Lit Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Abstract diction
refers to words that describe concepts rather than concrete images These words do not appeal imaginatively to the reader’s senses. Abstract words create no “mental picture” or any other imagined sensations for readers.
Absolutes
an adverbial clause that has an on finite verb or noverb at all (the clause is missing “was”or
“were” or it is replaced by a verbal, making it dependent).The prisoners marched past, their hands above their heads.
Academic diction
use of scholarly words or terms, e.g. “Kennedy employs many rhetorical strategies in his
speech, namely chiasmus, parallelism, allusion, and pathos.”
Activevoice
Insentenceswritteninactivevoice,thesubjectperformstheaction expressed in the verb; the subject acts.
Active: The dog bit the boy.
Passive: The boy was bitten by the dog.
Ad hominem fallacy
a fallacy of logic in which a person’s character or motive is attacked instead of that person’s argument.
Ad populum fallacy
popular appeal,or appeal to the majority.The fallacy of attempting to win popular assent to a conclusion by arousing the feeling and enthusiasms of the multitude.
Adverb
a part of speech usually ending in–lythatisusedchieflyasamodifierofanadjective(Sheisextremely pale.), a modifier of another adverb (The storm came very suddenly.), or as an adverbial (I visit my family frequently).
Adverbial
a sentence element used to convey a range of information about the situation depicted in the basic sentence structure (how, when, where, to what extent, or under what conditions).
Adverbial clause
a clause that has an adverb-like function in modifying another clause. I saw the movie before I left to Europe.
Allegory
a story where things represent abstract stuff
allusion
a brief or indirect reference to a person, place, event, or passage in a work of literature or the Bible assumed to be sufficiently well known to be recognized by the reader.
ambiguity
the expression of an idea in such a way that more than one meaning is suggested.
anadipolsis
the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause:
Analogy
a comparison between two things in which the more complex is explained in terms of the more simple.
Anaphora
the repetition of introductory words or phrases
Anastrophe
departure from normal word order for the sake of emphasis. Normal syntax is violated.
Anecdote
a short entertaining account of some happening, frequently personal or biographical used to bring humor or to illustrate a particular characteristic or trait.
Annotation
Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.
Anticipating and addressing counter-arguments
When making the argument, the author, aware of what points his or her opponents will likely take exception to, anticipates these objections and then addresses them in his or her argument, thus strengthening his or her position. Refutation and concession are examples of this type of organizational strategy.
Antithesis
opposition or contrast emphasized by parallel structure.
Antecedent
thewordforwhichapronounstands.
Aphorism
a brief saying embodying a moral; a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words.
Apostrophe
a strategy in which an absent person, inanimate object (the sun, for example), or abstract being
(Death) is addressed directly.
Appeal to authority/expert testimony
citation of information from people recognized for their special knowledge of a subject for the purpose of strengthening an author’s arguments.
Appositive
a noun phrase or clause which renames or describes another noun phrase or pronoun.
Argument
the logical (facts, statistics, hard evidence, etc.) and non-logical ideas or reasons a person uses to convince a specific audience.
Argumentation
writing that attempts to prove the validity of a proposition or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation.
Aristotelian logic
a formal logical system using syllogism in which propositions are given to support a conclusion that can be proven either by deduction or induction.
Assertion
the starting point of an argument, a general statement of belief or judgment that can be supported with specific evidence and examples
Assonance:
repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants; e.g. Early in the day, the neighs began to fade.
Assumption
an inference or conclusion, possibly based on some evidence.
Asyndeton
Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words
Balanced sentence structure
a sentence that has parallel phrases or clauses used to stress similar ideas
Bandwagon
either saying that supporting a specific cause/stance would result in the rejection of peers or using the popular support of a cause/stance to persuade others to support it as well:
Begging the question
fallacy of logical argument that assumes the reader will automatically accept an assertion without proper support.
Binary classification
the task of classifying the members of a given set of objects into two groups on the basis
of whether they have some property or not.
Cacophony
harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony
Caricature
descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality; used for comic effect or criticism
Cause and effect
examination of the causes and/or effects of a situation or phenomenon; this can be an author’s main organizational strategy, or it can be one paragraph used to support a point in an essay developed through another pattern.
Challenge
the author disagrees with a given assertion.
Chiasmus
a syntactical structure by which the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second.
Chronological ordering: an organizational strategy
where events or actions are organized according to their
order of occurrence.
Circular logic/thinking/reasoning
a fallacy which involves repeating assertions endlessly without real support.
Classification as a means of ordering
an organizational strategy where objects are arranged according to class; e.g. media classified as print, television, and radio.
Clause
a sentence-like construction that is contained within a sentence or a simple sentence, usually containing a subject and a verb or verbal.
Coherence
quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle.
Colloquial diction
words or phrases (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing which is usually inappropriate in formal writing
colon
:
Comic relief
something said or done that provides a break from the seriousness of the text.
Complement
a sentence element that is required, by the meaning of the verb, to complete the sentence.
Complex sentences
a sentence containing one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
Compound sentences
two or more independent clauses (simple sentences) joined by a coordinating conjunction
Conceit
a juxtaposition that makes a surprising connection between two seemingly different things. comparison
Concession (Aristotelian concession)
You admit that the opposing claim is valid; however, you demonstrate how it is possible to
accept it without rejecting your whole argument. conceding a point in an argument means actually agreeing with the opponent on a particular issue.
Concrete diction
words that describe specific, observable things, people, or
places, rather than ideas or qualities.
Conjunction
words that link units of equal status (coordinating conjunctions) or introduce subordinate
clauses (subordinating conjunctions).
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, a
Contrast
showing how two or more texts, ideas or objects are different.
Conundrum:
a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem: Which
came first, the chicken or the egg? But
Convoluted sentences
long, complicated sentences that are often hard to follow because they are wordy and too many ideas are rolled together into one sentence.
Coordinating conjunctions
words that can, with a comma, link two independent clauses
Damning with faint praise
intentional use of a positive statement that has a negative implication; e.g.
“Your new hairdo is so….interesting.”
Declarative sentences
a type of sentence structure used chiefly for making statements. The sentence structure is usually Subject/Verb/Object (SVO).
Deduction
a form of reasoning using syllogism where the author begins with a generalization, then applies the generalization to a specific case or cases. Aristtotle
Defend
the author agrees with a given assertion.
Definition
making something clear or distinct
Denotation
the literal or obvious meaning of a word
Dependent clause
a group of words that contains a subject and a verb, but cannot be a grammatical
sentence
Description
he picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion,
sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse.
Determiner
words that introduce noun phrases (the, a, an, this,
Diction
choice of words especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.
Didactic
writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach.
Digression
a temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing.
Dilemma
a type of conflict in which both choices have some negative consequences.
Discourse
spoken or written language
Diversion
a technique used to distract focus or divert attention away from key issues, usually by intensifying unrelated issues, or trivial factors, appeal to emotion
Economy
a style of writing characterized by conciseness and brevity, short
Ellipsis
any omitted part of speech that is easily understood in context there is an omitted/understood “were” between “people” and “groaning.”
Epanalepsis
the repetition of the first word of one clause at the end of the clause
Epigram
a brief, clever, and usually memorable statement.
Epistrophe
the repetition of the same word or groups of words at the ends of phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Euphemism
the use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but that is also less distasteful or less offensive than another
Euphony
a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony.
Evidence
something that furnishes proof in a reasoned argument
Examples
an individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern.
Exclamatory sentences
a type of sentence structure used chiefly to express strong feeling
Explication
the art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close
reading and special attention to figurative language.
Explicit
fully revealed or expressed without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity : leaving no question as to meaning or intent; stated directly
Exposition
designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand through the use of facts, reasons, or examples; one of the four modes of discourse.
Facts
knowledge or information based on real occurrences or data; statements that can be verified as true
False causality
a fallacy of concluding that an event is caused by another event simply because it follows it
False dilemma
a fallacy of logical argument which is committed when too few of the available alternatives are considered, and all but one are assessed and deemed impossible or unacceptable;
