Vocab Unit 2 Flashcards
Rhetorical Triangle
(another name)
Aristotelian Triangle
speaker–audience–subject
concession
acknowledging that the opposing argument may be true or reasonable. Usually accompianed by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument
Refutation
a denial of the validity of an opposing argument
rhetoric
the art of finding ways to persuade an audience
rhetorical appeals
the major appeals are pathos,ethos,logos
used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they feel is most important
Alliteration
repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence
allusion
brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art
Anaphora
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines
Antimetabole
Repition of words in reverse order
I know what I like, and I like what I know
Antithesis
opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction
marriage proposes God disposes
love is an ideal thing, marriage is a real thing
archaic diction
old-fashioned or outdated choice of words
Asyndeton
omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words
I came, I saw, I conquered.
hortative sentence
sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action
Juxtaposition
placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences
metaphor
figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as
Parallelism
similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
periodic sentence
sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end
In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued.
Personification
attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea
rhetorical question
figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer
Synedoche
figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole
hungry mouths to feed
Zeuguma
use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous, meanings
She broke his car and his heart.
Anastrophe
the inversion of the usual order of words or clauses
Polysyndeton
Deliberate use of many conjunctions
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers.
Chiasmus
reversing order of words in the second of two parallel phrases
“let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate”
antimetabole
repeating phrase in reverse order
you like it, it likes you
fair is foul foul is fair
anaphora
inversion of the typical word order in a sentence
patience I lack
into the water dove the boy
zeugma
one word to refer to two or more different things
he fished for trout and for compliments
parallelism
my face is washed, my hair is combed, and my teeth are brushed.
we are giving away our furniture, selling our house, and moving to Spain
juxtapostion
dreams of happinessed vs dreams of sadness
Asynedeton
Speed up the film, Montag, quick. Click, Pic, Look, Eye, Now, Flick, Here, There, Swift, Pace, Up, Down, In, Out, Why, How, Who, What, Where, Eh? Uh! Bang! Smack! Wallop, Bing, Bong, Boom!
alliteration
Repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables
in sequence.
antithesis
Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction.
asyndeton
Omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or
words.
cumulative sentence
an independent clause followed by one or more modifiers
imperative sentence
Sentence used to command or enjoin.
inversion
Inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order).
yesterday a ship I saw
shocked I was
juxtaposition
Placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities
or differences.
oxymoron
Paradoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one
another.
cruel kidness
open secret
personification
Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea.
synedoche
Figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole.
check out my new wheels
audience
The listener, viewer, or reader of a text. Most texts are likely to have
multiple audiences.
connotation
Meanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its
dictionary definition, or denotation. Connotations are usually positive or negative, and they can greatly affect the author’s tone.
context
The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding
a text.
counterargument
An opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward.
Rather than ignoring a counterargument, a strong writer will usually address it through the process of concession and refutation.
ethos
Greek for “character.” Speakers appeal to ethos to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy to speak on a given topic. Ethos is established by both who you are and what you say.
logos
Greek for “embodied thought.” Speakers appeal to logos, or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up.
occasion
The time and place a speech is given or a piece is written.
pathos
Greek for “suffering” or “experience.” Speakers appeal to pathos to emotionally motivate their audience. More specific appeals to pathos might play on the audience’s values, desires, and hopes, on the one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other.
persona
Greek for “mask.” The face or character that a speaker shows to his or
her audience.
polemic
Greek for “hostile.” An aggressive argument that tries to establish the
superiority of one opinion over all others. Polemics generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit.
propaganda
The spread of ideas and information to further a cause. In its negative
sense, propaganda is the use of rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics in order to damage or promote a cause.
purpose
The goal the speaker wants to achieve.
refutation
A denial of the validity of an opposing argument. In order to sound
reasonable, refutations often follow a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.
SOAPS
A mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. It is a handy way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation.
