Rhetorical Terms Week 1 Flashcards
Allegory
The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in tow or more neighboring words (as in “she sells seashells).
Allusion
A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
Ambiguity
The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
Analogy
A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.
Anaphora
One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.
Anecdote
A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Antithesis
Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Aphorism
A terse statement of know authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.
Apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.
Asyndeton
consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.
Atmosphere
The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described.
Cacophony
harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.
Chiasmus
Chiasmus is a figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words.
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.
Coherence
A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible.
Colloquial/colloquialism
The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.
Conceit
A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.
Connotation
The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.
