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