Terms : Hide Images
| 2870431110 | allegory | A narrative in which characters and settings stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities | 0 | |
| 2870436519 | alliteration | Repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in a sequence. Ex. [L]et us go forth the land we love... | 1 | |
| 2870439171 | allusions | A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance | 2 | |
| 2870440055 | ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 2870440772 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 4 | |
| 2870442309 | 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). | 5 | |
| 2870446494 | ethos | Ethos is an appeal to credibility. The writer is seeking to convince you that he or she has the background, history, skills, and/or expertise to speak on the issue. Whenever you encounter an ethos argument, always ask yourself is the credibility is substantiated and valid. | 6 | |
| 2870449757 | pathos | An appeal to emotion. Typically, pathos arguments may use loaded words to make you feel guilty, lonely, worried, insecure, or confused. The easiest way to remember whats pathos arguments are is to see most advertising as a form of pathos argument. | 7 | |
| 2870450456 | logos | An appeal to reason. It occurs when a writer tries to convince you of the logic of his argument. Writers may use inductive argumentation or deductive argumentation, but they clearly have examples and generally rational tone to their language. The problem with logos is that is can appear reasonable until you dissect the argument and then find fallacies that defeat the viability of the argument on the reader's eyes. Of course, that presupposes that the readers is able to identify the fallacies. | 8 | |
| 2870453158 | assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity. | 9 | |
| 2870455304 | attitude | A speaker's, author's, or character's disposition toward or opinion of a subject. | 10 | |
| 2870456656 | claim | Also called an assertion or proposition, a claim states the argument's main idea or position/ A claim differs from a topic or subject in that a claim has to be arguable. | 11 | |
| 2870463666 | Colloquialism | A word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y'all, ain't) | 12 | |
| 2870464667 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. | 13 | |
| 2870470272 | concession | An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point. | 14 | |
| 2870473219 | context | Words, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning. | 15 | |
| 2870474188 | counterargument | An opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. Rather than ignoring the counterargument, a strong writer will usually address it through the process of concession and refutation. | 16 | |
| 2870479153 | deduction | The logical process wherein you reach a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth (a major premiss) and applying it to a specific case (a minor premise). The process of deduction is usually demonstrated in the form of a syllogism. Major Premise: Exercise contributes to better health. Minor Premise: Yoga is a type of exercise. Conclusion: Yoga contributes to better health. | 17 | |
| 2870485487 | diction | A writer's or speaker's choice of words | 18 | |
| 2870486942 | didactic | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 19 | |
| 2870488088 | euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept - POLITICALLY CORRECT | 20 | |
| 2870489838 | hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. The opposite of hyperbole is understatement. | 21 | |
| 2870490764 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 22 | |
| 2870497637 | inversion | The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. (variation of the subject-verb-object order) Ex. "United there is little we cannot to in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do." - JFK | 23 | |
| 2870500995 | irony | A figure of speech that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true. Ex. "Nature has become simply a visual form of entertainment, and it had better look snappy." - Joy Williams | 24 | |
| 2870504325 | juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences. | 25 | |
| 2870524594 | jargon | Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand | 26 | |
| 2870525604 | mood | The feeling or atmosphere created by the text. | 27 | |
| 2870526607 | narration | In classical oration, the factual and background information, establishing why a subject or problem needs addressing; it precedes the confirmation, or laying out of evidence to support claim made in the argument. | 28 | |
| 2870529421 | occasion | The time and place a speech is given or a piece is written. | 29 | |
| 2870530052 | modifier | An adjective, adverb, phrase, or clause that modifies a noun, pronoun, or verb. The purpose of a modifier is usually to describe, focus, or qualify. | 30 | |
| 2870534871 | oxymoron | A paradox made up of two seemingly contradictory words. | 31 | |
| 2870535400 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. | 32 | |
| 2870538044 | parallelism | Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. | 33 | |
| 2870538790 | persona | Greek for "mask." The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience. | 34 | |
| 2870541172 | personification | Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea. | 35 | |
| 2870542860 | parody | A piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule. | 36 | |
| 2870543262 | polemic | An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all over all others. | 37 | |
| 2870547555 | 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. | 38 | |
| 2870550506 | purpose | The speaker's goal; what they hope to achieve. | 39 | |
| 2870602858 | qualifier | Words like usually, probably, maybe, in most cases, and most likely that are used to temper claims a bit, making them less absolute. | 40 | |
| 2870604085 | rebuttal | The attempt to disprove (or poke holes) the opposing view by refuting it (or finding fault with it) | 41 | |
| 2870605166 | refutation | The denial of the validity of an opposing argument. | 42 | |
| 2870610138 | prose | Ordinary writing (both fiction and nonfiction) as distinguished from verse. | 43 | |
| 2870611171 | rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 44 | |
| 2870626707 | rhetorical triangle | A diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience. | 45 | |
| 2870629506 | rhetorical question | Figure of speech in the form of a question posed for the rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer. | 46 | |
| 2870631075 | satire | The use of irony or sarcasm to critique society or an individual. | 47 | |
| 2870634571 | scheme | Artful syntax; a deviation from the normal order of words. Common schemes include parallelism, juxtaposition, antithesis and antimetabole. | 48 | |
| 2870662747 | 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. | 49 | |
| 2870663181 | speaker | A term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing | 50 | |
| 2870664679 | stance | A speaker's attitude toward the audience (differing from tone, the speaker's attitude toward the subject). | 51 | |
| 2870666716 | subject | The topic of a text. What the text is about. | 52 | |
| 2870667219 | syllogism | The logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion. Major Premise: Exercise contributes to better health. Minor Premise: Yoga is a type of exercise. Conclusion: Yoga contributes to better health. | 53 | |
| 2870674896 | syntax | The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. (Phrases, clauses, and sentences.) | 54 | |
| 2870676680 | tone | A speaker's attitude toward the subject conveyed by the speaker's stylistic and rhetorical choices. | 55 | |
| 2870678337 | wit | In rhetoric, the use of laughter, humor, irony, and satire in the confirmation or refutation of an argument. | 56 | |
| 2870682035 | theme | A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a work. | 57 |
