Terms : Hide Images
| 6620224762 | Analogy | Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple. "An amateur playing in a professional game is like an ibex stepping into a lion's den." | 0 | |
| 6620224763 | Argument | The combination of reasons, evidence, etc that an author uses to convince an audience of their position. | 1 | |
| 6620226633 | Aristotelian appeals | Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos, logos, and pathos. | 2 | |
| 6620363212 | Attitude | The writer's personal views or feelings about the subject at hand. Difficult to convey in a short example, but something like "the deplorable state of this school" would convey that the author has a negative attitude towards the school. | 3 | |
| 6620363213 | Audience | Who the author is directing his or her message towards. When you create a resume, your audience is potential employers. | 4 | |
| 6620363214 | Compare and contrast | Discussing the similarities and differences between two things to some persuasive or illustrative purpose. "Hybrid cars have a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional midsize vehicles." | 5 | |
| 6620363215 | Connotation | The implied meaning of a word; words can broadly have positive, negative, or neutral connotations. conscientious = positive connotation fussy = negative connotation | 6 | |
| 6620363216 | Context | The extra-textual environment in which the text is being delivered. If I am delivering a congratulatory speech to awards recipients, the immediate context might be the awards presentation ceremony; the broader context might be the purpose or significance of the awards themselves. | 7 | |
| 6620363217 | Counterargument | The argument(s) against the author's position. If I want to eliminate the dress code, a counterargument might be that this will place a burden on students of a lower socioeconomic status, who must now afford an entire school wardrobe or risk unwanted attention. | 8 | |
| 6620363218 | Deductive reasoning | A form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific case. If all planets orbit a star, and Theta II is a planet, then it must orbit a star. | 9 | |
| 6620363219 | Denotation | The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word. The denotation of "chair" is "a place to sit." | 10 | |
| 6620363220 | Diction | The style of language used; generally tailored to be appropriate to the audience and situation. You might say "What's up, loser?" to your little brother, but you would probably say "How are you doing today?" to your principal. | 11 | |
| 6620363221 | Ethos | Setting up a source as credible and trustworthy. "Given my PhD in the subject and years of experience in the field" is an appeal to ethos. | 12 | |
| 6620363222 | Evidence | The information presented meant to persuade the audience of the author's position. If I were arguing that Anne is a good student, I might reference her straight-A report card and her 1500 SAT score as pieces of evidence. | 13 | |
| 6620363223 | Figurative language | The use of language in a non-literal way; i.e. metaphor, simile, etc. "The sky's like a jewel box tonight!" | 14 | |
| 6620363225 | Imagery | Any descriptive language used to evoke a vivid sense or image of something; includes figurative language. "The water was a pearl-studded sea of azure tipped with turquoise." | 15 | |
| 6620363226 | Implication | When something is suggested without being concretely stated. "Watch your wallet around Paul," implies that Paul is a thief without coming out and saying "Paul is a thief." | 16 | |
| 6620363227 | Inductive reasoning | Making a GENERALIZATION based on specific evidence at hand. All of the planets in this solar system orbit a star, so all planets probably orbit stars. | 17 | |
| 6620363228 | Irony | At the most basic sense, saying the opposite of what you mean; also used to describe situations in which the results of an action are dramatically different than intended. "I do so hope there are more papers to sign," is something that might be said ironically. | 18 | |
| 6620363229 | Juxtaposition | Placing two very different things together for effect. Highlights the contrast between the things. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness" | 19 | |
| 6620363230 | Logos | Appealing to someone's sense of concrete facts and logic. Citing peer-reviewed scientific studies is an appeal to logos. | 20 | |
| 6620363231 | Occasion | The reason or moment for writing or speaking. When giving a graduation speech, the occasion is graduation. | 21 | |
| 6620363232 | Organization | How the different parts of an argument are arranged in a piece of writing or speech. Think about the outlines you write in preparation for drafting an argumentative essay and you'll have an idea of what organization is. | 22 | |
| 6620363233 | Pathos | An Aristotelian appeal. Involves appealing to someone's emotions. Animal shelters ads with pictures of cute sad animals and dramatic music are using pathos. | 23 | |
| 6620363234 | Purpose | The author's persuasive intention. If you are trying to convince your mother you should get a dog, your purpose in addressing an essay on the subject to her would be to convince her that you should get a dog. | 24 | |
| 6620363235 | Repetition | Re-using a word or phrase repeatedly for effect or emphasis. "We run, and we run, and we run, like rats on a wheel." "To love is to share life together, To love is to help and encourage, To love is to have someone special." | 25 | |
| 6620363236 | Rhetoric | The use of spoken or written word (or a visual medium) to convey your ideas and convince an audience. Almost everything is an example of rhetoric! | 26 | |
| 6620363237 | Rhetorical triangle | The relationship between the author, the audience, the text/message, and the context. The author communicates to the reader via the text; and the reader and text are surrounded by context. | 27 | |
| 6620363238 | Speaker | The persona adopted by the author to deliver his or her message; may or may not actually be the same person as the author. Similar to the difference between author and narrator in a work of fiction. | 28 | |
| 6620363239 | Style | The author's own personal approach to rhetoric in the piece; similar to voice. We might say the Taylor Swift's songwriting style is straightforward and emotive. | 29 | |
| 6620363240 | Symbolism | Using a symbol to refer to an idea or concept. "Fire" is commonly used a symbol for passion and/or anger. | 30 | |
| 6620363241 | Syntax | The way sentences are grammatically constructed. "She likes pie," is _______ simple. On the other hand, "As it so happened, when Barbara got out of class early she liked to have a piece of pie—key lime or pecan, always—at the corner diner; while she was there she watched the people passing by the window and imagined herself inside each of their lives, riding in their heads for moments and moments until the afternoon was whiled away and she'd become fifty people," is ________ complicated. | 31 | |
| 6620363242 | Synthesis | Combining sources or ideas in a coherent way in the purpose of a larger point. A typical research paper involves synthesizing sources to make a broader point about the topic. | 32 | |
| 6620363243 | Themes | Overarching ideas or driving premises of a work. Some themes you will probably hear in your high school graduation speech include leaving behind a legacy, moving into the great unknown, becoming an adult, and changing the world. | 33 | |
| 6620363244 | Tone | The use of stylistic devices to reveal an author's attitude toward a subject. Only a narrow distinction from attitude. The phrase "the deplorable state of this school" reveals a negative attitude, but the word choice of "deplorable" is part of the author's tone. | 34 | |
| 6620628999 | Posit | assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument replaces: says, argues, claims "the Confucian view _____ a perfectible human nature" | 35 | |
| 6620629000 | Assert | state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully replaces: claims, argues, posits | 36 | |
| 6620629001 | Myriad | a countless or great number replaces: many, lots, a lot, a ton | 37 | |
| 6620629002 | Employ | Makes use of replaces: uses, makes use of | 38 | |
| 6620629003 | Salint | most noticeable or important. replaces: most important, relevant, interesting "the _____ point here is that..." | 39 | |
| 6620629004 | Galvanize | to shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action. replaces: motivate, encourage, persuade "the author attempted to _____ into.." | 40 | |
| 6620629005 | Craft | An activity involving skill in making things by hand replaces: creates, writes, makes, says, invents "the carefully _____ sentence emphasizes that.." | 41 | |
| 6625655397 | Alliteration | Words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group. Involves creating a repetition of similar sounds in the sentence. They create rhythm and mood and can have particular connotations. Repetition of the "s" sound often suggests a snake-like quality, implying slyness and danger. | 42 | |
| 6625667376 | Metaphor | Draws a comparison between their similarities and shared traits. Helps paint a picture for the readers "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" | 43 | |
| 6625682333 | Pacing/Punctuation | Authors can use this to manipulate the text to create suspense, excitement, sadness | 44 | |
| 6625689921 | Polysyndeton | When a writer includes more conjunctions than are necessary. Speaker can slow the sentence down, encourages reader to focus. "I will listen to the people AND act on their concerns AND convince my colleagues we are right." | 45 | |
| 6625704898 | Asyndeton | Omits conjunctions (like: "and" "or" "but") to create a more forceful sentence. Makes the speech more dramatic, speeds up its rhythm and space, making it more effective "I came, I saw, I conquered." | 46 | |
| 6625719244 | Rhetorical Questions | - Help a speaker activate listener's prior knowledge - Posing a question the audience knows the answer to engages them in conversation | 47 | |
| 6625729524 | Satire/Irony | Words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning Can help move a story forward and deepen the meaning Usually used when political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly forbidden | 48 | |
| 6625747369 | Chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed. This juxtaposes ideas in a sentence, making the sentence stand out, audience listens more closely. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." | 49 | |
| 6625763209 | Synecdoche | A part of something to refer to the whole or vice versa. This gives deeper meaning, draws readers attention, makes words appear more vivid. The word "boots" usually refers to soldiers. The word "bread" refers to food or money. | 50 | |
| 6625774253 | Allusion | Author references something such as a place, event, or literary work. Designed to call something out without mentioning it. "Your backyard is a Garden of Eden" "the author _____ to the biblical.." | 51 | |
| 6625793339 | Imagery | Uses words and phrases to create "mental images" for the reader. "Where the ocean kissed the southern shore" | 52 | |
| 6625801060 | Understatement | Drawing attention to a fact that is already obvious and noticeable (sarcasm) To intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is A team loses to its opponent 50 to 0, the team captain says "we did not do well", this is an _________ because he is trying to decrease the intensity of the loss. | 53 | |
| 6625809479 | Hyperbole | Uses specific words and phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic crux of the statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. Adds emphasis to writing "The bag weighed a ton" | 54 | |
| 6625849351 | Parallelism | Using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure, sound, meaning, or meter. Alerts the audience of important ideal. Creates familiarity between text. Strengthens the idea as the listener anticipates what will come next. | 55 | |
| 6625884084 | Periodic | Sentence with main clause at the END. - Can be persuasive by putting reasons for something in the beginning before final point is made - Can create suspense or interest for the reader | 56 | |
| 6625895104 | Loose | (cumulative) sentence with the main clause FIRST. "You can pass all your classes with good study habits and good attendance." Allows writer to focus on their point. | 57 | |
| 6625907213 | Antithesis | An opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other Makes the sentence more memorable for the reader or listener through balance and emphasis, emphasizes contrast "Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice." "Man proposes, God disposes." | 58 | |
| 6625919552 | Antimetabole | Repetition of words in reverse order Used for calling attention to the words, or demonstrating that reality is not always what it seems by using the reversal of words. Though provoking, gets audience to perceive things from a different angle "One for all and all for one!" "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." | 59 | |
| 6625964099 | Allegory | Using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. Usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. Animal Farm, The Crucible | 60 | |
| 6625979652 | Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 61 | |
| 6625982596 | Aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. Can be a memorable summation of the author's point. | 62 | |
| 6625991844 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn," in which Keats addresses the urn itself: "Thou still unravished bride of quietness." Many apostrophes imply a personification of the object addressed | 63 | |
| 6625995931 | Atmosphere | The emotional nod 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. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood. | 64 | |
| 6626006053 | Colloquial | Characteristic of ordinary conversation rather than formal speech or writing | 65 | |
| 6626008995 | Didactic | These words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 66 | |
| 6626083130 | Euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant. The ________ may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example of a _______. | 67 | |
| 6626091275 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 68 | |
| 6626119345 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. Prince Hal uses _______ language by calling the large character of Falstaff "this sanguine coward, this bedpresser." | 69 | |
| 6626172229 | Litotes | A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. "Not a bad idea," "Not many," "It isn't very serious." | 70 | |
| 6626181270 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it. "the White House declared" rather than "the President declared" The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 71 | |
| 6626225601 | Paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." | 72 |
