Rhetorical Analysis Terms Advanced

Question 1

Amplification

Answer 1

repeats a word or expression for emphasis - Love, real love, takes time.

Question 2

Anacoluthon

Answer 2

disruption in the expected grammar or syntax of a sentence.

Question 3

Antanagoge

Answer 3

places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact - The car is not pretty but it runs great.

Question 4

Antecedent

Answer 4

a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another

Question 5

Antimetabole

Answer 5

repeats words or phrases in reverse order - “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” (J F Kennedy)

Question 6

Antithesis

Answer 6

makes a connection between two things - “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Neil Armstrong)

Question 7

Appositive

Answer 7

places a noun or phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes - Mary, queen of the land, hosted the ball.

Question 8

Chiasmus

Answer 8

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form; e.g. ‘Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds’.

Question 9

Circumlocution

Answer 9

talking around a topic rather than directly addressing it; the use of many words where fewer would do

Question 10

Colloquialism

Answer 10

a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation (regional)

Question 11

Conceit

Answer 11

an elaborate metaphor. Example: “the idea of the wind’s singing is a prime romantic conceit”

Question 12

Ellipsis

Answer 12

the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues

Question 13

Enumeratio

Answer 13

makes a point with details - Renovation included a spa, tennis court, pool and lounge.

Question 14

Epiphany

Answer 14

a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something,usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience

Question 15

Epithet

Answer 15

using an adjective or adjective phrase to describe - mesmerizing eyes

Question 16

Epizeuxis

Answer 16

repeats one word for emphasis - The amusement park was fun, fun, fun.

Question 17

Eutrepismus

Answer 17

separates speech into numbered parts, giving your reader or listener a clear line of thinking to follow.

Question 18

Hyperbole

Answer 18

an exaggeration - I have done this a thousand times.

Question 19

Inversion

Answer 19

also known as “anastrophe” - the normal order of words is reversed, in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis

Question 20

Litotes

Answer 20

makes an understatement by denying the opposite of a word that may have been used - The terms of the contract are not disagreeable to me.

Question 21

Lyrical

Answer 21

expressing the writer’s emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way

Question 22

Metaphor

Answer 22

compares two things by stating one is the other - The eyes are the windows of the soul.

Question 23

Onomatopoeia

Answer 23

words that imitate the sound they describe - plunk, whiz, pop

Question 24

Oxymoron

Answer 24

a two-word paradox - near miss, seriously funny

Question 25

Panegyric

Answer 25

a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something

Question 26

Parable

Answer 26

a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson

Question 27

Parallelism

Answer 27

uses words or phrases with a similar structure - I went to the store, parked the car and bought a pizza.

Question 28

Proverb

Answer 28

a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice

Question 29

Simile

Answer 29

compares one object to another - He smokes like a chimney.

Question 30

Synecdoche

Answer 30

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in “Cleveland won by six runs” or “All hands on deck.”

Question 31

Tmesis

Answer 31

breaks up a word, phrase, or sentence with a second word, usually for emphasis and rhythm. “This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.”

Question 32

Understatement

Answer 32

makes an idea less important that it really is - The hurricane disrupted traffic.