English Rhetorical Terms

rhetoric

in speech or writing, the art of using the available means of persuasion (ethos, logos, pathos)

synecdoche

a part of speech in which the part represents the whole or the whole represents the part

allusion

an indirect reference to a historical, literary, or cultural event

anadipolosis

figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or term in one clause are repeated at the beginning of the next clause

anaphara

the repeititon of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

antimetabole

figure of emphasis in which the words in one phrase or clause are replicated, exactly or closely, in reverse grammatical order in the next phrase or clause, or in short, an inverted order of repeated words in two phrases or clauses (A-B, B-A).

antithesis

the complete opposite of two ideals, words, clauses, or sentences

asyndeton

leaving out the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses

call to action

the part of speech in which a leader or mentor takes to motivate and encourage an immediate response from their audience

climax

a figure of speech in which a series of phrases or sentences is arranged in ascending order or rhetorical forcefulness

epistrophe

the repetition of the same word or words at the end of a stanza, clause, or sentence to create emphasis on a particular idea

euphemism

a milder substitute for a word that is considered too rude or too harsh when referring to an unpleasant situation or something embarrassing

extended metaphor

a metaphor in a literary work, such as a novel or poem, that isn't just used in one line but is instead extended over multiple lines or throughout the work

fragment

a group of words that is missing a subject, predicate or is just and incomplete thought

inversion

the syntactic reversal in the normal order of the words and phrases in a sentence, as, in english, the placing of an adjective after the noun it modifies, a verb before its subject, or a noun preceding its preposition

irony

the expression of meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect

juxtaposition

the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect

motif

a recurring element, theme or idea often having symbolic meaning and helps contribute to the development of the narrative

negation

a negative statement, judgment, or doctrine (asserting the falsity of a given proposition)

oxymoron

a combination of contradictory or incongruous words

parallelism

two or more words or phrases in sentences that are the same grammatically, as well as in meaning

passive voice

happens in a sentence when an action is happening but the one carrying out the action is missing or at the end of the sentence

polysyndeton

repeated use of a conjunction between items in a list

tricolon

a list of three items or phrases conforming to parallel structure

unterstatement (litotes)

the intentional downplays of the significance or intensity of a situation, often to be rhetorical, satirical or to create emphasis

zeugma

a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in a different sense

Ethos

to establish trust by demonstrateing confidence, experience, knowledge, credentials, and morals

Logos

To support your argument providing references, data, studies and statistics

Pathos

To win your audience over using images, stories, emotional language and personal feelings