Rhetorical Terms: Sentence Variation and Figures of Speech Terms 11-20

Colloquial/colloquialism (diction)

used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literal

Complex sentence

a sentence containing a subordinate clause or
clauses

Compound sentence

a sentence with more than one subject or predicate

Compound-complex sentence

a sentence having two or more coordinate
independent clauses and one or more dependent
clauses

Consonance

the repetition of identical or similar consonants in
neighbouring words whose vowel sounds are
different

Cumulative sentence

an independent clause followed by a series of
subordinate constructions that gather details about
a person, place, event, or idea

Diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech
or writing

Didactic tone

a tone that is intended to teach people a moral
lesson

Dramatic Irony

plot device for creating situations in which the
audience knows more about the situations, the
causes of conflicts, and their resolutions before the
leading characters or actors

Ethos

the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or
community as manifested in its beliefs and
aspirations