Rhetorical Terms

Question 1

refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images ( ideas and
qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places). The observable or “physical” is usually described in concrete language.

Answer 1

abstract

Question 2

In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent’s ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning “against the man.”

Answer 2

Ad Hominem

Question 3

an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent Abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric.

Answer 3

Allegory

Question 4

repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another: Mickey Mouse; Donald Duck

Answer 4

Alliteration

Question 5

a reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, etc. Example: Eden

Answer 5

Allusion

Question 6

comparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship, such
as comparing the work of a heart to that of a pump. An analogy is a comparison to a directly
parallel case.

Answer 6

Analogy

Question 7

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent. (Example: “There was the delight I caught in seeing long straight rows. There was the faint, cool kiss of sensuality. There was the vague sense of the infinite….”)

Answer 7

Anaphora

Question 8

a short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point.

Answer 8

Anecdote

Question 9

explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.

Answer 9

Annotation

Question 10

the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. “To be or not to be…” “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can
do for your country….”

Answer 10

Antithesis

Question 11

a short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life: “Early bird gets the worm.”

Answer 11

Anaphorism

Question 12

usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction

Answer 12

Apostrophe

Question 13

writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned
arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation

Answer 13

Argumentation

Question 14

repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as in neigh/fade

Answer 14

Assonance

Question 15

commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized
equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening
conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. Asyndeton takes the form of X, Y, Z as opposed
to X, Y, and Z.

Answer 15

Asyndeton

Question 16

harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony

Answer 16

Cacophony

Question 17

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a faced
of personality

Answer 17

Charicture

Question 18

a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t)

Answer 18

Colloquialism

Question 19

two corresponding parts arranged not in parallels (a-b-a-b) but in inverted order (a-b-b-a).

Answer 19

Chiasmus

Question 20

quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central
idea, theme, or organizing principle

Answer 20

Coherence

Question 21

language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places rather than ideas or qualities

Answer 21

Concrete Language

Question 22

implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind

Answer 22

Connotation

Question 23

repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in
boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong

Answer 23

Consonance

Question 24

a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem

Answer 24

Conundrum

Question 25

n the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

Answer 25

Deduction

Question 26

literal meaning of a word as defined

Answer 26

Denotation

Question 27

the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse

Answer 27

Description

Question 28

the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse

Answer 28

Word choice

Question 29

writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. Didactic writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific
lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Answer 29

Didactic

Question 30

spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.

Answer 30

Discourse

Question 31

harsh or grating sounds that do not go together

Answer 31

Dissonance

Question 32

when the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character’s perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.

Answer 32

Dramatic irony

Question 33

when the writer appeals to readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in the argument.

Answer 33

emotional appeal

Question 34

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hits at its theme. Hemingway beings The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of the is “You are all a lost generation” by Gertrude Stein.

Answer 34

epigraph

Question 35

when a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.

Answer 35

ethical appeal

Question 36

a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. “He went to his final reward” is a common euphemism for “he died.” Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.

Answer 36

Euphemism

Question 37

a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony

Answer 37

euphony

Question 38

an individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant.

Answer 38

Example

Question 39

the art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close
reading and special attention to figurative language.

Answer 39

explication

Question 40

the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information
necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse

Answer 40

exposition

Question 41

a sustained comparison, often referred to as conceit. The extended metaphor is developed throughout a piece of writing.

Answer 41

Extended Metaphor

Question 42

when two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection
between them.

Answer 42

False analogy

Question 43

language that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal

Answer 43

Figurative Language

Question 44

expressions such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations

Answer 44

Figures of Speech

Question 45

the use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs late in the work

Answer 45

Foreshadowing

Question 46

sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.

Answer 46

Freight train

Question 47

when a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain
rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim
applies to all instances instead of some.

Answer 47

Generalization

Question 48

a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction
or sonnet, within the larger genres

Answer 48

Genre

Question 49

the excessive pride of ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings of impending doom, eventually causing his or her downfall.

Answer 49

Hubris

Question 50

anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person’s temperament

Answer 50

Humor

Question 51

deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis (Example: He was so hungry he
could have eaten a horse.)

Answer 51

Hyperbole

Question 52

a word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense. An image is always a concrete representation.

Answer 52

image

Question 53

words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in
order to create a mental picture

Answer 53

imagery

Question 54

the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization

Answer 54

induction

Question 55

e a conclusion one can draw from the presented details

Answer 55

inference

Question 56

writing that records the conversation that occurs inside a character’s head

Answer 56

interior monologue

Question 57

a verbally abusive attack

Answer 57

invective

Question 58

reversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase; it is used effectively in many cases, such as posing a question: “Are you going to the
store?” Usually, the element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject.

Answer 58

inversion

Question 59

a situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected.

Answer 59

irony

Question 60

the special language of a profession or group. The term jargon usually has pejorative
associations, with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders. The writings of the lawyer and the literary critic are both susceptible to jargon.

Answer 60

jargon

Question 61

the process of reasoning

Answer 61

logic

Question 62

a mistake in reasoning

Answer 62

logical fallacy

Question 63

songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.

Answer 63

lyrical

Question 64

a figure of speech in which one thing is referred to as another; for example, “my love is a fragile
flower”

Answer 64

metaphor

Question 65

a figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated, such as using “the crown” to refer to a monarch ; Also, “The pen is mightier
than the sword.”

Answer 65

metonymy

Question 66

the method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written

Answer 66

mode

Question 67

similar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work (the feeling of the work; the
atmosphere). Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and
complexity affect pacing.

Answer 67

mood

Question 68

the lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. It can also mean a heavily didactic story

Answer 68

moral

Question 69

main theme or subject of a work that is elaborated on in the development of the piece; a repeated
pattern or idea

Answer 69

motif

Question 70

the telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of discourse

Answer 70

narration

Question 71

sentence that begins by stating what is NOT true, then ends by stating what is true

Answer 71

negative-positive

Question 72

Latin for “it does not follow.” When one statement isn’t logically connected to another

Answer 72

non-sequitur

Question 73

an impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writer’s attempt to remove himself or herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story. Hard news journalism is frequently
prized for its objectivity, although even fictional stories can be told without a writer rendering
personal judgment.

Answer 73

objectivity

Question 74

the use of words that sound like what they mean, such as “hiss,” “buzz,” “slam,” and “boom”

Answer 74

onomatopoeia

Question 75

when a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument

Answer 75

oversimplifacation

Question 76

a figure of speech composed of contradictory words or phrases, such as “wise fool,” bitter-sweet,”
“pretty ugly,” “jumbo shrimp,” “cold fire

Answer 76

oxymoron

Question 77

the movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another

Answer 77

pacing

Question 78

a short tale that teaches a moral; similar to but shorter than an allegory

Answer 78

parable

Question 79

a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; “I never found the companion that was so companionable
as solitude.”

Answer 79

paradox

Question 80

the technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by
side and making them similar in form. Parallel structure may be as simple as listing two or three modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb; it may take the form of two or more of the
same type of phrases (prepositional, participial, gerund, appositive) that modify the same noun or verb; it may also take the form of two or more subordinate clauses that modify the same noun or verb. Or, parallel structure may be a complex bend of singe-word, phrase, and clause parallelism
all in the same sentence. Example (from Churchill): “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields.”

Answer 80

parallelism

Question 81

a work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements. It can
be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content

Answer 81

parody

Question 82

the aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion
that can be used as a means to persuade. Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess of pathos

Answer 82

pathos

Question 83

a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often
overly difficult and distant

Answer 83

pedantic

Question 84

the attribution of human qualities to a nonhuman or an inanimate object

Answer 84

personifacation

Question 85

a form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince
through appeals to reason or emotion.

Answer 85

persuasion

Question 86

the perspective from which a story is presented; common points of view include the following:

Answer 86

point of view

Question 87

a narrator, referred to as I, who is a character in the story and relates the actions through his or her own perspective, also revealing his or her own thoughts

Answer 87

first person narrator

Question 88

like a first person narrator, but instead placing the reader inside the character’s head, making the reader privy to the continuous, chaotic flow of disconnected, half-formed thoughts and
impressions in the character’s mind

Answer 88

Stream of Consciousness

Question 89

third person narrator, referred to as “he,” “she,” or “they,” who is able to see into each character’s mind and understands all the action

Answer 89

omniscient

Question 90

a third person narrator who reports the thoughts of only one character and generally only what that one character sees

Answer 90

Limited Omniscient

Question 91

a third person narrator who only reports what would be visible to a camera; thoughts and feelings are only revealed if a character speaks of them

Answer 91

objective

Question 92

sentence which uses and or another conjunction (with no commas) to separate the items in a

series. Polysyndeton appear in the form of X and Y and Z, stressing equally each member of a
series. It makes the sentence slower and the items more emphatic than in the asyndeton.

Answer 92

polysyndeton

Question 93

the main character of a literary work

Answer 93

protagonist

Question 94

when a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue

Answer 94

red herring

Question 95

the Latin for “to reduce to the absurd.” This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetorical fallacy because it reduces an
argument to an either/or choice

Answer 95

reductio ad absurdum

Question 96

an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using
the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot

Answer 96

regionalism

Question 97

word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity

Answer 97

repitition

Question 98

the art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse; Rhetoric focuses on the
interrelationship of invention, arrangement, and style in order to create felicitous and appropriate discourse.

Answer 98

rhetoric

Question 99

exposition, description, narration, argumentation

Answer 99

rhetorical modes

Question 100

one that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience

Answer 100

rhetorical question

Question 101

harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony

Answer 101

sarcasm

Question 102

a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in
an extreme way. Satire doesn’t simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in sarcasm). Satire targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.

Answer 102

satire

Question 103

time and place of a literary work

Answer 103

setting

Question 104

a figure of speech that uses like, as, or as if to make a direct comparison between two essentially
different objects, actions, or qualities; for example, “The sky looked like an artist’s canvas.”

Answer 104

simile

Question 105

the voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona

Answer 105

speaker

Question 106

a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality; a conventional patter, expression or idea

Answer 106

stereotype

Question 107

when a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Setting up a straw man diverts attention from the real issues.

Answer 107

straw man

Question 108

an author’s characteristic manner of expression – his or her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and
content all contribute to style

Answer 108

style

Question 109

a personal presentation of evens and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions

Answer 109

subjectivity

Question 110

A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A
syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Example: Major Premise: All tragedies end unhappily. Minor Premise: Hamlet is a tragedy. Conclusion: Therefore, Hamlet ends unhappily.

Answer 110

Syllogism

Question 111

the use of symbols or anything that is meant to be taken both literally and as representative of a higher and more complex significance

Answer 111

symbolism

Question 112

a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using
“boards” to mean a stage or “wheels” to mean a car – or “All hands on deck.”

Answer 112

synecdoche

Question 113

ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length

Answer 113

Syntactic Fluency

Question 114

sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for a reader to follow

Answer 114

Syntactic Permutation

Question 115

the grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax includes
length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound).

Answer 115

syntax

Question 116

the central idea or “message” or a literary work

Answer 116

theme

Question 117

the main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author’s assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis.

Answer 117

thesis

Question 118

the characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience
(anger, sarcastic, loving, didactic, emotional, etc.)

Answer 118

tone

Question 119

a word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.

Answer 119

transition

Question 120

sentence consisting of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses.

Answer 120

tricolon

Question 121

t the opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.

Answer 121

understatement

Question 122

quality of a piece of writing (also see coherence)

Answer 122

unity

Question 123

refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence’s subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total “sound” of a writer’s style.

Answer 123

voice