesting, useful, and often funny
Definition- Sentence
A sentence is group of words (including subject and verb) that expresses a complete thought.
Definition- Appositive
A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning.
Example- Appositive
“Bob, the lumber yard worker, spoke with Judy, an accountant from the city.”
Impact- Appositive
provides information that further identifies or defines it
Definition- Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.
Definition- Balanced sentence
A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale. Both parts are parallel grammatically.
Example- Balanced sentence
“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
Impact- Balanced sentence
enhance clarity and emphasize connections between ideas by creating a symmetrical structure
Definition- Compound sentence
Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses.
Example- Compound sentence
“This house is too expensive, and that house is too small.”
Definition- Complex sentence
Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Example- Complex sentence
“He studied hard because he wanted to go to medical school as he suffered from arthritis”
Definition- Cumulative sentence
When the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements.
Example- Cumulative sentence
“He doubted whether he could ever again appear before an audience, his confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet with perspiration.”
Definition- Periodic sentence
When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence. The writer begins with subordinate elements and postpones the main clause.
Example- Periodic sentence
“His confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet with perspiration, he doubted whether he could ever again appear before an audience.”
Definition- Simple sentence
Contains only one independent clause.
Example- Simple sentence
“Joe waited for the train.”
Definition- Declarative sentence
States an idea. It does not give a command or request, nor does it ask a question.
Example- Declarative sentence
“The ball is round.”
Definition- Imperative sentence
Issues a command.
Example- Imperative sentence
“Kick the ball.”
Definition- Interrogative sentence
Sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who, whom, and whose).
Example- Interrogative sentence
“To whom did you kick the ball?”
Definition- Style
The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. Style may be conscious or unconscious.
Definition- Symbol
Anything that represents or stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete such as an object, actions, character…that represents something more abstract.
Example- Symbol
the Whale in Moby Dick, the river and the jungle in Heart of Darkness, and the Raven in “The Raven.”
Impact- Symbol
They evoke emotions, influence decision-making, and shape brand perception.
Definition- Syntax/sentence variety
Grammatical arrangement of words. This is perhaps one of the most difficult concepts to master. First, a reader should examine the length of sentences (short or long). How does sentence length and structure relate to tone and meaning? Are they simple, compound, compound-complex sentences? How do they relate to one another? Syntax is the grouping of words, while diction refers to the selection of individual words.
Definition- Theme
The central idea or message of a work. The theme may be directly stated in nonfiction works, although not necessarily. It is rarely stated directly in fiction.
Example- Theme
Themes can be love, redemption, forgiveness, coming of age, revenge, good vs evil, bravery and hardship
Definition- Thesis
The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. It should be short and clear.
Example- Thesis
Climate change threatens the health and safety of all Americans because of the increase in air pollution, the rise in the number of days with record-breaking heat, and the greater frequency of catastrophic weather events.
Definition- Tone
A writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization. To identify tone, consider how the piece would sound if read aloud (or how the author wanted it to sound aloud). Tone can be: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, somber, etc.
Example- Tone
Tones can be excited, depressed, sarcastic, frightened, or hopeful
Impact- Tone
influence how others perceive them and their message
Definition- Understatement
The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous.
Example- Understatement
“Our defense played valiantly, and held the other team to merely eight touchdowns in the first quarter.”
Impact- Understatement
enhances figurative language by allowing authors to convey meaning through subtlety rather than overt expression. It can also add irony or humor and add depth to characters and situations.
