Untitled Flashcard Set

Allusion

A reference in a written work or spoken text to another text or body of knowledge to create resonance in the reader.

Analogy

A comparison of two seemingly different things; (similes and metaphors)

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses or phrases.

Anecdote

A brief narrative offered in a text to capture the audience's attention or to support a generalization or claim.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure.

Appeal

One of three strategies (ethos, logos, pathos) for persuading audiences.

Ethos

The appeal of a text to the credibility and/or character of the speaker, writer, or narrator.

Logos

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

Pathos

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

Chiasmus

A figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of parallel clauses is reversed in the second.

Claim

The point, backed up by support, of an argument; synonymous with thesis.

Colloquialism

The use of informal words, phrases, or slang in a piece of writing.

Concession

The acknowledgement of a point made by one's opponent.

Connotation

The implied meaning of a word, in contrast to its directly expressed dictionary meaning.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

An author's word choice, especially when purposeful.

Euphemism

Polite, indirect expressions that replace harsh or impolite words.

Hyperbole

An exaggeration for effect.

Imagery

Language that evokes particular sensations or emotionally rich experiences.

Inference

A conclusion reached by the reader's own thinking rather than being told directly.

Irony

A contrast between appearance and reality.

Dramatic Irony

When the reader knows something that one or more characters do not.

Situational Irony

When the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected.

Verbal Irony

When a person says one thing but means another, often opposite.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two things side-by-side for emphasis.

Metaphor

An implied comparison that does not use 'like' or 'as'.

Metonymy

Referring to an entity by one of its attributes or associations.

Onomatopoeia

A word capturing the sound of what it describes.

Paradox

A statement that seems untrue but is true nevertheless.

Parallelism

A set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses.

Persona

The voice or figure of the author in a narrative.

Principle of Charity

Interpreting statements in their best, most reasonable form.

Rhetoric

The art of analyzing language choices for meaningful communication.

Rhetorical Choices

The specific choices made to achieve meaning or effect.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to affirm or deny a point, not to seek an answer.

Rhetorical Triangle

A diagram showing the relations of writer, audience, and text.

Satire

An ironic composition that ridicules aspects of humanity or society.

Synecdoche

Referring to a whole by naming one of its parts.

Syntax

The order of words in a sentence.

Tone

The writer or speaker's attitude toward the subject matter.

Understatement

A figure of speech that makes a situation seem less important than it is.

Zeugma

A figure of speech in which a word applies to multiple nouns, blending different ideas.