Rhetoric Terms Flashcards
Ethos
an appeal to ethics to convince someone of the credibility of the persuader. its pretty rad
Logos
the principle of reason and judgement, used to persuade by using logic.
Pathos
Appeal to emotions
Parallelism
two or more parts of a sentence a similar form or pattern
Juxtaposition
strategic placement of contrasting concepts.
Irony
to convey a meaning opposite of it’s literal meaning.
Tone
general change in voice or attitude to express certain emotions or mood about the subject
Rhetorical Questions
a question intended to make a point rather than elicit an answer
Periodic Sentence
a sentence where the main point is found at the end of the sentence
Syllogism
Step by step formula for deductive logic; two connecting statements that make an obvious logical leap to the conclusion.
Alliteration
Occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words
Understatement
the presentation of something to be smaller, worse, or less important than it truly is.
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passive reference
Apostrophe
a digression to address a usually absent person, personified thing, or imaginary character.
Antithesis
a person or a thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else; a contrast or opposition between two things.
Metonymy
a figure of speech in which a thing or a concept is not addressed by it’s own name but by the name of something it is associated with
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which the term of a part of something refers to the whole of something, or vice versa.
Satire
a form of literature in which sarcasm and irony are heavily used in order to mock or parody someone or something.
Hyperbole
an exaggerated statement that is not mean to be taken literally, and is used for emphasis.
Colloquialism
a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation
Diatribe
an angry and usually long speech or piece of writing that strongly criticizes someone or something
Double entendre
a phrase that can be interpreted to have two different meanings, one of which is usually indecent.
Diction
the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing; style of speaking
Syntax
the arrangement of words and phrases to create a well-formed sentence
Allegory
a story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Anecdote
A brief and entertaining story about a real person or event, often used for persuasion.
Antecedent
literary device in which a word or pronoun in a sentence refers to an earlier word.
Circumlocution
being vague and evasive by using many words to say something that could be said more directly with fewer words.
Epithet
characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name or person. sometimes abusive word or phrase.
Logical fallacy
the faulty reasoning or breakdown of logic
Motif
a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition
Paradox
a statement with valid reasoning that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self contradictory.
Pun
a form of wordplay that suggests two or more meanings
Qualifying statement
a statement used to qualify another statement so the reader believes what is said
Repudiation
the rejection of a proposal or an idea; the denial of the truth
Self-deprecating humor
humor that belittles or undervalues oneself
Pastiche
a literary, musical or artistic piece consisting predominantly of motifs or techniques borrowed from other sources
invective
an abusive or insulting word of phrase
Anticlimax
a disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events.
Digression
changing the topic
Subordinate clause
a clause that can not stand alone as a complete sentence
Hypothetical example
a fictional situation or proposition used to explain a complicated subject
Isocolon
a succession of sentences, phrases or clauses of grammatically equal length
Sardonic
characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking, cynical or sneering. (tone word)
Didactic
intended to teach people something often in an annoying way; patronizing.
Asyndeton
the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of sentences.
Conceit
a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are linked together with the use of metaphors or similes. or excessive pride
Litotes
ironical understatements in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary: “not too shabby”
Ad hominem
an argument directed at a person or opponent instead of the position they defend
Ad populum (bandwagon)
an argument that says something is true because most people believe it to be.
Begging the question (circular reasoning )
the wanted conclusion is assumed to be true (directly or indirectly)
Equivocation
confusing an argument by using a single word or phrase in more than one sense
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
since event y followed event x, event y must have been caused by event x
Non sequitur
a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow the previous argument or statement
Red herring
something that is intended to be a distraction from the main issue of an argument
Straw man
a strategy of exaggerating a false argument to strengthen ones real argument
Slippery slope
a fallacy where a person asserts that an event must inevitably follow without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question
Poisoning the well
a type of reasoning that attempts to discredit something that someone is about to say by providing unfavorable information about the specific person, whether it be true or false
Hasty generalization
to make a hasty/ fast generalization about something without considering all of the variables
False analogy
an analogy where two objects or events are argued to be similar or the same based on properties they share
