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rhetorical terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. ex - Animal Farm, story of the tortoise and the hare |
| alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in tow or more neighboring words ex - she sells sea shells |
| allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. ex - don't be such a Grinch |
| ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. ex - Look out! Duck! |
| analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them ex - she swims like a fish in water |
| 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. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person. |
| antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. ex - Joy is a senior. She is taking APEL. |
| antithesis | the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences ex - Everybody loves fruit but nobody loves vegetables. |
| aphorism | A terse statement of know authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. ex - the grass is always greener on the other side |
| apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. ex - Oh guinea pig socks, please give me luck. |
| asyndeton | consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. - They spent the day wondering, searching, thinking, understanding. |
| cacophony | harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose |
| chiasmus | a figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words. ex - ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. |
| colloquial/colloquialism | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. ex - I'm gonna go sleep now. |
| conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. ex - the stars sparkled in her eyes like they do in the night sky. |
| deduction | the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example |
| diacope | repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase ex - we will do it, I tell you, we will do it. |
| enumeratio | dividing a subject into its adjuncts, a cause into its effects, an antecedent into its consequences, etc. ex - i love her eyes, her hair, her nose, her cheeks. |
| epistrophe | repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect ex - when I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child |
| expletive | a syllable, word, or phrase inserted to fill a vacancy (as in a sentence or a metrical line) without adding to the sense ex - it was, in fact, incredibly hot today |
| euphemism | a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept ex - "they passed away" instead of "they died" |
| extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. |
| hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. |
| hypophora | figure of speech in which a writer raises a question, and then immediately answers it |
| imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. |
| induction | the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization ex - This salon gave me a good haircut and it has good reviews so it must be good. |
| invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attach using stong, abusive language. ex - Eating this restaurant’s cooking is worse than eating cow dung! |
| 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. ex - The sushi chef hates raw fish. |
| jargon | The special language of a profession or group. ex - I have to debug this. |
| juxtaposition | When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. ex - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times |
| litotes | a figure of thought in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite. ex - he's no fool |
| loose sentence | a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses ex - I was really tired today so I took a nap. |
| metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. ex - time is money |
| metonymy | a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. ex - "the White House declared" instead of "the President declared" |
| mood | first meaning is grammatical and deals with verbal units and a speaker’s attitude. second meaning is literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. ex - it was a dark and stormy night |
| non-sequitur | When one statement isn't logically connected to another (logical fallacy) ex - I’m so hungry. I haven’t gotten a haircut in like 2 months. |
| onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. ex - buzz, hiss, crackle, snap |
| oxymoron | figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. ex - jumbo shrimp, cruel kindness |
| paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. ex - I am lying when I say I tell the truth. |
| parallelism | refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. ex - what you see is what you get |
| parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. ex - the great catsby and the great gatsby |
| pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. ex - Just take a seat! Well, don’t actually take the seat and go but just sit down. |
| periodic sentence | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. ex - Ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout! |
| personification | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. ex - The gum dared her to blow a bubble. |
| polysyndeton | Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions not normally found in successive words, phrases or clauses ex - I like to sleep, and cook, and rest, and plan to read, and repeat that all over again. |
| predicate adjective | adjectives that modify or describe the subject of a sentence or clause and are linked to the subject by a linking verb ex - my blanket feels soft |
| predicate nominative | a word or group of words that completes a linking verb and renames the subject ex - she was a monster |
| repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. ex - I read the text over and over and over again to try and understand it. |
| rhetorical question [erotesis] | a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion of affirmation or denial and not to elicit a reply ex - why am i so tired all the time? |
| sarcasm | involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something ex - Wow who would’ve thought that it would be sunny during summer? |
| satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. |
| subordinate clause | clause, typically introduced by a conjunction, that forms part of and is dependent on a main clause ex - This is the boy who won the first place in the race. |
| syllogism | a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. ex - If a 90 is an A-, and I got a 90, then I got an A-. |
| symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. |
| synecdoche | a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole and vice versa ex - The strings were praised for their performance of Vivaldi. |
| theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. ex - The main theme of The Great Gatsby is wealth. |
| thesis | the sentence or a group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. |
| tone | describes the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both |
| transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. ex - furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example |
| tricolon | Sentence consisting of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance and length. ex - i came, i saw, i conquered |
| understatement | The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. ex - my temperature is 104 degrees but it's okay because a little toastiness never hurt anyone! |
| undertone | the secondary tone or meaning of a work |
| wit | the use of clever statements, sarcasm, irony, and other humor-based statements in order to pass judgment on a situation and make the listener/reader laugh |
| zeugma | a figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas. ex - John lost his coat and temper |
| 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. |
| clause | grammatical unit that contains a subject + a verb. indep, or main, clause expresses a complete thought + can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause can't stand alone as a sentence + must be accompanied by an indep clause. |
| 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. |
| connotation | The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. ex - fat has a negative connotation, chubby has a nice and lovable one |
| denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. |
| diction | refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author’s style. ex - formal or informal, ornate or plain |
| didactic | literally means “teaching.” Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. |
| explication | The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. It usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language. |
| exposition | 1/4 main types of composition in essays, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. purpose of exposition is to explain something. In drama, it's the intro material + creates tone, gives setting, + introduces characters + conflict. |
| 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. ex - apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy |
| genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. |
| homily | literally means “sermon,” but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. |
| inference/infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. |
| kairos | refers to making exactly the right statement at exactly the right moment |
| narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. |
| point of view | the perspective from which a story is told |
| prose | fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms |
| rhetoric | the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. |
| rhetorical modes | the variety, the conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing - 4 most common: exposition, argumentation, description, narration |
| semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. |
| style | the way in which an author writes/and or tells a story |
| syntax | the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences |
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