Rhetorical Terms Pt. 3 Flashcards
Figurative language
Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.
Figure of speech
A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. However, genre is a flexible term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions that are often called genres themselves.
Hyperbole
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. It is used to provoke a response, to cast something in a strong light.
Hypophora
A figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one’s own question(s).
A common usage is to ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph and then use the paragraph to answer it. You can use hypophora to raise questions which you think the reader obviously has on his/her mind and would like to see formulated and answered.
Imagery
The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing.
Inference/infer
To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple-choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it’s unlikely to be the correct answer.
Invective
an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. It is used to ridicule, chastise, or convey contempt.
Irony/ironic
The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. Irony is used for many reasons, but frequently, it’s used to create poignancy or humor.
In general, there are three major types of irony used in language; (1) In a verbal irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) true meaning. (2) In situational irony, events turn out the opposite of what was expected. What the characters and the readers think ought to happen. (3) In dramatic irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction, but know to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work.
Juxtaposition
When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. It often calls attention to extremes.
Litotes
From the Greek word “simple” or “plain.” Litotes is a figure of thought in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite. It is a special form of understatement, where the surface denial serves, through ironic contrast, to reinforce the underlying assertion.
Metaphor
A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. Metaphorical language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful.
Metonymy
A term from the Greek meaning “changed label” or “substitute name.” Metonymy is referring to something closely related to the actual object as a way of referring to the object itself.
Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur.
If you see examples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect.
Oxymoron
From the Greek for “pointedly foolish,” an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
Simple examples include “jumbo shrimp” and “cruel kindness.”
This term does not usually appear in the multiple-choice questions, but there is a chance that you might find it in an essay. Take note of the effect that the author achieves with this term.
