Rhetorical Vocabulary Terms – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
ad hominem
answer
Directed to or appealing to feelings or prejudices instead of to intellect or reason.
question
alliteration
answer
The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines in a poem.
question
allusion
answer
A reference to a person, place or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of that idea.
question
ambiguity
answer
A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings or interpretations.
question
anachronism
answer
A person, scene, event, or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era.
question
analogy
answer
A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things; a passage that points out several similarities between two unlike things is called an extended analogy.
question
anecdote
answer
A brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or make a point.
question
antecedent
answer
A word to which a pronoun refers.
question
antithesis
answer
A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement or words, clauses, or sentences, as in the following: "They promised freedom but provided slavery." "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
question
aphorism
answer
A short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment. Also see adage and maxim
question
apostrophe
answer
A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present. Example: "Oh, you cruel streets of Manhattan, how I detest you!"
question
assonance
answer
The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words in prose or poetry.
question
circumlocution
answer
Literally, "talking around" a subject; i.e., discourse that avoids direct reference to a subject.
question
clause
answer
A structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate. Independent clauses, sometimes called main clauses, may stand on their own as complete sentences; dependent clauses, which are used as nouns or modifiers, are incomplete sentences and may not stand along grammatically. Dependent clauses are sometimes called subordinate clauses. Dependent clauses that function as adjectives, nouns, or adverbs are known, respectively, as adjective, noun, and adverbial clauses.
question
conceit
answer
A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language.
question
connotation
answer
The suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase. Contrast with denotation.
question
consonance
answer
The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a unit of speech or writing.
question
deductive reasoning
answer
A method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions, and theorems are drawn from general principles. Its opposite is inductive reasoning
question
denotation
answer
The dictionary definition of a word. Contrast with connotation.
question
diction
answer
The choice of words in oral and written discourse.
question
didactic
answer
Having an instructive purpose; intending to convey information or teach a lesson, usually in a dry, pompous manner.
question
digression
answer
That portion of discourse that wanders or departs from the main subject or topic.
question
euphemism
answer
A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term. Example: pass away is a euphemism for die.
question
exposition
answer
The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of an essay or other work; setting forth the meaning or purpose of a piece of writing or discourse.
question
explication
answer
The interpretation or analysis of a text.
question
extended metaphor
answer
A series of comparisons between two unlike objects.
question
fallacy, fallacious reasoning
answer
An incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, or false information.
question
figure of speech, figurative language
answer
In contrast to literal language, figurative language implied meanings. Figures of speech include, among many others, metaphor, simile, and personification.
question
genre
answer
A term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, and essay.
question
hyperbole
answer
Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect.
question
image
answer
A word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or felt; imagery is the use of images in speech and writing.
question
inductive reasoning
answer
A method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization. Its opposite is deductive reasoning
question
SKIP THIS CARD!
answer
SKIP THIS CARD!
question
irony
answer
A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected.
question
litotes
answer
A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Example: He is not a bad dancer.
question
loose sentence
answer
A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences, i.e., subject-verb-object. The main idea of a loose sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses. See also periodic sentence.
question
malapropism
answer
A confused use of words in which the appropriate word is replaced by one with a similar sound but inappropriate meaning.
question
metaphor
answer
A figure of speech that compares unlike objects. When several characteristics of the same objects are compared, the device is called an extended metaphor. A metaphor referring to a particular person, place, or thing is called a metaphorical allusion; for example, referring to someone as "a Hercules."
question
metonymy
answer
A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. Example: "The White House says..."
question
mood
answer
The emotional tone or prevailing atmosphere in a work of literature or other discourse. In grammar, mood refers to the intent of a particular sentence. The indicative mood is used for statements of fact; subjunctive mood is used to express doubt or a conditional attitude; sentences in the imperative mood give commands.
question
narrative
answer
A form of verse or prose (both fiction and nonfiction) that tells a story. A storyteller may use any number of narrative devices, such as skipping back and forth in time, ordering events chronologically, and ordering events to lead up to a suspenseful climax. Also see frame.
question
non sequitur
answer
A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before.
question
objective
answer
(adj.) Of or relating to facts and reality, as opposed to private and personal feelings and attitudes. Its opposite is subjective.
question
onomatopoeia
answer
The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning. Example: bubbling, murmuring brooks
question
oxymoron
answer
A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect. Examples: loud silence, jumbo shrimp
question
paradox
answer
A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true.
question
parallel structure
answer
The structure required for expressing two or more grammatical elements of equal rank. Coordinate ideas, compared and contrasted ideas, and correlative constructions call for parallel construction. For example: Colleges favor applicants with good academic records, varied interests, and they should earn high score on the AP exam. The underlined section of the sentence lacks the same grammatical form as the italicized phrases. To be correct, it should read high scores.
question
parody
answer
An imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject.
question
pathetic fallacy
answer
Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects.
question
periodic sentence
answer
A sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support. See also loose sentence
question
persona
answer
The role or façade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader or other audience.
question
personification
answer
A figure of speech in which objects and animals are given human characteristics.
question
predicate
answer
The part of a sentence that is not the grammatical subject. It often says something about the subject. A noun that provides another name for the subject is called a predicate nominative, as in: Lynn (subject) is the president (predicate nominative) of the company. An adjective that describes the subject is called a predicate adjective, as in Harold (subject) is courageous (predicate adjective).
question
prose
answer
Any discourse that is not poetry. A prose poem is a selection of prose that, because of its language or content, is poetic in nature.
question
pun
answer
A humorous play on words, using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings.
question
rebuttal or refutation
answer
The part of discourse wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and answered.
question
reiteration
answer
Repetition of an idea using different words, often for emphasis or other effect.
question
retraction
answer
The withdrawal of a previously stated idea or opinion.
question
rhetoric
answer
The language of a work and its style; words, often highly emotional, used to convince or sway an audience.
question
rhetorical mode
answer
A general term that identifies discourse according to its chief purpose. Modes include exposition (to explain, analyze, or discuss an idea), argumentation (to prove a point or persuade), description (to recreate or present with details), and narration (to relate an anecdote or story).
question
rhetorical question
answer
A question to which the audience already knows the answer; a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.
question
rhetorical stance
answer
Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject.
question
sarcasm
answer
A sharp, caustic attitude conveyed in words through jibes, taunts, or other remarks; sarcasm differs from irony, which is more subtle.
question
satire
answer
A literary style used to poke fun at, attack, or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change.
question
sentence structure
answer
The arrangement of the part of a sentence. A sentence may be simple (one subject and one verb), compound (two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction), or complex (an independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses).
question
simile
answer
A figurative comparison using the words like or as. Example: She sings like a canary.
question
stylistic devices
answer
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.
question
subjective
answer
(adj) Of or relating to private and personal feelings and attitudes as opposed to facts and reality. Its opposite is objective.
question
subtext
answer
The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of an essay or other work
question
syllogism
answer
A form of deductive reasoning in which given certain ideas or facts, other ideas or facts must follow, as in All men are mortal; Mike is a man; therefore, Mike is mortal.
question
symbolism
answer
The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object. Example: The American flag may symbolize freedom, the fifty states, and the American way of life, among many other things.
question
synecdoche
answer
A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (fifty masts for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part (days for life, as in "He had lived his days under African skies"). When the name of a material stands for the thing itself, as in pigskin for football, that, too, is synecdoche.
question
syntax
answer
The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular syntax, or pattern of words.
question
tone
answer
The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The tone is the characteristic emotion that pervades a work or part of a work - the spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence.
question
trope
answer
The generic name of a figure of speech such as image, symbol, simile, and metaphor.
question
verisimilitude
answer
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.
question
voice
answer
The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker. In grammar, active voice and passive voice refer to the use of verbs. A verb is in the active voice when it expresses action performed by its subject. A verb is in the passive voice when it expresses an action performed upon its subject or when the subject is the result of the action. ACTIVE: The crew raked the leaves. PASSIVE: The leaves were raked by the crew. Stylistically, the active voice leads to more economical and vigorous writing.
