rhetorical terms of the day Flashcards
metaphor
an implied comparison that says one thing is the other
implied metaphor
imbedded in a sentence rather than expressed directly
simile
a comparison between 2 unlike things using “like” or “as”
personification
a type of figurative language which attributes human qualities to non-human subjects
hyperbole
an exaggeration for effect
metonymy
occurring when an entity is referred to by one of its attributes by association
synecdoche
a part of something used to refer to the whole
alliteration
the repetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in groups of words
antithesis
literary device with parallel grammar structure but which establishes a nearly complete or exact opposition in ideas or characters
figurative language
an umbrella term that encompasses rhetorical terms that are technically inaccurate but call to mind sensation or evoke reactions
diction
word choice
concrete language
language that describes specific, observable things, people or places, rather than ideas or qualities; tangible
abstract language
represents ideas of thoughts or qualities
denotation
the dictionary definition of a word
connotation
the association suggested by a word. implied rather than the literal meaning
vernacular
language or dialect of a particular country or place; plain everyday speech
jargon
specialized vocabulary of a particular group
allusion
an indirect reference to a person, place, event, etc. meant to enrich the meaning of an idea
tone
attitude of a writer to the subject or an audience. usually conveyed through diction
repetition
reinforcing a point by repeating the point. can also just repeat a series of words
parallelism
s set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses that appear in a sentence or paragraph
clause
a group of words that has a subject and a verb
phrase
a group of words
independent clause
has a subject, verb, and complete thought
dependent clause
doesn’t express a full thought but has a subject and a verb
anadiplosis
the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause
epistrophe
the repetition of a group of words that the end of successive clauses
antimetabole
the repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order
simple sentence
1 independent clause
complex sentence
1 independent clause and 1 or more dependent clauses
compound sentence
2 or more independent clauses
compound/complex sentence
2 or more independent clauses and 1 dependent clause
