Rhetorical Analysis Test Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering rhetorical appeals, rhetorical situation components, devices, diction, syntax, tone, and sentence structure analysis.

Ethos

An appeal to credibility and trustworthiness based on the speaker's or author's expertise, character, or authority.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion that evokes feelings such as fear, sympathy, anger, pride, or hope.

Logos

An appeal to logic and reason using facts, statistics, data, logical reasoning, and evidence.

Diction

Word choice; the specific words an author selects (such as formal, informal, elevated, colloquial, or technical).

Syntax

Sentence structure; how sentences are built and arranged, including length, complexity, repetition, and patterns.

Denotation

The literal, neutral dictionary definition of a word.

Connotation

The associated feelings and ideas or emotional meaning connected to a word.

Rhetorical Situation

The context in which communication happens, consisting of the author, audience, subject, purpose, context, and exigence.

Exigence

The problem, event, or situation that prompts communication.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject, describing how they feel about the topic.

Purpose

What the author wants to accomplish or what they are trying to do (e.g., to persuade, inform, entertain, warn, or inspire).

Anaphora

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive clauses to emphasize key ideas and create rhythm and urgency.

Parallelism

Repetitive grammatical structure that creates balance and makes ideas memorable.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect without expecting an answer, used to engage the audience and provoke thought.

Short, simple sentences

Sentence structures that create emphasis and urgency, make ideas clear and direct, and are often used for key points.

Long, complex sentences

Sentence structures that suggest sophisticated ideas, indicate a formal, educated audience, and allow for nuanced arguments.