Princeton Review Terms Flashcards
Diction
Refers to word choice
Syntax
Refers to the arrangement of words
Style
Umbrella term for the diction, syntax, voice, and sentence structure used to make a specific point
Tone
The attitude, mood, or sentiment of a piece revealed by the style
Euphemism
A mild word or phrase substituted for something much harsher
Circumlocution
A phrase describing something indirectly that could be put more simply with a single word
Irony
Refers to the contrast between expectation and reality, often for the purpose of humor
Satire
The use of irony and sarcasm to ridicule or to scorn
Logos
An appeal to reason and logic
Ethos
An appeal to the speaker’s credibility
Pathos
An appeal to the emotions, values, or desires of the audience
Nihilism
A belief in nothing
Pedantic
A word used to describe someone obsessed with correcting small errors or emphasizing their own expertise
Ostentatious
Characterized by a pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice
Pretentious
Attempting to impress by affecting greater talent, importance, or culture than possessed
Ludic
Playful; pertaining to a game
Terse
Concise; without superfluous detail
Edifying
Enlightening and informative
Comic Effect
The use of humor; something intended to make you laugh
Hyperbole
An overstatement or exaggeration
Juxtaposition
The positioning of two things to highlight their differences for rhetorical effect (“Let us not ask what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country”)
Pun
A joke highlighting the different meanings of similar words
Personification
The attribution of human characteristics to something non-human
Extended Metaphor
A metaphor which lasts longer than one phrase or sentence
Symbolism
A concrete object that represents an abstract idea
Anthropomorphism
The use of human anatomy to describe non-human objects (“The legs of a table, the face of a clock, the arms of a tree”)
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word
Connotation
The feeling that a word invokes
Metonymy
When one term is substituted for another term with which it’s associated (“The sailors drank a glass of hearty red”)
Synecdoche
A form of metonymy in which a part is used to signify a whole (“All hands on deck!”)
Malapropism
The use of a word in place of a similar sounding one, often for an amusing effect (“Let’s dance the Flamingo”)
Oxymoron
Contradictory words paired together (“Jumbo shrimp”)
Paradox
A sentence that contains two elements which cannot both be true at the same time (Epimenides, the Cretan philosopher said, “All Cretans are liars.”)
Rhetorical Question
A question whose answer is obvious
Bombast adj. Bombastic
Language that is overly rhetorical/pompous (“We are here in these hallowed halls, accompanied by genial kin and erudite mentors,…”) think graduation speeches
Aphorism/Adage/Proverb/Maxim
A pithy statement of an opinion or general truth (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”)
Pithy
Language that is concise and forcefully expressive
Motto
A short sentence or phrase encapsulating the beliefs or ideals guiding an individual, family, or institution.
Vituperative
Bitter and abusive
Polemic
A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something
Inductive Reasoning
Specific examples are used to reach a general conclusion This conclusion may or may not be accurate (You learn that you don’t have school today and conclude that all schools are closed)
Deductive Reasoning
Generalizations are used to draw conclusions about specific cases (If the newspaper says, “All schools are closed today,” you conclude that you don’t have school)
False Dichotomy
Rhetoric that assumes a black and white world in which there is no middle ground, and no other alternative.
Ad Hominem
An argument directed against the person rather than the position they are maintaining
Dogmatism
The tendency to lay down principles as true without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others
Equivocation
Ambiguous language used to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself
Red Herring Fallacy
This fallacy consists in diverting attention from the real issue by focusing instead on an issue having only a surface relevance to the first. (“Sure, we haven’t given raises in over five years to our employees. You know, we work really hard to make a good product. We try to ensure the best customer service, too.”)
Straw Man Fallacy
Someone takes another person’s argument or point, distorts it or exaggerates it in some kind of extreme way, and then attacks the extreme distortion, as if that is really the claim the first person is making
Ad Populum/”Bandwagon”
Concludes that a proposition must be true because many or most people believe it, often concisely encapsulated as: “If many believe so, it is so”.
Non Sequitur
A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement. (Someone asks what it’s like outside and you reply, “It’s 2:00.”)
