Rhetorical Terms

Question 1

exaggerating some part of your statement to give it focus or emphasis

Answer 1

hyperbole

Question 2

when the force of a descriptive statement is purposely less than one would normally expect

Answer 2

understatement

Question 3

emphasizing the point by using a word opposite to the true condition; a type of understatement

Answer 3

litotes

Question 4

contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas

Answer 4

antithesis

Question 5

a technique where a speaker raises a question, and then proceeds to answer it

Answer 5

hypophoria

Question 6

a strategy that asks a question with an implied answer

Answer 6

rhetorical question

Question 7

when the speaker gives a response to an opponent by repeating the objection (not stated as a question)

Answer 7

procatalepsis

Question 8

when a speaker elaborates on the definition of a word to make sure there is no misunderstanding

Answer 8

distincto

Question 9

comparison using like or as

Answer 9

simile

Question 10

A comparison without using like or as

Answer 10

metaphor

Question 11

comparison of two things for the purposes of explanation

Answer 11

analogy

Question 12

a reference to a fairly well known place, event, person, or story

Answer 12

allusion

Question 13

eferring to a specific famous person to link their attributes to someone else

Answer 13

eponym

Question 14

a maxim, proverb, or popular quotation often used to sum up a previous argument

Answer 14

sentia

Question 15

a real example, often a story, used to prove a point

Answer 15

exemplum

Question 16

using the same structure, form, or subject for multiple parts of a sentence for or for multiple sentences

Answer 16

parallelism

Question 17

the reversal of grammatical structures

Answer 17

chiasmus

Question 18

a way of organizing ideas so that they proceed from the least to most important

Answer 18

climax

Question 19

takes the last word of a sentence or a phrase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase

Answer 19

anadiplosis

Question 20

takes an important word from anywhere in one sentence or phrase and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase

Answer 20

conduplicato

Question 21

a transitional statement in which one explains what has been said and what will be said; signals upcoming transition or conclusion

Answer 21

metabasis

Question 22

an explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence inserted into a passage

Answer 22

parenthesis

Question 23

addressing an absent person, an inanimate object, or an abstract concept

Answer 23

apostrophe

Question 24

supplying a list of details about something

Answer 24

enumerato

Question 25

downplaying negative points so that the reader feels less strongly about them by pairing it with a positive point

Answer 25

antanagoge

Question 26

attaching a descriptive adjective to a noun, usually a key trait

Answer 26

epithet

Question 27

leaving out the conjunctions in a list of items or in between clauses

Answer 27

asyndeton

Question 28

putting a conjunction between every item in a list

Answer 28

polysyndeton

Question 29

an expression in which a single word stands in the same grammatical relation to two other words but has different figurative meanings

Answer 29

zeugma

Question 30

when part of something is used to represent the whole

Answer 30

synecdote

Question 31

when something closely related to the actual object is used to refer to the object itself

Answer 31

metonemy

Question 32

arranging the words in a sentence in an unexpected order

Answer 32

hyperbaton

Question 33

expressing doubt about an idea or conclusion

Answer 33

aporia

Question 34

the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or phrases

Answer 34

anaphora

Question 35

the repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of multiple clauses or sentences

Answer 35

epistrophe

Question 36

the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning and end of multiple clauses or sentences

Answer 36

symploce

Question 37

repeating an idea while adding extra information or detail to the original statement

Answer 37

amplification

Question 38

giving human characteristics to something that is not human

Answer 38

personifciation