Rhetorical Terms for Reading and Writing 2024

Question 1

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 1

Allegory

Question 2

An ______________ is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar.

Answer 2

Allusion

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Anecdote

Question 4

is a rhetorical device that features the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences, phrases, or clauses. Anaphora works as a literary device to allow writers to convey, emphasize, and reinforce meaning.

Answer 4

Anaphora

Question 5

a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases, and in the sentence, yet maintain grammatical accuracy. “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Is an example of asyndeton.

Answer 5

Asyndeton

Question 6

It rather connects the clauses with a conjunction. “I came and I saw and I conquered.” Is an example of this. In other words, whereas the first one is marked by the insertion of commas, the second one shows the omission of commas and the use of conjunctions.

Answer 6

Polysyndeton

Question 7

_____________ includes the addition of multiple conjunctions, such as in this example: “He eats and sleeps and drinks.”

Answer 7

Syndeton

Question 8

____________indicates the same word returns at the end of each sentence. Epistrophe is a stylistic device that can be defined as the repetition of phrases or words at the ends of the clauses or sentences. It is also called “epiphora.” Examples are frequently found in literary pieces, in persuasive writing, and in speeches.

Answer 8

Epistrophe

Question 9

This is a combination of two words, “snide” and “remark,” which means a sarcastic comment. It is a literary device that is meant to be sarcastic speech. Depending on the subject, the audience, and the speaker, snark can be taken as sophisticated, witty, or asinine.

Answer 9

Snark

Question 10

This is 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

This is a rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general, and from this it draws a conclusion about something more specific. We start with a general argument “All men are mortal.” We know that John is a man, so John is mortal.” It is a deductive approach to reason and is based on deducing specific conclusions from general facts.

Answer 11

Syllogism

Question 12

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 12

Colloquialism

Question 13

An ______________ is a short saying that observes a general truth. They are often concise and mildly humorous statements that are intended to appeal to the masses as a message of wisdom or understanding, such as “some days you eat the bear; some days the bear eats you.” Many famous ones are quoted frequently, yet they often lose their meaning and impact as they become cliché.

Answer 13

Aphorism

Question 14

_________________ is a rhetorical device used for listing details, or a process of mentioning words or phrases step by step.

Answer 14

Enumeration

Question 15

This is a rhetorical device writers use to embellish a sentence or statement by adding further information. The objective is to increase readability and worth of the statement or sentence.

Answer 15

Amplification

Question 16

Writing that provokes the reader toward seeking a deeper meaning. With diction being the choice of words by a writer, there are several other types of diction.

Answer 16

Provocative Diction

Question 17

This is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is.

Answer 17

Understatement

Question 18

This is a statement that appears at first to be contradictory, but upon reflection then makes sense. This literary device is commonly used to engage a reader to discover an underlying logic in a seemingly self-contradictory statement or phrase. As a result, paradox allows readers to understand concepts in a different and even non-traditional way.

Answer 18

Paradox

Question 19

My own dear love, he is strong and bold
And he cares not what comes after.
His words ring sweet as a chime of gold,
And his eyes are lit with laughter.
He is jubilant as a flag unfurled—
Oh, a girl, she’d not forget him.
My own dear love, he is all my world,—
And I wish I’d never met him.

Answer 19

Situational Irony: this is often startling as in the poem… where the “irony” of the situation is in the contrast between what is expected and what is delivered.

Question 20

Storytellers use this ______________ as a useful plot device for creating situations in which the audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts, and their resolutions before the leading characters or actors.

Answer 20

Dramatic Irony: the irony of words in which the readers and the audiences have a full understanding of the event while the characters are oblivious of it

Question 21

This is a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association. In fact, the word actually means “change of name.” As a literary device, it is a way of replacing an object or idea with something related to it instead of stating what is actually meant.

Answer 21

Metonymy…Examples: Hollywood, Booze, Broadway, Feds,
I need to decide if I will go Greek in college next year. (Greek is metonymy for sorority or fraternity membership)
I met him at the reception when he took me for a spin during a slow song. (Spin is metonymy for dance)
Joe’s new ride was expensive. (Ride is metonymy for car)

Question 22

As a literary device, an apostrophe is a poetic phrase or speech made by a character that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present in the literary work. The subject may be dead, absent, an inanimate object, or even an abstract idea. In literature it is designed to direct a reader or audience member’s attention to the entity being addressed as a means of indicating its importance or significance.

Answer 22

Apostrophe

Question 23

Caricature is a device used in descriptive writing and visual arts, in which particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated, to create a silly or comic effect.

Answer 23

Caricature

Question 24

I think, therefore I am
Don’t marry someone you can live with; marry someone you can’t live without
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

Answer 24

Parallelism

Question 25

This is a figure of speech that creates a comparison by showing how two seemingly different entities are alike, along with illustrating a larger point due to their commonalities

Answer 25

Analogy

Question 26

Consonance is a literary device that refers to the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a line of text. The focus, in the use of consonance, is on the sound made by consonants and not necessarily the letters themselves.

Answer 26

Consonance

Question 27

The absence of harmony in sound, speech, text or visual presentation.

Answer 27

Disonance