Terms : Hide Images
| 195254970 | alliteration | repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables | 0 | |
| 195254971 | allusion | (a loo´ zhin) - a brief, informally introduced reference to a fairly well-known event, place, text, or person Purpose: to help readers see a broader picture, to evoke a negative or positive feeling, or to add credibility to writing | 1 | |
| 371967186 | amplification | (âmp li fi kā´ shun) - repetition of something just said while adding more detail to the original description Purpose: to add style to the phrase being amplified | 2 | |
| 195254972 | analogy | (a nal´ ǝ jē) - (similar to simile) makes use of something already well known to explain something less well known by comparison Purpose: helps readers quickly see precisely what the writer means | 3 | |
| 195255088 | anaphora | (a naf´ ǝ rǝ) - the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences Purpose: to build a sense of climax. | 4 | |
| 195254973 | anecdote | a short account of an interesting event | 5 | |
| 195254974 | annotation | explanatory or critical notes added to a text | 6 | |
| 371967182 | antanagoge | (an tan ǝ gō´ jē) - a way of ordering points to downplay the negatives so that readers feels less strongly about them Purpose: to suggest the benefits more than outweigh the costs of the subject | 7 | |
| 195254975 | antecedent | the noun to which a later pronoun refers | 8 | |
| 195255090 | antimetabole | the repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast | 9 | |
| 195254976 | antithesis | (an tith´ ǝ sis) - parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas Purpose: makes use of a contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas | 10 | |
| 195254977 | aphorism | a short, astute statement of a general truth | 11 | |
| 195255089 | appositive | a word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun | 12 | |
| 371967180 | apostrophe | (a pos´ trǝ f ē) - a rhetorical device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object. It should not be confused with the punctuation mark of the same name, to which it has no relation. Purpose: to express the force and emotion that the writer has become so caught up that he/she must break free and speak directly to something or someone | 13 | |
| 195328803 | cause and effect | analysis of events or situations in which reasons are sought and effects are considered. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Cause and Effect is used to trace the chain of events leading to a present situation or argue the consequences of a future decision. | 14 | |
| 371967176 | climax | (klī´ max) - organizing ideas in writing so that they proceed from the least to the most important Purpose: to establish a progression of ideas rather than a list of individual items, driving home the buildup of ideas | 15 | |
| 371967177 | conduplicatio | (kän dōōp lǝ kat´ ē ō) - (form of repetition) - takes an important word from anywhere in one sentence or phrase and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase. Purpose: to help guide the reader from one idea to the next by aiming directly at the key point of discussion | 16 | |
| 195254978 | connotation | that which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation) | 17 | |
| 195254979 | denotation | the literal meaning of a word; its dicitionary definition | 18 | |
| 195254980 | diction | word choice | 19 | |
| 371967172 | distinctio | (dis tink´ shē ō) - elaborating on the definition of a word to make sure there is no misunderstanding Purpose: to clarify for the reader exactly what the writer means to say | 20 | |
| 195254981 | epigram | a brief witty statement | 21 | |
| 371967184 | epistrophe | (ǝ pis´ trǝ fē) - (similar to anaphora) - repeating the same word or phrase at the end of multiple clauses or sentences Purpose: to build emphasis; the phrase becomes a sort of punctuation mark which the reader expects to find each time. | 22 | |
| 371967173 | eponym | (ep´ ǝ nim) - (similar to allusion) referring to a specific famous person to link his or her attributes with someone else. Purpose: to evoke specific emotions and add credibility to writing by proving the writer is informed and educated | 23 | |
| 371967175 | exemplum | (ex zem´ plum) - simply providing the reader with an example to illustrate the writer's point; may be factual or fictional as long as fictional examples are presented as hypothetical rather than factual Purpose: to support the point the writer is trying to make in a way that seems natural | 24 | |
| 195254982 | figurative language | the use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect | 25 | |
| 195254983 | figure of speech | an expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning | 26 | |
| 371967183 | hyperbaton | (hī pǝr´ bǝ tän) - purposefully arranging words in a sentence in a unexpected order Purpose: to tweak the normal order of a sentence, making certain parts stand out or making the entire sentence jump off the page | 27 | |
| 195254984 | hyperbole | (hī pǝr´ bǝ lē) - exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis; never meant to be taken literally Purpose: used to make a point strongly, to snap the reader's attention back to the writing, or to demonstrate the difference between two things | 28 | |
| 195254985 | irony | a contradition between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and results | 29 | |
| 371967178 | metabasis | (met ǝ bā´ sis) - a device used to sum up a body of work that has come before, so that readers can move on to a new point Purpose: to remind readers of the most crucial areas already covered before moving on to new but related ideas | 30 | |
| 195254986 | metaphor | (met´ ǝ for) - (similar to simile) speaking of one thing as though it actually were another, thus making an implicit comparison Purpose: to speak poetically, and more importantly, to help readers see something as the writer chooses them to see it | 31 | |
| 195254987 | metonymy | (mǝ tän´ i mē) - (similar to synecdoche) referring to something closely related to the actual object as a way of referring to the object itself Purpose: to surprise and delight readers and invite them to consider a familiar idea from a new angle | 32 | |
| 195254988 | omniscient narrator | an all-knowing, usually third-person narrator | 33 | |
| 195254989 | oxymoron | a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms | 34 | |
| 195254990 | paradox | a statement that seems contradicotry but is actually true | 35 | |
| 371967179 | parenthesis | (pǝ ren´ thǝ sis) - a device used to insert an aside or additional information into the main flow of writing. One way to do this is by using the actual parenthesis symbols, although using dashes or commas is also common; the parenthesis is the written equivalent of the spoken aside. Purpose: to focus the spotlight on whatever point is being made or to place information into context for better clarity | 36 | |
| 195254992 | pathos | a Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and logos) | 37 | |
| 195254993 | periodic sentence | a sentence that builds towards, and ends with the main clause | 38 | |
| 195254994 | persona | (per sō´ nuh) - a voice or mask that an author, speaker, or performer puts on for a particular purpose. Purpose: to focus the audience on the voice or mask the speaker intends to present in order to persuade the audience | 39 | |
| 195254995 | personification | (per son i fi kā´ shun) - giving human attributes to something that is non-human (animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts) Purpose: to help the reader understand particular qualities of a subject by relying on common human experience | 40 | |
| 371967171 | procatalepsis | (prō kat ǝ lep´ sis) - (form of hypophora) - deals specifically with objections and usually does so without even asking a question. Purpose: to further a writer's argument while satisfying readers by showing their concerns were anticipated | 41 | |
| 195254996 | rhetoric | the study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion" | 42 | |
| 195254998 | rhetorical question | a question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer Purpose: to highlight something readers already know, focusing the reader on their topic | 43 | |
| 195254999 | satire | an ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it | 44 | |
| 371967174 | sententia | (sen ten´ shē ǝ) - a fancy term for a quotation, maxim, or wise saying; usually a general maxim not attributed to a single source, but may also quote a real person. Purpose: used to sum up what the writer has been talking about in preceding paragraphs while seeming familiar, obvious, and often witty | 45 | |
| 195255000 | simile | (sim´ i lē) - a figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things that are already somewhat related Purpose: to conjure up strongly suggestive imagery, lending new details to the main object | 46 | |
| 195255001 | style | the distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of works and figures of speech | 47 | |
| 195255002 | syllogism | (sil´ uh jiz uhm) - a structured argument in deductive logic that contains two premises, one major and one minor, both of which are assumed to be true, followed by a conclusion drawn from those premises. They are simple logical constructs which presume that because the premises are true, the conclusion is proved to be true. Purpose: to simplify abstract concepts to obtain a better understanding of the validity of those ideas | 48 | |
| 195255003 | syntax | sentence structure | 49 | |
| 195255004 | thesis | the central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer | 50 | |
| 195255005 | tone | the speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience | 51 | |
| 195255006 | trope | (trohp)- a figure of speech in which words are used in a way which changes their meaning; many tropes rely on cultural or social norms which can make translation into other languages or cultures very difficult. Purpose: Tropes greatly add to the natural richness of language by playing with words and meanings, sometimes in novel ways. | 52 | |
| 195255007 | understatement | lack of emphasis or restraint in language, the force of which is less than what one would normally expect; when contrasted sharply with reality, the statement becomes absurd Purpose: used for ironic or humorous effect or to highlight the extreme nature of an event | 53 | |
| 195255008 | point of view | any of several possible vantage points; omniscient, limited to that of a single character, and limited to that of several characters | 54 | |
| 195255009 | euphemism | a figure of speech using indirection to avoid offensive bluntness | 55 | |
| 195255010 | parable | a story designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral, or answer a question | 56 | |
| 195255011 | onomatopoeia | the use of words whose tone suggests their meaning | 57 | |
| 195255012 | ellipsis | the omission of a word or several words necessary for a complete construction that is still understandable | 58 | |
| 195255013 | parallel structure | a similar grammatical structure within a sentence or within a paragraph | 59 | |
| 195255014 | ad hominem | directed to or appealing to feelings or prejudices instead of to intellet or reason | 60 | |
| 195255015 | adage | a saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language | 61 | |
| 195255016 | anachronism | a person, scene, event or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era | 62 | |
| 195255017 | bathos | insincere or overdone sentimentality | 63 | |
| 195255018 | burlesque | a work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation | 64 | |
| 195255019 | cacophony | grating, inharmonious sounds | 65 | |
| 195255020 | canon | the considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied | 66 | |
| 195255021 | caricature | a grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things | 67 | |
| 195255022 | circumlocution | literally, "talking around" a subject | 68 | |
| 195255023 | compare and contrast | examination of similarities and differences. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Compare and Contrast usually but not always appears with the other. | 69 | |
| 195255024 | conceit | a witty or ingenious thought | 70 | |
| 195255025 | deduction | reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect) | 71 | |
| 195255026 | de'nouement | the resolution that occurs at the end of a narrative or drama, real or imagined | 72 | |
| 195255027 | dramatic irony | a circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character | 73 | |
| 195255028 | elegy | a poem or prose selection that laments or meditates on the passing or death of someone of something of value | 74 | |
| 371967181 | enumeratio | (ē nōō mǝr ä´ tē ō) - refers to the act of supplying a list of details about something Purpose: used structurally to expand on a central idea, lending force to that idea by enumerating its many facets | 75 | |
| 195255030 | epithet | (ep´ i thet) - attaching a descriptive adjective to a noun to bring a scene to life or evoke a particular idea or emotion Purpose: English has a large selection of adjectives; this technique allows writers to craft the exact image they want | 76 | |
| 195255029 | euphonious | having a pleasant sound, (of speech or dialect) | 77 | |
| 195255031 | exposé | a piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings | 78 | |
| 195255033 | fallacy, fallacious reasoning | an incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, or false information | 79 | |
| 195255034 | farce | a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose | 80 | |
| 195255035 | genre | a term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, and essay | 81 | |
| 195255036 | harangue | a forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade | 82 | |
| 195255037 | homily | a lecture or sermon on a religious or moral theme meant to guide human behavior | 83 | |
| 195255038 | hubris | excessive pride that often affects tone | 84 | |
| 195255039 | indirect quotation | a rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased | 85 | |
| 195255040 | induction | reasoning from detailed facts to general principles | 86 | |
| 195255041 | inference | a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data | 87 | |
| 195255042 | invective | a direct verbal assault; a denunciation; casting blame on someone or something | 88 | |
| 195255043 | kenning | a device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities | 89 | |
| 195255044 | lampoon | a mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation | 90 | |
| 195255045 | litotes | (lī tō´ tēz) - (similar to understatement) emphasizes its point by using a word opposite to the condition; Purpose: while an obviously ironic use acts as an understatement to emphasize the initial claim, a non-ironic use can soften the edges of that same claim | 91 | |
| 195255046 | loose sentence | a sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses | 92 | |
| 195255047 | malapropism | a confused use of words in which the appropriate word is replaced by one with a similar soud but inappropriate meaning | 93 | |
| 195255048 | mock epic | a parody of traditional epic from | 94 | |
| 195255049 | mock solemnity | feigned or deliberately artificial seriousness, often for satirical purposes | 95 | |
| 195255050 | moral | a brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature | 96 | |
| 195255051 | motif | a phrase, idea, or event that through repition serves to unify or convey a theme in an essay or other discourse | 97 | |
| 195255052 | myth | an imaginary story that has become an accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group or society | 98 | |
| 195255053 | narration | telling a story, or giving an account of an event. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Narration refers to an essay that is almost entirely narration, but usually the events of the story lead to some kind of conclusion. | 99 | |
| 195255054 | non sequitur | a statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before | 100 | |
| 195255055 | pastoral | a work of literature dealing with rural life | 101 | |
| 195255056 | pathetic fallacy | faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects | 102 | |
| 195255057 | pedantic | narrowly academic instead of broad and humane; excessively petty and meticulous | 103 | |
| 195255058 | pseudonym | a false name or alias used by writers | 104 | |
| 195255060 | pun | a humorous play on words, using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings | 105 | |
| 195255062 | refutation | to discredit an arguement, particularly a counterarguement Ex: The counterarguement is not true because of fact 1, 2, and 3 | 106 | |
| 195255064 | repetition | reuse of the same words, phrases, or ideas for rhetorical effect, usually to emphasize a point | 107 | |
| 195255066 | rhetorical stance | language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject | 108 | |
| 195255070 | sarcasm | a sharp, caustic attitude conveyed in words through jibes, taunts, or other remarks | 109 | |
| 195255071 | sentence structure | the arrangement of the parts of a sentence | 110 | |
| 195255074 | stream of consciousness | a style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind | 111 | |
| 195255075 | stylistic devices | a general term referring to diction, syntax, tone, figurative language, and all other elements that contribute to the "style" or manner of a given piece of discourse | 112 | |
| 195255080 | synecdoche | (si nek´ dǝ kē) - (similar to metonymy) using a part of something, or something closely related, to refer to a larger whole Purpose: to surprise and delight readers and invite them to consider a familiar idea from a new angle | 113 | |
| 195255082 | transition | a stylistic device used to create a link between ideas | 114 | |
| 195255083 | verbal irony | a discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words | 115 | |
| 195255085 | verisimilitude | similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is | 116 | |
| 195255087 | wit | the quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that surprise and delight by their unexpectedness | 117 | |
| 195255091 | archaic diction | the use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language | 118 | |
| 195255092 | argument / persuasion | writing that attempts to prove a point through reasoning. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Argument presses its case by using logic and by supporting its logic with examples and evidence. | 119 | |
| 195255093 | Aristotelian triangle | a diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience | 120 | |
| 195255094 | assertion | an emphatic statement; declaration | 121 | |
| 195255095 | assumption | a belief or statement taken for granted without proof | 122 | |
| 195255096 | asyndeton | (ā sin´ dǝ tän) - leaving out conjunctions in a list or between words, phrases, or clauses Purpose: gives the feeling of fast movement to the writing, rather than a list that drags out | 123 | |
| 195255100 | bias | prejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue | 124 | |
| 195255101 | cite | identifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source | 125 | |
| 195255104 | colloquial/ism | an informal or conversational use of language | 126 | |
| 195255105 | common ground | shared beliefs, values, or positions | 127 | |
| 195255106 | complex sentence | a sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause | 128 | |
| 195255107 | concession | a reluctant acknowledgment or yielding | 129 | |
| 195255108 | context | words, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning | 130 | |
| 195255109 | coordination | grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but | 131 | |
| 195255110 | counterargument | a challenge to a position; an opposing argument | 132 | |
| 195255111 | credibility | worthy of belief; trustworthy | 133 | |
| 195255112 | cumulative sentence | an independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail | 134 | |
| 195255113 | declarative sentence | a sentence that makes a statement | 135 | |
| 195255116 | elegiac | mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone | 136 | |
| 195255117 | ethos | a Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals | 137 | |
| 195255118 | explication of text | explanation of a text's meaning through an analysis of all of its constituent parts, including the literary devices used | 138 | |
| 195255119 | facts | information that is true or demonstrable | 139 | |
| 195255120 | fragment | a word, phrase, or clause that does not form a full sentence | 140 | |
| 195255121 | hortatory | speech or writing that urges or commands an audience to follow (or not follow) a particular course of action. Purpose: to persuade the audience to follow a particular course of action | 141 | |
| 195255122 | imagery | vivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses | 142 | |
| 195255123 | imperative sentence | a sentence that requests or commands | 143 | |
| 195255124 | inversion | a sentence in which the verb precedes the subject | 144 | |
| 195255126 | juxtaposition | placement of two things side by side for emphasis | 145 | |
| 195255127 | logos | a Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals | 146 | |
| 195255128 | modifier | a word, phrase, or clause that qualifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause | 147 | |
| 195255129 | nominalization | turning a verb or adjective into a noun | 148 | |
| 195255130 | occasion | an aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing | 149 | |
| 195255132 | pacing | the relative speed that combines two contradictory terms | 150 | |
| 195255133 | paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true | 151 | |
| 195255134 | polemic | (puh lem´ ik) - a disputed argument attacking an opposing point of view, especially dealing with a controversial topic. Purpose: to establish the supremacy of a single point of view by refuting an opposing point of view. | 152 | |
| 195255135 | polysyndeton | POLYSYNDETON (pä´ lē sin dǝ tän) - (the stylistic opposite of asyndeton) - the deliberative use of a series of conjunctions Purpose: give the feeling of increasing urgency and power, quickly forming an almost hypnotic rhythm | 153 | |
| 195255136 | premise; major, minor | two parts of a syllogism. (The concluding sentence of a syllogism takes its predicate from the major premise and its subject from the minor premise. Major premise: All mammals are warm-blooded. Minor premise: All horses are mammals. Conclusion: All horses are warm-blooded. | 154 | |
| 195255137 | pronoun | a word used to replace a noun or noun phrase | 155 | |
| 195255138 | propaganda | a negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information | 156 | |
| 195255139 | purpose (in writing) | one's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing | 157 | |
| 195255140 | rhetorical modes | patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification and division, process analysis, and argumentation/persuasion | 158 | |
| 195255141 | scheme | a pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect | 159 | |
| 195255142 | sentence variety | using a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect | 160 | |
| 195255144 | simple sentence | a statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause | 161 | |
| 195255145 | source | a book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information | 162 | |
| 195255146 | 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 | 163 | |
| 195255147 | straw man | a device meant to easily prove that one's position or argument is superior to an opposing argument by deliberately misrepresenting and weakening the argument of the opposing side. This can be done by leaving out key points of an opposing argument, quoting a person's words out of context, or presenting a particular person's poor defense as the entire defense of an opposing side. Purpose: to make it seem easier to knock down the so-called weaker version of the opposing argument with one's seemingly more substantial counter argument. | 164 | |
| 195255148 | rhetorical triangle | a diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience | 165 | |
| 195255149 | subject | in rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing | 166 | |
| 195255150 | subordinate clause | created by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause | 167 | |
| 195255151 | subordination | the dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence | 168 | |
| 371967185 | symploce | (sim´ plǝ sē) - (form of parallelism) a special form that combines both anaphora and epistrophe Purpose: the total parallelism it forms creates a feeling of completion as well as emphasis. | 169 | |
| 195255152 | synthesize | combining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex | 170 | |
| 195255153 | thesis | the central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer | 171 | |
| 195255154 | thesis statement | a statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit | 172 | |
| 195255155 | topic sentence | a sentence, most often appearing at the beginning of a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's idea and often unites it with the work's thesis | 173 | |
| 195255156 | zeugma | (zōōg´ mǝ) - linking unexpected items in a sentence by a shared word; i.e. subjects linked together by a verb, pronouns by nouns, direct objects by verbs, adjectival phrases by verbs, etc. Purpose: to build suspense and elevate the importance of the shared word by postponing its introduction until the end, or near the end, of a sentence. The most important idea or word is closest to the end of the sentence. | 174 | |
| 195315995 | claim | an assertion, usually supported by evidence | 175 | |
| 195315996 | credible | worthy of belief; trustworthy | 176 | |
| 195315997 | parallelism | (pa rǝ lel iz´ m) - using the same general structure for multiple parts of a sentence, or for multiple sentences, in order to link them all Purpose: gives writing a sense of overall cohesion, keeping it balanced and intentional throughout | 177 | |
| 195315999 | sentence patterns | the arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions-such as simple,compound.complex,or compound-complex | 178 | |
| 195316000 | voice | In grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun. In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing | 179 | |
| 195316001 | anadiplosis | (an ǝ di plō´ sis) - (form of repetition) - repeating the last word of a sentence or phrase near the beginning or the next sentence or phrase; used this way words end up near one another, so their repetition becomes very apparent Purpose: to create a beautiful sound while effectively putting the reader's focus on a key word | 180 | |
| 195316002 | aporia | (ǝ pôr´ ē ǝ) - used to express doubt or ignorance--feigned or real—about an idea Purpose: to show a variety of sides to an argument without personally committing to any, to give a personal opinion on something while appearing to express ignorance, or to seem to address a point while actually dismissing it | 181 | |
| 195316003 | chiasmus | (kī az´ mǝs) - (form of parallelism) a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed, or flipped around; the crisscross figure. Purpose: to lend extra impact to a statement through the more ornate style | 182 | |
| 195316004 | dialogismus | the dialogue figure: speaking as someone else, either to bring others' points of view into one's own speech, or to conduct psuedo-dialog through taking up an opposing position with oneself | 183 | |
| 195316005 | tautology (also known as 'begging the question') | (taw tol´ uh jee)- the redundant use of words or phrases within a single speech pattern or literary construction Purpose: used for effect, such as to call attention to a particular component of the spoken or written word, or as a means of attracting attention for the remarks that are to follow. | 184 | |
| 195316006 | diazeugma | The play-by-play figure. It uses a single subject to govern a succession of verbs | 185 | |
| 195316007 | enthymeme | (en´ thuh meem) - an informal or abbreviated version of a syllogism. A syllogism is a structured argument in deductive logic that contains two premises that are assumed to be true and a conclusion drawn from those premises. Enthymemes usually omit one of the premises and are often structured as "because" statements. Purpose: to simplify abstract concepts to obtain a better understanding of the validity of those ideas, especially when one premise is not particularly strong or might hurt the main point of the argument | 186 | |
| 195316008 | epideictic | Aristotle's name for demonstrative rhetoric, speech that deals with values | 187 | |
| 195316009 | deliberative rhetoric | One of the three types of rhetorical persuasion (the other two are forensic and demonstrative). Deliberative rhetoric deals with argument about choices. It concerns itself with matters that affect the future; its chief topic, accordding to Aristotle, is the "advantageous"--what's best for the audience, family, company, community, or country. Without deliberative rhetoric, democracy is impossible. | 188 | |
| 195316010 | eristic | a competitive argument for the sake of argument | 189 | |
| 195316011 | forensic (legal) rhetoric | Argument that determines guilt or innocence. It focuses on the past. (The other two kinds of rhetoric are deliberative and demonstrative.) | 190 | |
| 195316012 | hypophora | (hī pä´ fǝ rǝ) - the technique of asking a question, then proceeding to answer it Purpose: to tell readers something they don't already know, anticipating their skepticism and nipping it in the bud | 191 | |
| 195316013 | 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.) | 192 | |
| 195316014 | idiom | inseparable words with a single meaning. Often mistaken for figures in general, the idiom is merely a kind of figure. | 193 | |
| 195316015 | jeremiad | prophecy of doom; also called cataplexis. | 194 | |
| 195316016 | kairos | The rhetorical art of seizing the occasion. It covers both timing and the appropriate medium. | 195 | |
| 195316017 | equivocation | (ih kwiv uh kā´ shuhn) - a common fallacy of ambiguity, where a word or phrase is used with two distinct meanings, but the conclusion is drawn as if there were only one meaning. This can create statements which are both compelling and incorrect, either by accident or by design. Purpose: subtle fallacies may be deliberate, designed to confuse an issue, to conceal an argument's weaknesses, or connect to unrelated points. Identifying and exposing these flaws can quickly tear down otherwise compelling arguments. | 196 | |
| 195316018 | metastasis | a figure of thought that skips over an awkward matter. "Traffic was horrible. I got into a little fender-bender, no big deal, but I got you that shirt you wanted." | 197 | |
| 195316019 | neologism | the newly minted word | 198 | |
| 195316020 | paradigm | a rule that arises from examples. "Look at those maples turning colors; we must be getting into fall." | 199 | |
| 195316021 | paralipsis | A figure in which you mention something by saying you are not going to mention it. It makes you sound fairer than you are. | 200 | |
| 371967187 | parataxis | (pa rǝ tax´ is) - involves listing a series of clauses with no conjunctions Purpose: to imply a sense of immediacy, or to indicate multiple things happening at once, even though that may not be the case | 201 | |
| 195316022 | phronesis | (froh nee´ sis) - one of the rhetorical constituents of ethos, this is characterizing a speaker as having prudence or practical wisdom. More specifically, the speaker is characterized as having the "wisdom to take counsel, to judge the goods and evils and all the things in life that are desirable and to be avoided, to use all the available goods finely, to behave rightly in society, to observe due occasions, to employ both speech and action with sagacity, to have expert knowledge of all things that are useful" (translated from On Virtues and Vices by H. Rackam). Purpose: to imply the speaker is wise and knowledgeable, therefore reliable | 202 | |
| 195316023 | red herring | a detail or remark inserted into a discussion, either intentionally or unintentionally, that sidetracks the discussion. The red herring is invariably irrelevant and is often emotionally charged. Purpose: to trick opponents into going after the red herring and forgetting what they were initially talking about; hopefully opponent(s) never get back to their original topic. | 203 | |
| 195316024 | reductio ad absurdum | taking an opponent's argument to its illogical conclusion. A fallacy in formal logic; in rhetoric, a great tool. | 204 | |
| 195316025 | post hoc ergo propter hoc | the Chanticleer fallacy. A followed B; therefore, A caused B. ("My crowing makes the sun come up.") | 205 | |
| 195316026 | significatio | A benign form of innuendo that implies more than it says. "He's a stickler for detail," you say of an indecisive muddler. | 206 | |
| 195316027 | slippery slope | the fallacy of dire consequences. It assumes that one choice will necessarily lead to a cascading series of bad choices. | 207 | |
| 195316028 | solecism | the figure of ignorance; a generic term for illogic, or bad grammar or syntax | 208 | |
| 195316029 | syncrisis | a figure that reframes an argument by redefining it. "Not manipulation. Instruction." | 209 | |
| 195316030 | archetype | A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response. | 210 | |
| 195316031 | extended metaphor | A metaphor that continues beyond it's initial use, often developed at great length, occurring frequently throughout a work. | 211 | |
| 195316032 | predicate nominative | a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject | 212 | |
| 195316033 | predicate adjective | an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject | 213 | |
| 195316034 | passive voice | the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb. Ex. 'The ball was thrown by the boy' uses the passive voice. | 214 | |
| 195316035 | active voice | the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb. Ex. 'The boy threw the ball' uses the active voice. | 215 | |
| 195328798 | description | depiction through sensory evidence. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Description refers to an essay that uses concrete details (touch, smell, taste, and hearing) to support a specific argument, give the reader a sense of immediacy, or establish a mood. | 216 | |
| 195328799 | process analysis | explaining how to do something, how others do it, or how certain things occur. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Process Analysis refers to an essay that uses process analysis to make a point or to tell one's own story. | 217 | |
| 195328800 | exemplification | providing specific instances in support of general ideas. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Exemplification refers to an essay that provide anecdotes that serve as examples to make a point or support a specific argument. | 218 | |
| 195328801 | definition | explanation of the nature of a word, thing, or idea. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Definition refers to an essay that often redefines: they attempt to make us understand something we thought we already understood. | 219 | |
| 195328802 | classification and division | the sorting out of elements into classes or groups, or the separation of something into its parts. As one of the Rhetorical Modes of Essays, Classification and Division are used when a writer wants to break something down into its elements or group a number of things in order to analyze them. | 220 |
