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Rhetorical Terms
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48
English
11th Grade
08/19/2008

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Term
alliteration
Definition
repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables
Term
allusion
Definition
indirect reference, often to another text or historic event
Term
analogy
Definition
extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things
Term
anaphora
Definition
repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses
Term
anecdote
Definition
short account of an interesting event
Term
antecedent
Definition
the noun to which a later pronoun refers
Term
antithesis
Definition
parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas
Term
aphorism
Definition
short, astute statement of a general truth
Term
Aristotelian triangle
Definition
diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, subject, and audience
Term
asyndeton
Definition
leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, and clauses
Term
connotation
Definition
that which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning
Term
context
Definition
words, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning
Term
counterarguement
Definition
challenge to a position; an opposing arguement
Term
denotation
Definition
literal meaning of a word; dictionary definition
Term
diction
Definition
word choice
Term
epigram
Definition
brief witty statement
Term
ethos
Definition
Greek term referring to the character of a person
Term
figurative language
Definition
use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect
Term
hyperbole
Definition
exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis
Term
imagery
Definition
vivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses
Term
irony
Definition
contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result
Term
juxtaposition
Definition
placement of two things side by side for emphasis
Term
logos
Definition
Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic
Term
metaphor
Definition
figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison
Term
metonymy
Definition
use of an aspect of something to represent the whole
Term
oxymoron
Definition
figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms
Term
paradox
Definition
statement that seems contradictory but is actually true
Term
parody
Definition
piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule
Term
pathos
Definition
Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion
Term
personification
Definition
assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects
Term
polysyndeton
Definition
deliberate use of a series of conjunctions
Term
rhetoric
Definition
study of effective persuasive language use; use of the "available means of persuasion"
Term
rhetorical modes
Definition
patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; include but are not limited to narration, exemplification, classification and division, process analysis, and argumentation
Term
rhetorical question
Definition
question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer
Term
rhetorical triangle
Definition
diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, subject, and audience
Term
simile
Definition
figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things
Term
speaker
Definition
term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing
Term
style
Definition
distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech
Term
syntax
Definition
sentence structure
Term
synthesize
Definition
combining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex
Term
thesis
Definition
central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer
Term
thesis statement
Definition
statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit
Term
tone
Definition
speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience
Term
trope
Definition
artful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way
Term
understatement
Definition
lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language used for ironic effect
Term
voice
Definition
distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing
Term
zeugma
Definition
construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs --often in different, sometimes incongruent ways-- two or more words in a sentence
Term
parallelism
Definition
the repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns
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