Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
1
Q
The subject of the sentence performs the action.
A
Active Voice
2
Q
An indirect reference to something with which the audience is supposed to be familiar with
A
Allusion
3
Q
A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character.
A
Alter-ego
4
Q
A brief recounting of a relevant episode
A
Anecdote
5
Q
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
A
Antecedent
6
Q
Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world
A
Classicism
7
Q
When a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood
A
Comic Relief
8
Q
Word choice, particularly as an element of style
A
Diction
9
Q
Ordinary or familiar type of conversation
A
Colloquial Diction
10
Q
A common or familiar type of saying
A
Colloquialism
11
Q
The associations suggested by a word
A
Connotation
12
Q
The literal, explicit meaning of a word
A
Denotation
13
Q
The diction of a group which practices a similar profession or activity
A
Jargon
14
Q
Language or dialect of a particular country/ regional group
A
Vernacular
15
Q
A term used to describe fiction, etc. that teaches specific lesson or moral
A
Didactic
16
Q
A folk saying with a lesson
A
Adage
17
Q
A story in which characters, etc. represent qualities or concepts that are meant to reveal an abstraction or truth
A
Allegory
18
Q
A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle
A
Aphorism
19
Q
The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author
A
Ellipsis
20
Q
A less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts
A
Euphemism
21
Q
Writing that is not meant to be taken literally
A
Figurative Language
22
Q
A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables
A
Analogy
23
Q
Exaggeration
A
Hyperbole
24
Q
A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally
A
Idiom
25
Makes an implied comparison
Metaphor
26
When a metaphor is continued later in a written work
Extended Metaphor
27
A particularly elaborate extended metaphor
Conceit
28
Replacing an actual word or idea with a related word or concept
Metonymy
29
A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts or vice versa
Synecdoche
30
Making a direct comparison between two very different things
Simile
31
A description involving a crossing of the senses
Synesthesia
32
Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human
Personification
33
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story
Foreshadowing
34
The major category into which a literary work fits
Genre
35
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death
Gothic
36
Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind
Imagery
37
A long, emotionally violent attack using strong, abusive language
Invective
38
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does
Irony
39
When you say something and mean the opposite/ something different
Verbal Irony
40
Verbal irony with a bitter tone
Sarcasm
41
When the audience of a work knows something that the character doesn't
Dramatic Irony
42
Found in the plot of a work, it's funny how things turn out
Situational Irony
43
Placing things side by side for the purpose of comparison
Juxtaposition
44
The atmosphere created by literature and accomplished through diction
Mood
45
A recurring idea in a piece of literature
Motif
46
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox
Oxymoron
47
The speed or tempo of an author's writing
Pacing
48
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true
Paradox
49
Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other
Parallelism
50
The subject of the sentence receives the action.
Passive Voice
51
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of multiple clauses/ sentences in a row
Anaphora
52
When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the words are reversed
Chiasmus
53
Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, etc. with parallel structure
Antithesis
54
When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies
Zuegma/Syllepsis
55
Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence
Parenthetical Idea
56
An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes
Parody
57
The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story
Persona
58
A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, etc.
Poetic Device
59
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words
Alliteration
60
The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
Assonance
61
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words
Consonance
62
The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes
Onomatopoeia
63
When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line
Internal Rhyme
64
When a poet creates a "rhyme" of similar words
Slant Rhyme
65
When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme
End Rhyme
66
The pattern of a poem's end rhymes
Rhyme Scheme
67
When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions
Polysyndeton
68
When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way
Pun
69
Question not asked for information but for effect
Rhetorical Question
70
Art or literature characterized by an idealistic view of people and the world
Romanticism
71
A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect
Satire
72
A word or group of words placed beside a noun to supplement its meaning
Appositive
73
A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale
Balanced Sentence
74
Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses
Compound Sentence
75
Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
Complex Sentence
76
When the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements
Loose Sentence
77
When the main idea isn't completed until the end of the sentence
Periodic Sentence
78
Contains only one independent clause
Simple Sentence
79
The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes
Style
80
Anything that represents or stands for something else
Symbol
81
Grammatical arrangement of words
Syntax
82
The central idea or message of a work
Theme
83
A writer's attitude towards the subject matter
Tone
84
A particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement, which would otherwise be used
Litotes
85
Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint
Concession
86
An if-then statement that consists of two parts
Conditional Statement
87
Fallacy of attacking opponents instead of their arguements
Ad Hominem
88
The claim that because someone famous supports an idea, this must be right
Appeal to Authority
89
Urging the audience to accept a position because a majority of people already do
Bandwagon
90
Fallacy that assumes that the effect is related to a cause because the events occur together
False Cause
91
Fallacy that allows a key word or term in an argument to have different meanings throughout the argument
Equivocation
92
Fallacy that bases an inference on too small a sample as the basis for a broader generalization
Hasty Generalization
93
Fallacy in which irrelevant reasons are offered to support a claim
Non Sequitur
94
Fallacy that assumes a chain reaction of events which result in a terrible outcome
Slippery Slope
95
An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth of the conclusion. In this argument, the premises are intended only to be so strong that, if they are true, then it is unlikely that the conclusion is false.
Inductive Argument
96
It meets two conditions: First, that the line of reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid. Second, that the premises are true.
Sound Argument
97
Not every argument is fully expressed. If one argues that Rover is smart because all dogs are smart, he is leaving unstated that Rover is a dog.
Unstated Premises
98
The conclusion logically follows from the premises.
Valid Argument
99
In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllable(s). In the name "Nathan," the first syllable is stressed. In the word "unhappiness," the second of the four syllables is stressed.
Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
100
A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.
Meter
101
Poetry that doesn't have much meter or rhyme.
Free Verse
102
Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Iambic Pentameter
103
A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Usually divided into three quatrains and a couplet.
Sonnet
104
The art of effective communication.
Rhetoric
105
The relationships, in any piece of writing, between the writer, the audience, and the subject. All analysis of writing is essentially an analysis of the relationships between the points on the triangle.
Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle
106
States an idea. It does not give a command or request, nor does it ask a question. "The ball is round."
Declarative Sentence
107
Issues a command. "Kick the ball."
Imperative Sentence
108
Sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who, whom, and whose). "To whom did you kick the ball?"
Interrogative Sentence
109
The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. It should be short and clear.
Thesis
110
The ironic minimizing of fact. The effect can frequently be humorous. "Our defense played valiantly, and held the other team to merely eight touchdowns in the first quarter."
Understatement
111
A piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion. Essentially, every essay is (this term) that begins with the conclusion (the thesis) and then sets up the premises. This term (or the thesis to an argument) is also sometimes called a claim, a position, or a stance.
Argument
112
Statements offered as reasons to support a conclusion.
Premises
113
The end result of the argument - the main point being made.
Conclusion
114
The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade an audience that one's ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. All means of persuasion were divided into into three categories - ethos, pathos, and logos.
Aristotle's Appeals
115
(credibility) being convinced by the credibility of the author. A writer tries to convince the audience that he or she is someone worth listening to, in other words an authority on the subject, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect.
Ethos
116
(emotional) persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions.
Pathos
117
(logic) persuading by the use of reasoning, using true premises and valid arguments. This is generally considered the strongest form of persuasion.
Logos
118
An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion. The premises are intended to provide support for the conclusion that is so strong that, if the premises are true, it would be impossible for the conclusion to be false.
Deductive Argument
119
When one asserts two mutually exclusive propositions
Contradiction
120
Example that runs counter to (opposes) a generalization, thus falsifying it.
Counter Example
121
An attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning. Often are used unintentionally.
Fallacy
122
Claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren't.
Bad Analogy
123
An attempt to replace a logical argument. Common examples are sympathy, revenge, and patriotism - basically any emotion.
Appeal to Emotion
124
Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no exceptions.
Cliche Thinking
125
Has both a subject and a verb, and can stand alone as a sentence.
Independent Clause
126
Does not express a complete a thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Dependent Clause
