Persuasive Speech List 1

Question 0

Claim

Answer 0

specific point you are trying to prove; claim includes your thesis, facets of your thesis, and support/evidence for those points

Question 1

Thesis

Answer 1

overall point you are trying to prove

Question 2

Counterclaim/counterargument

Answer 2

alternate perspective and/or opposing viewpoint against your thesis or claim. Includes support/evidence for those opposing points

Question 3

rebuttal

Answer 3

reasoning to show why the counterclaim is deficient. Supports the claim/thesis with evidence

Question 4

logos

Answer 4

appeal to logical reasoning

Question 5

ethos

Answer 5

establish credibility by citing personal experience, experts, authorities, and/or moral “rightness” of your ideas

Question 6

pathos

Answer 6

appeal to audience’s emotion

Question 7

anecdote

Answer 7

brief story used to provide an example or make a point

Question 8

aphorism

Answer 8

“catchphrase” or witty statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief

Question 9

allusion

Answer 9

reference to a figure, event, or object from history, literature, arts, or culture. Creates resonance or symbolic meaning

Question 10

syllogism

Answer 10

a form of deductive reasoning that follows this format: All men are mortal. Bill is a man. Therefore, Bill is mortal.; an extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument

Question 11

Situational Irony

Answer 11

the outcome of the situation is the opposite of what you would expect

Question 12

Dramatic Irony

Answer 12

audience knows something that a character does not know

Question 13

Verbal Irony

Answer 13

Literal meaning is different from the intended meaning (like sarcasm)

Question 14

Nostalgia

Answer 14

desire to return in though or fact to a former time

Question 15

Litote

Answer 15

Ironic understatement in which you say something is not its opposite (Gordon is not a bad cook)

Question 16

Motif

Answer 16

recurrent device or situation

Question 17

anaphora

Answer 17

repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of sentences or phrases

Question 18

imagery

Answer 18

sensory details using figurative language to evoke a feeling

Question 19

euphemism

Answer 19

substitution of a milder or less direct expression for one that is harsh or blunt

Question 20

tone

Answer 20

author’s attitude

Question 21

mood

Answer 21

feeling the author is trying to evoke in the audience

Question 22

hyperbole

Answer 22

opposite of litotes; exaggerated overstatement