rhetoric vocab Flashcards
Allusion
An implicit reference to something, usually to a piece of literature, religious figures, or a well known historical event
Analogy
A comparison between things that have a similar function or structure, usually with the words like or as
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (groups of words with a subject and verb)
Apostrophe
The making of a speech or address to an absent person (a cousin who is in jail) or a thing that is personified (such as Death)
Asyndeton
A sentence or series of sentences in which conjunctions are omitted in a series of words, phrases or clauses
Anecdote
A short, illustrative story
Appeal to emotion (pathos)
An attempt to persuade the reader through an emotionally charged anecdote, description, or allusion
Appeal to ethos
Refers to the speaker’s character as it appears to the audience. Aristotle says that if we believe that a speaker has good sense, good moral character, and good will, we are inclined to believe what the speaker says. Today we might add that that a speaker should also appear to have the appropriate expertise or authority to speak knowledgeably about the subject matter.
Appeal to logos (logic)
The examination of an argument in terms of its logical support (or lack thereof)
Chiasmus
A rhetorical device in which words, grammatical constructions or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or modified form
Concession
Acknowledging the validity or logic of something your opponent believes. Making one means you allow that they have a point about something
Connotation
Refers to the emotional, historic, and sensual (relating to the senses) associations of a word
Counterclaim
Presents an opposing argument to a writer’s claim and then rebuts (responds to) it
Diction
Refers to the author’s choice of words
Hyperbole
A deliberate exaggeration
