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Basic Rhetorical Terms
Basic rhetorical terms and their definitions.
52
English
10th Grade
01/15/2012

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Term
abstract
Definition
not related to the concrete properties of an object; pertaining to ideas, concepts, or qualities, as opposed to physical attributes
Term
alliteration
Definition
the repetition of initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds within a formal grouping, such as a poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose
Term
analytical
Definition
a style of writing in which the subject is broken into its writing components and the components are subjected to detailed scrutiny
Term
anecdote
Definition
a brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature
Term
antagonist
Definition
character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character, or protagonist
Term
argumentation
Definition
one of the four modes of discouse (description, exposition, narration, argumentation), convinces the reader of the truth or falseness of an idea
Term
audience
Definition
the person(s) reached by a piece of writing
Term
claim
Definition
an assertion of something as fact; to demand as a right or as due
Term
closure
Definition
bringing to an end or conclusion
Term
coherence
Definition
an orderly relationship among the parts in an essay or other literary work, when the connections among clauses, sentences, and paragraphs are clearly and logically connected to the main subject
Term
conclusion
Definition
sentences, paragraphs, etc., of an essay that bring the work to a logical and satisfying end
Term
concrete
Definition
language that presents images that are accessible to the senses: solid, visible, tangible, audible
Term
connotation
Definition
what is implied by a word
Term
contradiction
Definition
a direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency
Term
convention
Definition
an accepted manner, model, or tradition
Term
denotation
Definition
the dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning
Term
description
Definition
mode of discourse (argumentation, exposition, narration, description) aimed at bringing something to life by telling how it looks, sounds, tastes, smells, feels, or acts
Term
diction
Definition
an author's choice of words to convey a tone or effect
Term
emphasis
Definition
makes the most important ideas, characters, themes, or other elements stand out. ways to do so: proportion, repetition, focus, mechanical devices
Term
essay
Definition
a nonfiction composition on a central theme or subject, usually brief. modes include: descriptive, narrative, analytic, argumentative
Term
etymology
Definition
information about the origin and history of words
Term
evidence
Definition
supporting information that explains or proves a point
Term
exposition
Definition
mode of discourse that exposes information through explaining, defining, or interpreting its subject
Term
figurative language
Definition
language that implies or indicates some other, usually greater meaning
Term
flashback
Definition
retrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of a narrative
Term
foreshadow
Definition
to hint at or present things to come in a story or play
Term
general and specific
Definition
the ends of a continuum that designates the relative degree of broadness or narrowness of a word, phrase, or idea
Term
imagery
Definition
sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions
Term
introduction
Definition
the beginning of a written work that is likely to present the author's subject, focus, attitude towards it, and his plan
Term
irony
Definition
a situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant
Term
language, formal, informal, and colloquial
Definition
lofty, dignified, or impersonal vs. similar to everyday speech
Term
literal
Definition
the strict meaning of a word or words
Term
mood
Definition
the feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude/point of view
Term
narration
Definition
one of the four modes of discourse (argumentation, description, exposition, narration) that recounts an even or series of interrelated events
Term
narrative
Definition
a form of writing that tells a story
Term
narrative device
Definition
use of techniques such as flashbacks, digression to tell a story
Term
objective
Definition
the writer's presentation of information in a personally detached, unemotional way
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes
Term
opening
Definition
the first part or beginning of a piece of writing
Term
overstatement
Definition
exaggerated language
Term
point of view
Definition
the view that the reader gets of the action and characters in a story
Term
plot
Definition
the cause and effect relationship between events in a story
Term
prose
Definition
the ordinary form of written language without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse
Term
protagonist
Definition
the chief character in a work of literature
Term
purpose
Definition
identifies the author's reasons for writing
Term
setting
Definition
the time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play
Term
simile
Definition
a direct comparison of one thing to another using the words like or as
Term
style
Definition
an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes to tell a story or prove a point
Term
summary
Definition
a condensation of main ideas from a given work that is usually much shorter than the original
Term
theme
Definition
the central or dominant idea or concern of a work
Term
thesis statement
Definition
focus statement of an essay
Term
voice
Definition
the acknowledged or unacknowledged source or words of the story
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