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10493194881AlliterationThe repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables.0
10493194882AllusionAn indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event.1
10493194883AnalogyAn extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things.2
10493194884AnaphoraThe repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses.3
10493194885AnecdoteA short account of an interesting event4
10493194886AnnotationExplanatory or critical notes added to a text.5
10493194887AntecedentThe noun to which a later pronoun refers.6
10493194888AntimetaboleThe repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast.7
10493194889AntithesisParallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas.8
10493194890AphorismA short, astute statement of a general truth.9
10493194891AppositiveA word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun.10
10493194892Archaic dictionThe use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language.11
10493194893ArgumentA statement put forth and supported by evidence.12
10493194894Aristotelian triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see rhetorical triangle).13
10493194895AssertionAn emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument.14
10493194896AssumptionA belief or statement taken for granted without proof.15
10493194897AsyndetonLeaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses.16
10493194898AttitudeThe speaker's position on a subject as revealed through his or her tone.17
10493194899AudienceOne's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.18
10493194900AuthorityA reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge.19
10493194901BiasPrejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue.20
10493194902CiteIdentifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source.21
10493194903ClaimAn assertion, usually supported by evidence.22
10493194904Close readingA careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text.23
10493194905Colloquial/ismAn informal or conversational use of language.24
10493194906Common groundShared beliefs, values, or positions.25
10493194907Complex sentenceA sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.26
10493194908ConcessionA reluctant acknowledgment or yielding.27
10493194909ConnotationThat which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation).28
10493194910ContextWords, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.29
10493194911CoordinationGrammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but.30
10493194912CounterargumentA challenge to a position; an opposing argument.31
10493194913Cumulative sentenceAn independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail.32
10493194914Declarative sentenceA sentence that makes a statement.33
10493194915DeductionReasoning from general to specific.34
10493194916DenotationThe literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition.35
10493194917DictionWord choice. .36
10493194918ElegiacMournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone. Epigram: A brief witty statement.37
10493194919EthosA Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos).38
10493194920Figurative languageThe use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.39
10493194921Figure of speechAn expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning.40
10493194922HyperboleExaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.41
10493194923ImageryVivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).42
10493194924Imperative sentenceA sentence that requests or commands.43
10493194925InductionReasoning from specific to general.44
10493194926InversionA sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.45
10493194927IronyA contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result.46
10493194928JuxtapositionPlacement of two things side by side for emphasis.47
10493194929LogosA Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos) .48
10493194930MetaphorA figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.49
10493194931MetonymyUse of an aspect of something to represent the whole.50
10493194932OccasionAn aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing.51
10493194933OxymoronA figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.52
10493194934ParadoxA statement that seems contradictory but is actually true.53
10493194935ParallelismThe repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.54
10493194936ParodyA piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule.55
10493194937PathosA 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).56
10493194938PersonaThe speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing.57
10493194939PersonificationAssigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects. Polemic: An argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion.58
10493194940PolysyndetonThe deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.59
10493194941Premisemajor, minor - 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.60
10493194942Major premiseAll mammals are warm-blooded. Minor premise: All horses are mammals. Conclusion: All horses are warm-blooded (see syllogism).61
10493194943PropagandaA negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information.62
10493194944PurposeOne's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.63
10493194945RefuteTo discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument.64
10493194946RhetoricThe study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion."65
10493194947Rhetorical modesPatterns 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.66
10493194948Rhetorical questionA question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer.67
10493194949Rhetorical triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see Aristotelian triangle).68
10493194950SatireAn ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it.69
10493194951SchemeA pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect.70
10493194952Sentence patternsThe arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.71
10493194953Sentence varietyUsing a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect.72
10493194954SimileA figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things.73
10493194955Simple sentenceA statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause.74
10493194956SourceA book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information.75
10493194957SpeakerA term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing.76
10493194958Straw manA logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position.77
10493194959StyleThe distinctive qualitiy of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech.78
10493194960SubjectIn rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing.79
10493194961Subordinate clauseCreated by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause.80
10493194962SubordinationThe dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence.81
10493194963SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by a major and minor premise (see premise; major, and minor).82
10493194964SyntaxSentence structure.83
10493194965SynthesizeCombining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex.84
10493194966ThesisThe central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer.85
10493194967Thesis statementA statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit.86
10493194968ToneThe speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience.87
10493194969Topic sentenceA 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.88
10493194970TropeArtful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure of speech.89
10493194971UnderstatementLack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect.90
10493194972VoiceIn 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.91
10493194973ZeugmaA construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more words in a sentence.92
10493194974DocumentationBibliographic information about the sources used in a piece of writing93

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