Rhetorical, Literary, Grammatical, and Figurative Terms

A complete list of vocabulary cards for literary, rhetorical, grammatical, and figurative terms compiled directly from the lecture notes.

Allusion

A casual reference to another work of art, historical event, or person.

Ambiguity

The state of having multiple meanings; an intentional or unintentional equivocation.

Analogy

A form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode; usually to inject humor or develop a point.

Aphorism

A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle often in a clever way: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

Apophasis

Calling attention to something by dismissing it: "No one would suggest that those who are homeless elected to live on the streets willingly."

Apostrophe

The direct address of a non-person or an absent or imaginary person: "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour/England hath need of thee"; may also be a personified abstraction, especially as a digression in the course of a speech or composition: "So, I ask you, dear reader, what would you have me do?"

Bathos

Overdone or insincere attempts at evoking pity or compassion, usually creating a comedic effect.

Claim

Also called assertion or proposition, an argument’s main idea/position.

Claim of fact

Asserts something is true or not true.

Claim of policy

Proposes a change.

Claim of value

Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong.

Concession

The act of granting or yielding a particular point or fact that is part of another’s argument or granting that an opposing argument has some merit.

Connotation

Extra cultural significance of a word or phrase in addition to its dictionary definition.

Context

The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text’s production.

Counterargument

Set of reasons put forward to oppose an anticipated idea or theory.

Deduction

Logical process starting with a general principle (major premise), apply it to a specific case (a minor premise). A syllogism is an example of deductive logic.

Denotation

The literal definition of a word.

Diction

Word choice in speech or writing.

Didactic

Teaching a specific lesson or moral; providing a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Ellipsis

The omission of words or phrases, sometimes indicated by the use of “ … ”.

Epigraph

A short quotation, often used at the beginning of a work, section, or chapter to introduce a theme.

Euphemism

The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive: "The drone strike inflicted collateral damage."

Exigency

A case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy, that has urged the writer to begin to write an argument.

Exposition

A mode of expression, its intention being to explain.

Figurative language

Any language that cannot be taken literally (like simile, metaphor, verbal irony, metonymy, etc.).

Genre

The category into which a literary work fits (drama, poetry, prose being the most general, but these may be further subdivided).

Hortative sentence (hortation)

One that urges, calls to action.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect.

Hypophora

A type of reasoning in which one or more questions are asked and answered by the same writer/speaker.

Induction

Reasoning from particulars to universals; examples to conclusion.

Infer

To draw a reasonable conclusion from information provided.

Imagery

Word choice designed to appeal to one or more of the five senses.

Irony

Verbal irony: words used are the opposite of the intended meaning. Situational irony: events turn out other than as expected.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarity and/or difference.

Litotes

The strategy of understatement using two negative terms, often employed to provide subtle emphasis, frequently for ironic effect or to underline a passionate opinion: "The assassin was not unacquainted with danger."

Logical Fallacy

An error in reasoning that may render an argument invalid.

Ad hominem

(Literally, "against the man") when a writer personally attacks his or her opponents instead of their arguments.

Ad populum (bandwagon appeal)

A claim supported by popularity.

Appeal to false authority

An author cites an individual who has no expertise to comment on the issue.

Circular reasoning

Often called begging the question, the argument repeats the claim instead of providing evidence.

Either/or (false dilemma)

An argument presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.

Faulty analogy

An argument compares two things that are not comparable (ignoring significant differences).

Hasty generalization

A faulty conclusion is reached after inadequate evidence (e.g., smoking isn’t bad; my sister has smoked for years and remains the picture of health).

Non-sequitur

When one statement isn’t logically connected to another.

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

When a writer implies that because one thing follows another, the first caused the second. But sequence is not the cause.

Red herring

When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue.

Straw man

When a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Setting up a straw man diverts attention from the real issue.

Metanoia

The qualification of a statement to either diminish or strengthen its tone, as in "She was disturbed — make that appalled — by the spectacle."

Narrative

A mode of expression, its intention being to tell a story.

Paradox

The expression of seemingly contrary ideas that have an underlying truth or coexistence.

Parody

The close imitation of style, usually exaggerating the features of the model for comedic effect.

Pedantic

Overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (connotation usually negative).

Point of view

The perspective from which the text is expressed, including first person, second person, and third person perspectives.

Polemic (polemical)

One who argues with hostility and generally does not concede opposing opinions have merit.

Pun

A humorous play on the multiple meanings of a word or words: "You can tune a fiddle, but you can’t tuna fish—unless you’re a bass player."

Refutation

Working to prove an argument false.

Rhetoric

The art of effective or persuasive communication.

Logos

Logic, reasoning; rhetorical appeal pertaining to the content of the message.

Pathos

A quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow); the rhetorical appeal concerned with how to reach an audience emotionally.

Ethos

Rhetorical appeal in which the author/speaker establishes trustworthiness of the audience; credibility.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked solely to produce an effect and not to elicit a reply, as in "What is so rare as a day in June?"

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way, often through the use of humor, and generally intended to point out a flaw and affect a change.

Sentential (or Conjunctive) Adverbs

Single words or brief phrases that emphasize the thought they precede, interrupt, or — rarely — follow, such as however, naturally, no doubt, and of course.

Syllogism

A logical argument often expressed in this typical form: "All A is C; all B is A; therefore all B is C."

Symbol

An object or action that is what it is and also takes special significance for literary or rhetorical effect.

Theme

What an artistic work suggests about life.

Thesis

The expression of the author’s point, meaning, or position.

Tone

The author’s attitude.

Transition

A word, phrase, or clause that links different ideas or paragraphs.

Understatement

A statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said.

Wit

The use of language that surprises and delights; it may involve particularly perceptive, humorous, or ingenious thoughts expressed through great verbal power.

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds, usually initial consonants in neighboring words: "She sells sea shells by the sea shore."

Anaphora

A repetition of a word or of words at the beginning of two or more successive clauses: "We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground."

Antimetabole / Chiasmus

Repetition of words in reverse order ("ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country").

Antistrophe (Epistrophe)

Repetition of a word or phrase at the close of successive clauses: "You said he was late — true enough. You said he was not prepared — true enough. You said he did not defend his statements — true enough."

Antithesis

Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction: "Many are called, but few are chosen," "We shall support any friends, oppose any foe".

Asyndeton

Absence of conjunctions: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Inversion

The reversal of the normal order of words for rhetorical effect: "Shouts the politician."

Loose sentence

Opposite of a periodic sentence, a sentence type in which the most important idea is expressed first, with dependent grammatical units following often conveying informality and a more conversational feel.

Parallelism

The framing of words, phrases, or clauses to provide structural similarity and symmetry.

Periodic sentence

Opposite of a loose sentence, a sentence in which critical meaning comes only at the end (at the period); in this sentence type, the important independent clause is preceded by dependent phrases or clauses.

Polysyndeton

An insertion of conjunctions before each word/phrase in a list: "My fellow students read and studied and wrote and passed. I laughed and played and talked and failed."

Repetition

Speaking or writing something again for rhetorical effect.

Syntax

The way an author arranges words and phrases into sentences.

Zeugma

A use of word(s) in a grammatically similar way that produce different meanings: "My teeth and ambition are bared—Be prepared!"