Terms : Hide Images
| 2524777578 | ad hominem | An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack. | 0 | |
| 2524777579 | anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences. | 1 | |
| 2524777580 | antithesis | Direct opposite | 2 | |
| 2524777581 | alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds | 3 | |
| 2524777582 | allusion | A reference to another work of literature, person, or event | 4 | |
| 2524777583 | aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. | 5 | |
| 2524777584 | argumentum a fortiori | In the art of rhetoric, i.e., speaking or writing for the acknowledged primary purpose of persuasion, the a fortiori argument draws on the speaker's and/or listener's existing confidence in a proposition to argue for a second proposition that is implicit in the first, "weaker" (less controversial and more likely to be true) than the first proposition, and therefore deserving of even more confidence than the speaker and/or listener places in the first proposition. The Christian apostle Paul makes frequent use of the argument for purpose, often signaling it with the phrase "... if [A], then how much more [B]" (New International Version translation; see, e.g., 2 Corinthians 3:7-8 and 9 and Romans 5:9 and 10. | 6 | |
| 2524777585 | Bathos | insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity | 7 | |
| 2524777586 | chiasmus | A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed. | 8 | |
| 2524777587 | Chanticleer fallacy | A belief that because B followed A, A caused B to happen. Named after a rooster who was thought to believe the sun rose because he crowed. | 9 | |
| 2524777588 | Concession | An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point. | 10 | |
| 2524777589 | Demonstrative logic | Attacking the person not the argument | 11 | |
| 2524777590 | demonstrative rhetoric | Persuasion that deals with values that bring a group together. It usually focuses on matters in the present, and its chief topic is right versus wrong. Most sermons- and too many political speeches- are demonstrative. (The other two forms of rhetoric are deliberative and forensic.) | 12 | |
| 2524777591 | deliberative rhetoric | the type of rhetoric used to argue what a society should do in the future | 13 | |
| 2524777592 | disinterest | Unbiased | 14 | |
| 2524777593 | enthymeme | A syllogism in which one of the premises—often the major premise—is unstated, but meant to be understood, e.g. "Children should be seen and not heard. Be quiet, John." Here, the minor premise—that John is a child—is left to the ingenuity of the reader. | 15 | |
| 2524777594 | Ethos | beliefs or character of a group | 16 | |
| 2524777595 | epistrophe | A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: "I believe we should fight for justice. You believe we should fight for justice. How can we not, then, fight for justice?" | 17 | |
| 2524777596 | equivocation | A key term in an argument changes meaning during the course of the argument. | 18 | |
| 2524777597 | Logos | Appeal to logic | 19 | |
| 2524777598 | Motif | (n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design | 20 | |
| 2524777599 | metaphor | figure of speech comparing two different things | 21 | |
| 2524777600 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it | 22 | |
| 2524777601 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. | 23 | |
| 2524777602 | paradox | a contradiction or dilemma | 24 | |
| 2524777603 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 25 | |
| 2524777604 | passive voice | Sentence construction in which the subject does not do the action expressed by the verb; rather the subject is acted upon. Passive voice tends to be less effective for business communication | 26 | |
| 2524777605 | parallel structure | the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures | 27 | |
| 2524777606 | Pathos | Appeal to emotion | 28 | |
| 2524777607 | practical wisdom | the ability to discipline oneself by the use of reason | 29 | |
| 2524777608 | Red herring | An argument that distracts the reader by raising issues irrelevant to the case. It is like being given too many suspects in a murder mystery. | 30 | |
| 2524777609 | Reductio ad absurdum | the Latin for "to reduce to the absurd." This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetorical fallacy because it reduces an argument to an either/or choice | 31 | |
| 2524777610 | simile | A comparison using like or as | 32 | |
| 2524777611 | solecism | grammatical mistake; blunder in speech | 33 | |
| 2524777612 | Syllogism | A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Example: Major Premise: All tragedies end unhappily. Minor Premise: Hamlet is a tragedy. Conclusion: Therefore, Hamlet ends unhappily. | 34 | |
| 2524777613 | synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword). | 35 | |
| 2524777614 | synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") | 36 | |
| 2524777615 | virtue | A habitual and firm disposition to do the good. | 37 | |
| 2524777616 | disinterest | Unbiased | 38 |
