Terms : Hide Images
| 14508504308 | ad hominem | Latin for "to the man", a fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute | 0 | |
| 14508507901 | ad populum/bandwagon appeal | This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do." | 1 | |
| 14508511220 | alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds | 2 | |
| 14508514189 | allusion | A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art | 3 | |
| 14508517576 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things, usually uses something simple to explain something complex | 4 | |
| 14508520117 | anaphora | repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines | 5 | |
| 14508520927 | anecdote | A brief narrative to illustrate a point or claim | 6 | |
| 14508522520 | annotation | The taking of notes directly on a text | 7 | |
| 14508525648 | antimetabole | Repetition of words in reverse order | 8 | |
| 14508530453 | antithesis | Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction | 9 | |
| 14508535197 | appeal to false authority | This fallacy occurs when someone who has no expertise to speak on an issue is cited as an authority. | 10 | |
| 14508545301 | archaic diction | Old-fashioned or outdated choice of words | 11 | |
| 14508546809 | argument | A process of reasoned inquiry; a persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from a claim to a conclusion. | 12 | |
| 14508552799 | Aristotelian/Rhetorical Triangle | A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text. | 13 | |
| 14508557883 | assertion | A statement that presents a claim or thesis | 14 | |
| 14508559370 | assumption/warrant | In the Toulmin model, this expresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience. | 15 | |
| 14508566201 | asyndeton | Omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words | 16 | |
| 14508572404 | audience | The listener, viewer, or reader of a text | 17 | |
| 14508573328 | backing | In the Toulmin model, this consists of further assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority. | 18 | |
| 14508576686 | begging the question | A fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt. | 19 | |
| 14508596242 | circular reasoning | A fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence. | 20 | |
| 14508598256 | claim | States the argument's main idea or position | 21 | |
| 14508601875 | claim of fact | Asserts that something is true or not true | 22 | |
| 14508603172 | claim of policy | Proposes a change | 23 | |
| 14508603938 | claim of value | Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong | 24 | |
| 14508608467 | classical oration | 5 part argument structure used by classical rhetoricians (introduction, narration, confirmation, refutation, conclusion) | 25 | |
| 14508613303 | introduction (exordium) | Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion | 26 | |
| 14508614658 | narration (narratio) | Provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing. | 27 | |
| 14508627242 | confirmation (confirmatio) | Usually the major part of the text, includes the proof needed to make the writer's case | 28 | |
| 14508634068 | refutation (refutatio) | Addresses the counterargument; a bridge between the writer's proof and conclusion | 29 | |
| 14508636264 | conclusion (peroratio) | Brings the essay to a satisfying close | 30 | |
| 14508641347 | closed thesis | A statement of the main idea of the argument that also previews the major points the writer intends to make | 31 | |
| 14508647450 | complex sentence | A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause | 32 | |
| 14508648880 | compound sentence | two or more independent clauses | 33 | |
| 14508655553 | concession | An acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. | 34 | |
| 14508662802 | connotation | Meanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation (often positive or negative) | 35 | |
| 14508671272 | context | The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding an event | 36 | |
| 14508677683 | counterargument | An opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward | 37 | |
| 14508680330 | cumulative sentence | A sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on | 38 | |
| 14508684117 | deduction | A logical process whereby one reaches a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth (a major premise) and applying it to a specific case (a minor premise) | 39 | |
| 14508695207 | diction | A writer's or speaker's choice of words | 40 | |
| 14508696755 | either/or (false dilemma) | In this fallacy, the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices | 41 | |
| 14508713011 | enthymeme | Logical reasoning with one premise left unstated | 42 | |
| 14508729890 | equivocation | A fallacy that uses a term with two or more meanings in an attempt to misrepresent or deceive. | 43 | |
| 14508745266 | 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. | 44 | |
| 14508746557 | (logical) fallacy | Potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in an argument | 45 | |
| 14508746558 | faulty analogy | A fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares two things that are not comparable | 46 | |
| 14508754406 | figurative language | Non-literal language often evoking strong imagery | 47 | |
| 14508760055 | first-hand evidence | Evidence based on something the writer knows, whether it's from personal experience, observations, or general knowledge of events. | 48 | |
| 14508761918 | hasty generalization | A fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence. | 49 | |
| 14508766738 | hortative sentence | A sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action | 50 | |
| 14508771980 | hyperbole | A deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point | 51 | |
| 14508774212 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 52 | |
| 14508776664 | imperative sentence | A sentence used to command or enjoin | 53 | |
| 14508777227 | induction | Latin: inducere (meaning "to lead into"); a logical process whereby the writer reasons from particulars to universals, using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion, which is also called a generalization | 54 | |
| 14508783878 | inversion | Inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order) | 55 | |
| 14508788652 | irony | A figure of speech that occurs when a speaker or character says one thing but means another, or when what is said is the opposite of what is meant, creating a noticeable incongruity | 56 | |
| 14508794172 | juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts | 57 | |
| 14508798983 | 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. | 58 | |
| 14508800330 | metaphor | A comparison without using like or as | 59 | |
| 14508801602 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is represented by another thing related to it | 60 | |
| 14508819588 | modifier | An adjective, adverb, phrase, or clause that modifies a noun, pronoun, or verb. The purpose is usually to describe, focus, or qualify. | 61 | |
| 14508820305 | mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader | 62 | |
| 14508820805 | narration | The factual and background information, establishing why a subject or problem needs addressing | 63 | |
| 14508824728 | nominalization | The process of changing a verb into a noun | 64 | |
| 14508825096 | occasion | The time and place a speech is given or a piece is written | 65 | |
| 14508826166 | open thesis | One that does not list all the points the writer intends to cover in an essay | 66 | |
| 14508828183 | oxymoron | A paradox made up of two seemingly contradictory words | 67 | |
| 14508829307 | paradox | A statement or situation that is seemingly contradictory on the surface, but delivers an ironic truth. | 68 | |
| 14508832552 | parallelism | Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses | 69 | |
| 14508833500 | 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. | 70 | |
| 14508836537 | periodic sentence | Sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end | 71 | |
| 14508837159 | peroration | the concluding part of a speech that typically appeals to pathos | 72 | |
| 14508840935 | persona | Greek for "mask." The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience. | 73 | |
| 14508842840 | personification | Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea | 74 | |
| 14508938523 | polemic | Greek for "hostile." An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others; generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit. | 75 | |
| 14508941010 | polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words | 76 | |
| 14508946426 | post hoc ergo propter hoc | This fallacy is Latin for "after which therefore because of which," meaning that it is incorrect to always claim that something is a cause just because it happened earlier. One may loosely summarize this fallacy by saying that correlation does not imply causation. | 77 | |
| 14508975407 | propaganda | the spread of ideas and information to further a cause; in the negative sense, it is the use of rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics to damage or promote a cause | 78 | |
| 14508994160 | purpose | The goal the speaker wants to achieve | 79 | |
| 14508997636 | qualified argument | An argument that is not absolute. It acknowledges the merits of an opposing view, but develops a stronger case for its own position. | 80 | |
| 14508999340 | qualifier | In the Toulmin model, this uses words like usually, probably, maybe, in most cases, and most likely to temper the claim, making it less absolute. | 81 | |
| 14509000862 | qualitative evidence | Evidence supported by reason, tradition, or precedent | 82 | |
| 14509011213 | quantitative evidence | Includes things that can be measured, cited, counted, or otherwise represented in numbers-for instance, statistics, surveys, polls, census information. | 83 | |
| 14509015393 | rebuttal | In the Toulmin model, this gives voice to possible objections | 84 | |
| 14509017663 | refutation | A denial of the validity of an opposing argument | 85 | |
| 14509021117 | reservation | In the Toulmin model, this explains the terms and conditions necessitated by the qualifier. | 86 | |
| 14509021962 | rhetoric | Aristotle defined this as "the faulty of observing in any given case the available mean of persuasion"; art of finding ways to persuade an audience | 87 | |
| 14509034804 | rhetorical appeals | Rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling. The three major appeals are to ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion). | 88 | |
| 14509035618 | rhetorical question | Figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer | 89 | |
| 14509042194 | Rogerian Argument | Developed by psychiatrist Carl Rogers, based on the assumption that having a full understanding of an opposing position is essential to responding to it persuasively and refuting it in a way that is accommodating rather than alienating | 90 | |
| 14509047823 | satire | The use of irony or sarcasm to critique society or an individual | 91 | |
| 14509053927 | scheme | Artful syntax; a deviation from the normal order of words; include parallelism, juxtaposition, antithesis, and antimetabole. | 92 | |
| 14509055272 | second-hand evidence | Evidence that is accessed through research, reading, and investigation. It includes factual and historical information, expert opinion, and quantitative data. | 93 | |
| 14509056514 | simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" | 94 | |
| 14509059329 | SOAPS | Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Speaker | 95 | |
| 14509059918 | speaker | The person or group who creates a text | 96 | |
| 14509061406 | stance | A speaker's attitude toward the audience (differing from tone, the speaker's attitude toward the subject) | 97 | |
| 14509062162 | straw man | A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea. | 98 | |
| 14509068728 | subject | The topic of a text. What the text is about. | 99 | |
| 14509069297 | syllogism | A logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion | 100 | |
| 14509074731 | synecdoche | Figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole | 101 | |
| 14509088115 | syntax | The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language (ex. subject-verb-object) | 102 | |
| 14509090746 | synthesize | Combining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex. | 103 | |
| 14509091693 | text | While this term generally means the written word, in the humanities it has come to mean any cultural product that can be "read" - meaning not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated. This includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, political cartoons, fine art, photography, performances, fashion, cultural trends, and much more. | 104 | |
| 14509093650 | tone | A speaker's attitude toward the subject conveyed by the speaker's stylistic and rhetorical choices. | 105 | |
| 14509098707 | Toulmin Model | An approach to analyzing and constructing arguments created by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin. Template: Because (evidence as support), therefore (claim), since (warrant or assumption), on account of (backing), unless (reservation). | 106 | |
| 14509107979 | trope | Artful diction; from the Greek word for "turning," a figure of speech such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, metonymy, or synecdoche. | 107 | |
| 14509110253 | understatement | A figure of speech in which something is presented as less important, dire, urgent, good, etc. than it actually is, often for satiric or comical effect. Also called litotes, it is the opposite of a hyperbole. | 108 | |
| 14509124666 | wit | In rhetoric, the use of laughter, humor, irony, and satire in the confirmation or refutation of an argument. | 109 | |
| 14509125842 | zeugma | Use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous, meanings | 110 |
