Terms : Hide Images
| 6926080157 | Analogy | Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple. An engine is to a car as a heart is to a human. | 0 | |
| 6926092272 | Argument | The combination of reasons, evidence, etc that an author uses to convince an audience of their position. Debates | 1 | |
| 6934456785 | Aristotelian appeals | Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos, logos, and pathos. | 2 | |
| 6934462246 | Attitude | The writer's personal views or feelings about the subject at hand. "The beautiful campground" shows a positive attitude | 3 | |
| 6934474799 | Audience | Who the author is directing his or her message towards A resume is aimed at employers | 4 | |
| 6934487075 | Compare and contrast | Discussing the similarities and differences between two things to some persuasive or illustrative purpose. Both John and Max scored 30 points but John was more efficient. | 5 | |
| 6934490009 | Connotation | The implied meaning of a word; words can broadly have positive, negative, or neutral connotations. Ghastly-Negative connotation | 6 | |
| 6934495562 | Context | The extra-textual environment in which the text is being delivered. | 7 | |
| 6934505124 | Counterargument | The argument(s) against the author's position. A counterargument to getting rid of homework is that the students would not spend enough time mastering the material. | 8 | |
| 6934512506 | Deductive reasoning | A form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific case. If all dogs bark, John barks, John must be a dog. | 9 | |
| 6934518218 | Denotation | The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word. The denotation of denotation is "The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word." | 10 | |
| 6934527900 | Diction | The style of language used; generally tailored to be appropriate to the audience and situation. The uding less formal language of the audience is kids. | 11 | |
| 6934536099 | Ethos | Setting up a source as credible and trustworthy. Having a degree in the topic being discussed. | 12 | |
| 6934556679 | Evidence | The information presented meant to persuade the audience of the author's position. Emily is a bad student. Her report card could be used as evidence. | 13 | |
| 6934564745 | Figurative language | The use of language in a non-literal way; i.e. metaphor, simile, etc. | 14 | |
| 6934573383 | Genre | The specific type of work being presented. Haiku | 15 | |
| 6934580332 | Imagery | Any descriptive language used to evoke a vivid sense or image of something; includes figurative language. The water was crystal clear. | 16 | |
| 6934589453 | Implication | When something is suggested without being concretely stated. Don't leave your kids with Felix. | 17 | |
| 6934596126 | Inductive reasoning | Making a generalization based on specific evidence at hand. Ruben is loud do, all Rubens must be loud. | 18 | |
| 7193782377 | 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. | 19 | |
| 7193783182 | Juxtaposition | Placing two very different things together for effect. "There they stood together, the beggars and the lords, the princesses and the washerwoman, all crowding into the square." | 20 | |
| 7193784381 | Logos | Appealing to someone's sense of concrete facts and logic. Citing peer-reviewed Scientific studies is an appeal to logos. | 21 | |
| 7193786286 | Occasion | The reason or moment for writing or speaking. When giving a graduation speech, the occasion is graduation. | 22 | |
| 7193795360 | 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. | 23 | |
| 7193797585 | 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. | 24 | |
| 7193799089 | 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. | 25 | |
| 7193800353 | 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." | 26 | |
| 7193801065 | 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! | 27 | |
| 7193801799 | Rhetoric 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. | 28 | |
| 7193804682 | 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. | 29 | |
| 7193805011 | Style | 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. | 30 | |
| 7193805930 | Symbols | Using a symbol to refer to an idea or concept. "Fire" is commonly used a symbol for passion and/or anger. | 31 | |
| 7193807156 | Syntax | The way sentences are grammatically constructed. "She likes pie," is syntactically 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 syntactically complicated. | 32 | |
| 7193808460 | 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. | 33 | |
| 7193816784 | 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. | 34 | |
| 7193820243 | 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. | 35 | |
| 7193821229 | Voice | An author's unique sound. Similar to style. Think of the way that you can recognize a pop singer on the radio without hearing who it is first | 36 | |
| 7193854963 | Alliteration | Using words with the same first letter repeatedly close together in a phrase or sentence. Lenny leaves looking lost. | 37 | |
| 7193855536 | Allusion | Making a brief reference to the cultural canon—e.g. the Bible, Shakespeare, classical mythology, etc. | 38 | |
| 7193855714 | Anecdote | Offering a brief narrative episode. This device can serve many functions in a text—for example, introducing an issue, serving as evidence, to illustrate a point, and so on. | 39 | |
| 7193858062 | Concession | Agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point (but not in the larger argument) | 40 | |
| 7193860212 | Didactic | A text with an instructive purpose, often moral. Aesop's fables | 41 | |
| 7193860657 | Euphemism | Referring to something with a veiled phrase instead of saying it directly. She passed away. | 42 | |
| 7193861391 | Exemplification | Providing examples in service of a point. The schools funds are being sorely missused they are using books from 1999, and sitting on damaged chairs. | 43 | |
| 7193864011 | Hyperbole | Overstating a situation for humorous or dramatic effect. I'm so hungry I can eat a horse. | 44 | |
| 7193864022 | Idiom | A commonly used phrase that signifies something very different than its literal meaning. | 45 | |
| 7193865329 | Onomatopoeia | Using "sound-effect" words (e.g. "clap," "buzz). | 46 | |
| 7193865958 | Paradox | A phrase or assertion that appears to contradict itself (but the contradiction itself may have its own meaning). Jumbo Shrimp | 47 | |
| 7193866902 | Parallelism | Repeated structure in a sentence. "Ask not what you not what your country could do for you, ask what you can do for your country" | 48 | |
| 7193870647 | Parody | Using the form of something to mimic and make fun of it. Weird Al Yankovich | 49 | |
| 7193871414 | Personification | Giving human characteristics to a nonhuman object or idea. The cars in the movie Cars | 50 | |
| 7193872756 | Sarcasm | Mockingly stating the opposite of what you mean. I really like English class. | 51 | |
| 7193874184 | Satire | A genre of humorous and mocking criticism to expose the ignorance and/or ills of society. Stephen Colbert | 52 | |
| 7193876117 | Synecdoche | Referring to one part of something as a way to refer to the whole. Get your head in the game. | 53 | |
| 7193876836 | Understatement | Deliberately minimizing something, usually for humorous effect. I was a tiny bit mad that they broke my window. | 54 |
