Summer Flashcards
0
Q
Allusion
A
An indirect reference
1
Q
Alliteration
A
The same sound at the beginning or end of consecutive words
2
Q
Analogy
A
An extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things
3
Q
Anaphora
A
Repetition of words at the begining of successive clauses
4
Q
Anecdote
A
A short account of an interesting event
5
Q
Antimetabole
A
Repetition of words in inverted order to sharpen a contrast
6
Q
Antithesis
A
Parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas
7
Q
Aphorism
A
A short, astute statement of a general truth.
8
Q
Appositive
A
A word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun.
9
Q
Archaic Dictation
A
The use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language.
10
Q
Argument
A
A statement put forth and supported by language
11
Q
Aristotelian Triangle
A
A diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship between the speaker, subject, and audience (see rhetorical triangle)
12
Q
Assertion
A
An emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an arguement
13
Q
Assumption
A
A belief or statement without proof
14
Q
Asyndeton
A
Leaving out conjunctions
15
Q
Attitude
A
Speaker’s position on subject as revealed through tone
16
Q
Audience
A
Listener or reader
17
Q
Authority
A
Reliable, respected source
18
Q
Bias
A
Prejudice or predisposition
19
Q
Cite
A
Identifying a piece of writing as being derived from a source.
20
Q
Claim
A
Assertion usually supported by evidence
21
Q
Close Reading
A
A careful reading that is attentive to the literary and structural elements of a text
22
Q
Colloquial/ism
A
Informal or conversational use of language
23
Q
Common Ground
A
Shared beliefs, values, or positions
25
Complex Sentence
Sentence with an independent clause and at least one dependent clause
26
Concession
A reluctant knowledge or yielding
27
Connotation
That which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word’s literal
meaning (see denotation)
28
Context
Words, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.
29
Coordination
Grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often
| through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but.
30
Counterargument
A challenge to a position; an opposing argument
31
Cumulative Sentence
An independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or
| phrases that supply additional detail
32
Declarative Sentence
A sentence that makes a statement.
33
Deductive
Reasoning from general to specific.
34
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition.
35
Diction
Word choice
36
Documentation
Bibliographic information about the sources used in a piece of
writing.
37
Elegiac
Mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone.
38
Epigram
A brief witty statement.
39
Ethos
A Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle’s
three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos).
40
Figurative Language
The use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal
| meaning to achieve literary effect.
41
Figure of Speech
An expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying
a literal meaning.
42
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.
43
Imagery
Vivid use of language that evokes a reader’s senses (sight, smell, taste,
touch, hearing).
44
Imperative Sentence
A sentence that requests or commands.
45
Induction
Reasoning from specific to general.
46
Inversion
A sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.
47
Irony
A contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between
action and result.
48
Juxtaposition
Placement of two things side by side for emphasis.
49
Logos
A Greek term that means “word”; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle’s
three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos)
50
Metaphor
A figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as
though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.
51
Metonymy
Use of an aspect of something to represent the whole.
52
Occasion
An aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing.
53
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.
54
Paradox
A statement that seems contradictory but is actually true
55
Parallelism
The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.
56
Parody
A piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another;
used for comic effect or ridicule.
57
Pathos
A Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with
broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals (see
ethos and logos).
58
Persona
The speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of
writing.
59
Personification
Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.
60
Polemic
An argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or
religion.
61
Polysyndeton
The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.
62
Premise
Two parts of a syllogism. The concluding sentence of a
syllogism takes its predicate from the major premise and its subject from the
minor premise.
Major premise: All mammals are warm-blooded.
Minor premise: All horses are mammals
Conclusion: All horses are warm-blooded (see syllogism).
63
Propaganda
A negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than
present information.
64
Purpose
One’s intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.
65
Refute
To discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument
66
Retoric
The study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle,
use of the “available means of persuasion.”
67
Rhetorical Modes
Patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose;
modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison
and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification and
division, process analysis, and argumentation.
68
Rhetorical Question
A question asked more to produce an effect than to summon
| an answer.
69
Rhetorical Triangle
A diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship
among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see Aristotelian
triangle
70
Satire
An ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something,
but actually argues against it.
71
Scheme
A pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect.
72
Sentence Pattern
The arrangement of independent and dependent clauses
into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or
compound-complex.
73
Sentence Variety
Using a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect
74
Simile
A figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to compare two things.
75
Simple Sentence
A statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent
clause
76
Source
A book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information.
77
Speaker
A term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective
(real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing.
78
Straw Man
A logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position;
misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent’s position
79
Style
The distinctive qualitiy of speech or writing created by the selection and
arrangement of words and figures of speech.
80
Subject
In rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing.
81
Subordinate Clause
Created by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies
an independent clause.
82
Subordination
The dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence.
83
Syllogism
A form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported
by a major and minor premise (see premise; major, and minor).
84
Syntax
Sentence Structure
85
Synthesize
Combining or bringing together two or more elements to produce
something more complex.
86
Thesis
The central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer.
87
Thesis Statement
A statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or
implicit.
88
Tone
The speaker’s attitude toward the subject or audience.
89
Topic Sentence
A sentence, most often appearing at the beginning of a paragraph,
that announces the paragraph’s idea and often unites it with the work’s
thesis
90
Trope
Artful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure
of speech.
91
Understatement
Lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language
often used for ironic effect.
92
Voice
In grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun (active
or passive voice). In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of
writing.
93
Zeugma
A construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or
governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more
words in a sentence.
