Rhetorical Terms

parallelism

a set of similarly structured words or phrases or clauses

litotes

understatement

allusion

a reference to another text or assumed knowledge of a reference

syllogism

a form of reasoning in which two statements are made and conclusion is drawn from them

malapropism

absurd or humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound

periodic sentence

a long sentence where your main point is at the end

antithesis

the placing of opposing words within the same sentence to emphasize their disparity

euphemism

an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or harsh

synedoche

using part of a thing to represent the whole thing

ad hominem

against the man

red-herring

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

non-sequitur

latin for “it does not follow”, when one statement isn’t logically connected to another

anaphora

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row

epistrophe

the repetition of a group of words at the end of successive clauses

metonymy

a figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated to

exigence

urgency; something that demands prompt action or remedy

anecdote

a short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect of to make a point

periphrasis

the substitution of an attributive word or phrase for a proper name, or the use of a proper name to suggest a personality characteristic

polysyndeton

the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases or clauses

jargon

the specialized vocabulary of a particular group

irony

a situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected

oxymoron

a figure of speech composed of contradictory words or phrases: a contradiction in terms

hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration for emphasis

apostrophe

an address to the dead as the living; to the inanimate as if animate, to the absent as is present; to the unborn as if alive