Rhetorical Choices

Logos

An appeal to logic, often created through facts, statistics, examples, and logical reasoning.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion, created through details or images that evoke specific feelings.

Ethos

An appeal to ethics, established by the speaker's credibility or expertise on a subject.

Call to Action

A statement at the end of a passage urging the audience to take a specific action.

Comparisons/Contrasts

The act of comparing or contrasting elements to reveal deeper meaning or insights.

Detail

Specific information that enhances a message, often used to evoke emotional responses.

Allusion

A reference to well-known literature, art, or history to help establish connections.

ex: “He’s modern day Hercules”

“She’s a real Cinderella”

Anecdotes

Short personal stories that illustrate a point or support an argument.

Exemplification

Using examples to prove a point, often analysing the choice and order of these examples.

Parallelisms

Phrasing words or ideas similarly to create balance or rhythm in speech.

Ex:

• Faulty: How you look in the workplace is just as important as your behavior.

• Parallel: How you look in the workplace is just as important as how you behave. (Consistent clauses)

• Faulty: The dog ran across the yard, jumped over the fence, and sprinted.

• Parallel: The dog ran across the yard, jumped over the fence, and sprinted down the alley. (Consistent action/location)

Questions

Inquiries posed by the speaker, which can be answered or left unanswered for rhetorical effect.

Repetition

The deliberate use of repeating words or phrases to emphasize significance and enhance coherence.

Definition

A way of clarifying a term to help portray the message more clearly.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences, impacting meaning.

Ex:

• The boy ran hurriedly." (Adverb after verb)

• "Hurriedly, the boy ran." (Adverb at start for effect)

Tone

The speaker's attitude toward a subject, shaped by word choice and rhetorical appeals.

Diction (Word Choice)

The choice of words that convey meaning and impact, affecting tone and emotional response.