rhetorical terms part 2

 extended analogy

An extended passage arguing that if two things are similar in one or two ways, they are probably similar in other ways as well.

 fallacy

an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning.

Ad hominem

Personally attacking your opponents instead of their arguments. It is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, feeling rather than intellect.

Hasty generalization

A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.

Non Sequitur

A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.

Slippery slope

The assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme possible outcome.

 generalization

A point that a speaker or writer generates on the basis of considering a number of particular examples.

 genre

A piece of writing classified by type—for example, letter, narrative, eulogy, or editorial.

hyperbole

An exaggeration, or overstatement, for effect.

induction / inductive reasoning

Reasoning that begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle. Reasoning that moves from a number of particulars to a general conclusion.

inductive leap

Because we cannot test every instance (past, present, future), we take the leap from “most” or “some” to “all.” We reach a generalization.

 inference

A conclusion that a reader or listener reaches by means of his or her own thinking rather than be direct statement in a text.

 intention

The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text—for example, to clarify difficult material, to inform, to convince, or to persuade. Also called aim and purpose.

 irony

Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken.

jargon

The specialized vocabulary of a particular group.

 logic

The art of reasoning.

 logos

The appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument or central ideas.

 mood

The feeling that a text is intended to produce in the audience.

occasion

The part of context also referred to as time and place.

paradox

 A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true. “You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job.”

parallelism

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.

 pathos

The appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience.

 persona

The character that a writer or speaker conveys to the audience; the plural is personae.

persuasion

The changing of people’s minds or actions by language.

polysyndeton

Stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession, in order to achieve an artistic effect.

premise, major

The first premise in a syllogism. The major premise states an irrefutable generalization.

premise, minor

 The second premise in a syllogism.

 pun

 A play on words.

 purpose

The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text—for example, to clarify difficult material, to inform, to convince, and/or to persuade. Also called aim and intention.

qualifiers

words such as “probably,” “presumably,” and “generally.”