Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related word, phrases, or clauses. 

(The basic principle of grammar and rhetoric demands that equivalent things be set forth in coordinate grammatical structures: nouns with nouns, infinitives with infinitives, ect.)

A scheme of parallel structure which occurs when the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatial structure, but also in length (number of words or even syllables).

Highly effective when used sparingly.

Insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal syntactical flow of the sentences. 

Easily used with paranthesis. 

The "criss-cross" reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses.

Similar to antimetabole. 

Deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses.

Produces a hurried rhythm in the sentence.

Repitition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses.

Epistrophe produces a strong rythm and emphasis reminiscent of anaphora.

Deliberate omission of a word or words which are readily implied by the context.

Avoid awkwardness: make sure the words are grammatically compatible. 

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often used in parallel structure. The contrast may be in words, ideas, or both. 

Can be witty if used properly...

Deliberate use of many conjunctions.

Slows rhythm of sentence.

Functional Construct:

Interrogative

Functional Construct:

Imperative

Functional Construct:

Exclamatory

Grammatical Construct:

Simple

Grammatical Construct:

Compound

Grammatical Construct:

Complex

Grammatical Construct:

Compound-Complex

Rhetorical Construct:

Periodic Sentence

Rhetorical Construct:

Cumulative Sentence

Summary:  A brief paragraph describing and informing three or more of the following elements: 

Who

What

When

Where

Why

Analysis: examines the summary elements described above in order to look for their meaning in the following contexts through rhetorical strategies: 

Relationships, trends, patterns

Role of people, objects, ect.

Consequences of decisions, events, ect.

Causes and their effects

Advantages/Disadantages, gains/losses

Strengths and weaknesses

1. Review the Questions

2. Organize Information

3.Decide How to Analyze (Rhetorical Strategies)

4. Analyze Quantitive and Qualitive Info

5. Integrate Information

A technique in writing in which the author temporarily interrupts the order, construction, or meaning of the writing for a particular effect. This interruption takes the form of one or more figures of speech such as hyperbole, irony, or simile. 

Examples of figurative language are tropes such as metaphor and rhetorical figures such as apostrophe.

Argumentation:

Defend

Argumentation:

Refute

Argumentation:

Qualify

To further explain an author's point, or even support it, but with exceptions. 

"This might be true if..." "This is true, except when..." 

An idea or point the author makes and sets out to prove with his/her collected evidence.

(The WHAT)

Valid information from credible sources that support a claim.

(The HOW)

A statement made, usually at the end of a paragraph or piece, that connects a reason to the claim. 

(The WHY)

Underline:

• A novel
• A ship
• A play
• A film
• A painting
• A sculpture or statue
• A drawing
• A CD
• A TV Series
• A cartoon series
• An encyclopedia
• A magazine
• A newspaper
• A pamphlet

Quotation Marks:

• Poem
• Short story
• A skit
• A commercial
• An individual episode in a TV series (like "The Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld)
• A chapter
• An article
• A newspaper story

When Do You Capitalize? 

Two Biggest Times to Capitalize:

• Beginning of a sentence.
• Proper nouns.

Languid

Displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed

The woman settled back for a languid and peaceful Sunday afternoon. 

Pendulate

To swing as, or mimick the motion of a pendulum. 

The grandfather clock pendulated as the minutes ticked by. 

Ochre

Of a moderate orange-yellow color

The ochre car caught his eye.

Wold

A piece of high, open, uncultivated land or moor

The balcony offered a bird's-eye view of the moor below, allowing the artist to paint with ease. 

Anticipatory

Happening, performed, or felt in anticipation of something

The anticipatory drive did little to settle her nerves. 

Verdigris

A bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate.

The verdigris coating the penny flaked onto her fingers. 

Epicenter

The point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake

The epicenter probably isn't the wisest place to be in an earthquake.

Roil

(Of a liquid) Move in a turbulent, swirling manner

The sea roiled below her.

Derelict

(adj.) In a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect.

The derelict town was teeming with tumbleweeds and coyotes.

Extrude

Thrust or force out.

The sword extruded out of the back of his foe. 

Prognosticate

Fortell or prophesy (an event in the future)

As the oracle prognosticated the future of the boy, she was enveloped by green, swarming mist. 

Abalone

An edible mollusk of the genus Haliotis family.

She gingerly removed the abalone shell, wary of damaging the meat inside. 

Hummock

A low mound or ridge of earth

He sprinted up the hummock after the wild horse. 

Equanimity

Mental calmness, composure, and evenness

of temper, especially in a difficult situation

  His equanimity allowed him to effectively rescue everyone from the fire.

Scree

A mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain.

She attempted to avoid the scree on the mountian as she continued hiking. 

Peristalic

The process of wavelike muscle contractions of the alimentary tract that moves food along.

Peristalic contractions allow the process of digestion to commence.

Laggard

A person who makes slow progress and falls behind others

The coach complained that he had no time for laggards.

Alluvial

Of, relating to or derived from alluvium

The alluvial soil was rich in minerals.

Periphery

The outer limits or edge of an area or object

The periphery of the base was heavily guarded.

Stylus/Styli (plural)

A sharp, pointed instrument used for writing or engraving

Ancient civilizations used styli to engrave on golden or stone plates.

Arroyo

A steep-sided gully cut by running water in an arid or semiarid region

The arroyo offered a home for divers wildlife.

Baroque

Relating to or denoting a style of European architecture, music, and art of the 17th and 18th centuries

She couldn't decide which period was better - the baroque, or the renaissance.

Joist

Any of the wood, steel, or concrete beams set parallel from wall to wall or across or abutting girders to support a floor or ceiling.

He backflipped from the joist and - much to her surprise - landed as gracefully as a cat. 

Inexorability

Relentlessness; Mercilessness characterized by an unwillingness to relent or let up

She was inexplorably adamant that she be the one to drive.

Inhibition

A feeling that makes one self-conscious and

unable to act in a relaxed and natural way

His inhibition prevented him from passing the polygraph.

Banality

A trite or obvious remark

Her banal remarks did little to upset him. 

Anticlimax

A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events

The book's anticlimax deeply disappointed him.

Vignette

A brief evocative description, account, or episode.

By the time she finished her vignette, she realized that she emptied an entire box of kleenex. 

Imperative

Of vital imporantance; necessary; crucial

It was imperative to his health that he excersise daily. 

Antithetical

Connected with, containing, or using the rhetorical device of antithesis

She analyzed the antithetical schemes used by the author. 

Fallibility

The likelihood of making errors

Even though he recognized his own fallibility, he was still frustrated when he couldn't get it right.

Stealth

Cautious and surreptitious action or movement

He moved with the silence and stealth of a hungry cat. 

Crescendo

A gradual increase in loudness

She shivered as the music came to a crashing crescendo.

Ruminative

Brooding; Deeply or seriously thoughtful

His ruminative mind prevented him from sleeping.

Omniscience

The state of being omniscient; having infinite knowledge

To be omniscient is often an overlooked superpower next to invisibility or the ability to fly.

Subjectivity

Judgment based on individual personal impressions and feelings and opinions rather than external facts

Her subjective decisions regarding the company got her fired. 

Menace

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Ex: jumbo shrimp

Amorality

the state of lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of somthing

The robots amorality made it hard for it to connect to humans. 

Passive Construction

A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence

Passive: "We were invited by our neighbors to attend a party"

Active: "Our neighbors invited us to attend a party."

Rectitude

Morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness 

Her rectitude gave her respect in her chuch.

Industry

Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories.

The company's primary goal was to expand industry and increase wealth.

Juxtaposition

The placing of verbal elements side by side, leaving it up to the reader to establish connections and impose a meaning

"But it is inevitable that they will keep changing the doors on you, he said, because that is what they are for; and the thing is to get used to it and not let it unsettle the mind. . . ."

(E.B. White, "The Door." Poems and Sketches of E. B. White. Harper & Row, 1981)

Accretion

Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion

Rubber band balls typically grow by the accretion of more rubber bands.

Colloquial

Used in ordinary conversation; not formal or literary

She is an eloquent writer, but one would never guess when she spoke colloquially. 

Second Person POV

In which the narrator tells a story to another character, referring to them as "you." 

"You are not going to believe the story you are about to hear. . ."

Third-Person-Limited

Focusing a third-person narration through the eyes of a single character

The Harry Potter series are written through the eyes of a single character: Harry Potter himself. 

Paltriness

Worthlessness due to insignificance 

His own paltriness in the company deeply affected his own self esteem.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

In The Grapes of Wrath, the turtle attempting to cross the street is symbolism used by Steinbeck to represent the plight of the Oakies at the time.

Apostrophe

A rhetorical device which is used to directly  address an absent or imaginary person or object as if alive and present and could reply

Ex: "Twinkle, Twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are?" 

Soliloquy

An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, esp. by a character in a play

When I am alone, I often humor myself with my own soliloquies. 

Metaphorical

State of comparing something without using "like" or "as"

Her metaphorical analysis of the piece offered an in-depth understanding of its meaning. 

Paradox

A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true

Ex: "I can resist anything but temptation."-Oscar Wilde