Rhetorical Terms & SOAPS Overview

Vocabulary flashcards covering key rhetorical terms and the SOAPS framework from the lecture notes (Pages 1–3).

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words for effect.

Allusion

A brief, indirect reference to a person, place, event, or work of literature.

Anadiplosis

Repeating the last word of a clause at the beginning of the next clause.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences.

Annotation

Notes added to a text to explain, comment on, or cite sources.

antanagoge

A device that presents a counterpoint or defense by acknowledging a point and then reframing or softening it.

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in reverse grammatical order (AB-BA).

Antiphrasis

Use of a word in the opposite sense, often humorously or ironically.

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

Aphorism

A concise, memorable statement of a general truth.

apophasis

Raising a topic by saying you will not discuss it; mentioning something by denial.

Argument

A claim supported by reasons and evidence aimed at persuading.

Assertion

A confident statement of a fact or belief.

Assumption

A belief taken for granted in an argument without proof.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

Audience

The group of listeners, readers, or viewers for whom a text is intended.

Bias

A prejudiced tendency that affects judgment or fairness.

Claim

A statement that asserts something as true; a main argument.

Close reading

Careful, detailed analysis of a text to interpret meaning.

Colloquial/ism

Informal, conversational language or expressions.

Common ground

Shared beliefs or values used to build agreement.

Concession

Acknowledging a point in opposition, often to show fairness or balance.

Connotation

Implied or suggested meaning beyond the literal definition.

Denotation

Literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Diacope

Repetition of a word or phrase with intervening words for emphasis.

Diction

Word choice and style of expression in speech or writing.

Dysphemism

Using a harsh or offensive term instead of a neutral one.

Elegiac

Having a mournful or lamenting tone.

Epiphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

Epigram

A short, witty, often paradoxical statement.

Epizeuxis

Repetition of a word with no words in between.

Ethos

Credibility or ethical appeal; one of the three rhetorical appeals in the rhetorical triangle.

Euphemism

Mild or indirect word substituted for a harsher one.

Eutripismus

Balanced, orderly arrangement of clauses; even rhythm or parallelism in sentence structure.

Enumeratio

A listing of details or components to elaborates a topic.

Exigence

The urgent issue or moment that prompts rhetorical communication.

Farce

A genre or situation with exaggerated, improbable events for humor.

Figurative language

Language that uses figures of speech rather than literal meaning.

Hyperbole

Deliberate overstatement for emphasis or humor.

Hypophora

Asking a question and then answering it.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality; includes verbal, situational, and dramatic ironies.

Juxtaposition

Placing two or more ideas side by side for contrast or comparison.

Kairos

The opportune moment or right timing in rhetoric.

Litotes

Understatement achieved by negating the opposite (not bad = good).

Logos

Appeal to reason; logical argument and evidence.

Meiosis

A deliberate understatement, often downplaying significance.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as.

Occasion

The context or circumstances surrounding a piece of writing (SOAPS context).

Oxymoron

A figure that pairs opposites for emphasis (e.g., bittersweet).

Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory yet reveals truth.

Parenthetical Citation

Citing sources within parentheses (e.g., MLA style) with page info.

Parallelism

Use of similar grammatical structures in related phrases or clauses.

Parody

A humorous imitation of a work or style to critique or entertain.

Pathos

Emotional appeal; one of the three rhetorical appeals in the rhetorical triangle.

Persona

The character or voice adopted by the speaker or writer.

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.

Pleonasm

Using more words than necessary; redundancy.

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of multiple conjunctions between clauses.

Premise

The statements (major and minor) that lead to a conclusion in a syllogism.

Purpose

The goal or intended effect of a text (as it applies to SOAPS).

Refute

To prove a statement or argument false; to disprove.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect, not to elicit an answer.

Rhetorical modes

Categories of discourse (exposition, narration, description, argument).

Rhetorical triangle

Ethos, Pathos, Logos—the three appeals in persuasion.

Satire

Use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to critique folly or vice.

Simile

A comparison using like or as.

SOAPS (SOAPSTONE) & SPACECAT

Mnemonic for analyzing rhetoric: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject (and Tone); SPACECAT expands on context, speaker, audience, etc.

Speaker

The person delivering the text; the voice of the piece.

Straw man

A misrepresentation of an opponent’s argument to easily refute it.

Subject

What the text is about; the topic (in SOAPS context).

Syllogism

A three-part argument with a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.

Anecdote

A short, personal story used to illustrate a point.

Synthesize

To combine multiple sources or ideas to create new understanding.

Thesis

The central claim or argument of a text.

Thesis statement

A concise sentence or two stating the main point of a text.

Tone

The speaker’s attitude toward the subject; the mood of the text.

SOAPS

Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject (and sometimes Tone); used to analyze rhetorical situations.