Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
diction
word choice
syntax
study of rules of forming grammatical sentences
metaphor
something used to represent something else
simile
two unlike things compared with “like” or “as”
personification
to give a nonhuman object human qualities
hyperbole
obvious exaggeration
litotes
understatement
metonymy
figure of speech: use of an object’s name that is related to another, ex. “count heads” for “count people”
synecdoche
when a part is used for a whole or the whole for a part
oxymoron
self-contradictory effect, “cruel kindness”
alliteration
two or more stressed syllables of a word group with the same consonant or sound group, consonantal or vocalic alliteration
allusion
casual reference, mention of something directly or implied
imagery
formation of mental images
aphorism
saying of general truth/observation, ex. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
archaic diction
commonly used in an earlier time, but rare in present-day except to suggest older time
colloquialism
informal
parallelism
agreement in direction, tendency, or character
antithesis
suggesting an opposing idea to provide a balanced contrast of ideas
antimetabole
opposite of turning about
juxtaposition
act of putting side by side usually to compare and contrast
anaphora
use of a word for a regular grammatical substitute for a word or group of words
asynedeton/polysyndeton
leaving out conjunctions
inductive/deductive reasoning
logical reasoning (top-down logic)
cumulative sentence
independent clause followed by series of subordinate constructions
periodic sentence
main clause at the end, so reasons for something before the final point is made, cab create suspense/interest for reader
declarative sentence
makes statement and ends with period
hortative sentence
encourages action
imperative sentence
gives command
inversion
inverted sentence order
denotation
literal meaning of word, not feelings or ideas the word suggests
connotation
idea or feeling word suggests along with literal meaning
zuegma
verb or adjective applies to more than one noun, blending different ideas
apostrophe
exclamatory passage in speech or poem addressed to a person (typically dead or absent) or thing (typically personified)
stream of consciousness
literary style: character’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions are described in a flow uninterrupted by objective description of conventional dialogue
