Rhetorical Terms & Devices Flashcards
Abstract Language
Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and
qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places).
Ad Hominem
In an argument, an attack on the person rather than on the opponent’s ideas. From the Latin for “against the man.”
Allegory
An extended narrative 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.
Alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words that are close to one another.
Allusion
A reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature or history.
Analogy
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.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.
Anecdote
A short, simple narrative of an incident. Often used for humorous effect or to make a point
Annotation
Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographic data
Antithesis
The presentation of two contrasting images.The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause or paragraph.
Aphorism
A short, often witty statement of a principle or truth about life.
Apostrophe
Usually in poetry but sometimes in prose: The device of calling out to an imaginary, absent, or dead person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction
Argumentation
Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or idea by presenting reasoned arguments
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants
Asyndeton
Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. “X, Y, Z” as opposed to “X, Y, and Z.”
Cacophony
Harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.
Caricature
Descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality
Colloquialism
A word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing, but that is often inappropriate in formal writing.
Coherence
The quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to a central idea, theme, or organizing principle
Concrete Language
Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities
Connotation
Implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind
Consonance
Repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity
Conundrum
A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem
Deduction
The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
Denotation
Literal meaning of a word as defined
Description
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
Diction
Word choice; an element of style; it creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic ______ would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.
Didactic
Writing whose purpose is to instruct or teach. The work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. This type of writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
Discourse
Spoken or written language, including literary works. The 4 traditionally classified modes are description, exposition, narration, persuasion
Dissonance
Harsh or grating sounds that do not go together
Dramatic Irony
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
Emotional Appeal
When a writer appeals to readers’ emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument
Epigraph
The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.
Epistrophe
Repetition of a word or phrase at the ends of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect
Ethical Appeal/Ethos
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 this type of appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.
Euphemism
A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable
Euphony
A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose. The opposite of cacophony
Example
An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern
Explication
The art of interpreting of discovering the meaning of a text. It usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.
Exposition
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
Extended Metaphor
A sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. The extended metaphor is developed throughout a piece of writing.
False Analogy
When two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them.
Figurative Language
Language that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal
Figures of Speech
Expressions, such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations
Foreshadowing
The use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs later in the work.
Freight-Train
Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.
Generalization
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 rather than to some.
Genre
A type of literary work, such as novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres
Hubris
The excessive pride or ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings of impending doom, eventually causing his or her downfall
Humor
Anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humour meant a person’s temperament.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis
Image
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
Imagery
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
Induction
The process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization
Inference
A conclusion one can draw from the presented details
Interior Monologue
Writing that records the conversation that occurs inside a character’s head
Invective
A verbally abusive attack
Inversion
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
Irony
A situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is the opposite of what is expected
Jargon
The special language of a profession or group
Logic
The process of reasoning
Logical Fallacy
A mistake in reasoning
Lyrical
Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which one thing is referred to as another
Metonymy
A figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated
Mood
Similar to tone, it is the primary emotional attitude of a work (the feeling of the work; the atmosphere)
Moral
The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. It can also mean a heavily didactic narrative.
Motif
The main theme or subject of a work that is elaborated on in the development of the piece; a repeated pattern or idea
Narration
The telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry or drama; one of the four modes of discourse
Negative-Positive
Sentence that begins with stating what is NOT true, then ending by stating what is true
Non-Sequitir
Latin for “it does not follow.” When one statement isn’t logically connected to another
Objectivity
An impersonal presentation of events or characters. 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.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that sound like what they mean
Oversimplification
When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument
Oxymoron
A figure of speech composed of contradictory words or phrases, such as “wise fool”
Pacing
The movement of a literary piece from one section to another
Parable
A short tale that teaches a moral; similar but shorter than an allegory
Paradox
A statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning.
Paralellism
The technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form.
Parody
A work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements
Pathos
An element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion. Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess of pathos.
Pedantic
Writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant
Personification
The attribution of human qualities to nonhuman or inanimate objects
Persuasion
A form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is presented
Polysyndeton
Sentence which uses and or another conjunction (with no commas) to separate items in a series. “X and Y and Z”
Protagonist
The main character in a literary work
Red Herring
When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue
Reductio ad Absurdum
Latin for “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
Regionalism
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
Repetition
Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity
Rhetoric
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.
Rhetorical Question
A question that does not expect an explicit answer
Sarcasm
Harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony
Satire
A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. It doesn’t simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in sarcasm). It targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.
Setting
Time and place of a literary work
Simile
A figure of speech that uses like, as, or as if to make a direct comparison between two essentially different objects, actions, or qualities
Speaker
The voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona
Stereotype
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.
Straw Man
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.
Style
An author’s characteristic manner of expression - diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style
Subjectivity
A personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions
Syllogism
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.
Symbolism
The use of symbols or anything that is meant to be taken both literally and as representative of a higher and more complex significance
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole
Syntactic Fluency
Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.
Syntactic Permutation
Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for a reader to follow.
Syntax
The grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. It includes length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound).
Theme
The central idea or “message” of a literary work
Thesis
The main idea of a piece of writing. It presents an author’s assertion or claim.
Tone
The characteristic emotion or attitude of an author towards the characters, subject, and audience
Transition
A word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph
Tricolon
A sentence consisting of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses
Understatement
The opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.
Voice
Two different definitions: 1. The relationship between a sentence’s subject and verb (active/passive voice) 2. The total “sound” of an author’s style.
