Rhetorical Terms test 1

Allegory

A piece of visual or narrative media uses one thing to “stand in for” a different,
hidden idea. It’s a little bit like an algebraic equation, like y = 2x, but in the form of art.
Like in algebra, when we talk about meaning in allegory, we have two different variables
we’re thinking about, but we don’t call them X and Y.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning or in the middle of two or more adjacent words

Allusion

A reference to a written or spoken text to another text or to some particular body of knowledge.

Anadiplosis

The repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause.

Anaphora

The repeition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses

Anecdote

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

Anticipated Objection

The technique a writer or speaker uses in an argumentative text to address and answer objections, even though the audience has not had the opportunity to voice these objections.

Antimetabole

The repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order-for example, "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy."

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure-for example, "Place your virtues on a pedestal; put your vices under a rock.”

Anthimeria 

The substitution of one part of speech for
another-for example, "The poet says we 'milestone our lives."' or “The little old lady
turtled down the road.

Apologist

A person or character who makes a case for some controversial, even
contentious, position

Apology

An elaborate statement justifying some controversial, even contentious, position.

Appeal to authority 

in a text, the reference to words, action, or beliefs of a person in authority as a means of supporting a claim, generalization, or conclusion

Appositive

A noun or noun phrase that follows another noun immediately or defines or amplifies its meaning.

Argument

A carefully constructed, well-supported representation of how a writer sees an issue, problem, or subject

arrangement

In a spoken or written text, the placement of ideas for effect.

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of two or more adjacent words

assumption

An opinion, a perspective, or a belief that a writer or speaker thinks the audience holds.

asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between related clauses-for example, "I came, I saw, I conquered.

attitude

the manner in which an action is carried out.

audience

The person or persons who listen to a spoken text or read a written one and are capable of responding to it.

begging of the question

The situation that results when a writer or speaker constructs an argument on an assumption that the audience does not accept

claim

The ultimate conclusion, generalization, or point that a syllogism or enthymeme expresses. The point, backed up by support, of an argument

aesthetic reading

Reading to experience the world of the text.

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses

compound complex sentence 

A sentence with two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

complex sentence

A sentence with two or more independent clauses.

compound subject

The construction in which two or more nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses constitute the grammatical subject of a clause.

conflict

he struggle of characters with themselves, with others, or with the world around them

connotation

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

context 

The convergence of time, place, audience, and motivating factors in which a piece of writing or a speech is situated

contradiction

One of the types of rhetorical invention included under the common topic of relationships. Contradiction urges the speaker or writer to invent an example or a proof that is counter to the main idea or argument

data

Facts, statistics, and examples that a speaker or writer offers in support of a claim, generalization, or conclusion

deductive reasoning

Reasoning that begins with a general principle and concludes with a specific instance that demonstrates the general principle.

delivery 

The presentation and format of a composition.

denotation

The "dictionary definition" of a word, in contrast to its implied meaning

diction

Word choice, which is viewed on scales of formality/ informality, concreteness/ abstraction, derivation, and denotative/connotative value

double entendre 

The double (or multiple) meanings of a group of words that the speaker or writer has purposely left ambiguous

effect

The emotional or psychological impact a text has on a reader or listener.

efferent reading

Reading to garner information from a text. Reading to "take away" particular bits of information. Here, the reader is not interested in the rhythms of the
language or the prose style but is focused on obtaining a piece of information.