Rhetorical Terms | 1 Flashcards
ad hominem
A fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute
Latin for “to the man”
ad populum
This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to “everybody’s doing it, so it must be a good thing to do.”
Basically, because lots of others believe it/are doing so, it must be true
allegory
A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
alliteration
Reposition of initial consonant sounds
allusion
A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
analogy
A comparison of two seemingly different things that are similar in some way
anaphora
A repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines
EX: I wish I may, I wish I might
anecdote
A brief story used to illustrate a point or claim
annotation
The taking of notes directly on a text
antimetabole
Repetition of words in reverse order
EX: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail
antithesis
Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in parallel construction
EX: hope for the best, prepare for the worst
apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love
appeal to false authority
This fallacy occurs when someone who has no expertise to speak on an issue is cited as an authority
archaic diction
Old fashioned or outdated choice of words
argument
A process of reasoned inquiry
Aristotelian triangle
A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text
assertion
A statement that presents a claim or thesis
assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds in a sequence of words
EX: the light of the fire is a sight
assumption
Also warrant, the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience
asyndeton
Omission of conjunctions between coordinate, phrases, clauses, or words. It excludes conjunctions to add emphasis.
EX: I came, I saw, I conquered
