Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
Rhetoric
the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion or study of how writers and speakers use words to influence an audience
Diction
the conscious selection of words to further the author’s purpose
Syntax
the arrangement of words to form a sentence
Figurative Language
language that contains figures of speech/expressions that make comparisons or associations meant to be interpreted imaginatively rather than literally
Allusion
A figure of speech which makes a brief, even casual reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the object consists.
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or within words.
Colloquialism
A word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing, but often inappropriate in a formal piece. Colloquial expressions are often regional. Therefore, not always understood by all.
Hyperbole
Obvious, extravagant exaggeration or overstatement that is not intended to be taken seriously. It is used figuratively to create humor or emphasis.
Litotes
Opposite of hyperbole; a form of ironic understatement that affirms something by stating the negative of its opposite.
Inference
A general conclusion made by the reader from the events/information provided in the text.
Idiom
An expression whose meaning is usually more metaphorical than literal.
Antithesis
A figure of speech in which opposing or contrasting ideas are balanced against each other in parallel syntax.
Metaphor
An implied analogy in which one thing is imaginatively compared to or identified with another similar thing.
Anecdote
A brief narrative of an entertaining and presumable true incident. Anecdotes are used in biological writing, essays, and speeches to reveal a personality trait or to illustrate a point.
Parallelism
The technique of showing that words, phrases, clauses, or sentences are comparable in content and importance by playing them side by side and making them similar in form.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements.
Irony
A situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or what is meant.
Euphemism
The use of a word or phrase that is less direct and also considered more tasteful or less offensive than another.
Juxtaposition
A literary technique in which two ideas or actions are placed side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.
Point of View The perspective ( the eye and mind) through which a story is told
Types:
First Person - uses “I” to tell a story
Third Person - uses a narrator to tell a story
Third Person Omniscient - the narrator can relate the actions and thoughts of all the characters
Third Person Limited - the narrator can relate the actions of one character
Foreshadowing
In literature the technique of giving hints or clues that suggest or prepare for events that occur later in the work
Internal Monologue
The presentation of the flow of a character’s inner emotional experience or stream of consciousness, at a particular moment
Foil
a foil is a character who contrasts with another character; most of the time it is the protagonist, to highlight qualities of the other character. In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot.
Classical
A style of writing that exhibits balance, clarity, restraint, and rationality. This style of writing emphasizes form over content.
Gothic
A style of writing that produces a tone or atmosphere of gloom. grotesqueness, mystery, or decadence
Symbol
Anything that signifies or stands for something else. Usually something concrete, such as a person, place, or thing in a narrative that has significance beyond a literal understanding
Motif
A recurring word, phrase, action, idea, or situation that appears throughout the same work
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole
Metonymy
A figure of speech that substitutes the name of a related object, person, or idea for the subject being discussed.
Chiasmus
A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is syntactically reversed
Anaphora
The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences.
Polysyndeton
The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural
Pun
A form of wit, not necessarily funny involving a play on a word with two or more meanings.
Wit
The ability to make brilliant, imaginative or clever conections between ideas quickly, and with verbal deftness. Wit differs from simply humor in being intellectual and verbal. Wit uses puns, metaphors, and paradoxes.
Parody
A literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule
