Rhetorical Terms 1-10

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. Allusions tend to be used to compare or contrast what is referenced and the current situation or they tend to evoke appeals to some value. Ex. “Plan ahead: it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark” - Richard Cushing

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar.

Anaphora

A subcategory of repetition where the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. Ex. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” – Charles Dickens or Martin Luther King, Jr’s. famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He repeats the phrase “I have a dream” at the beginning of successive sentences.

Anecdote

A short narrative, typically focusing on a single interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person or is used as an introductory element.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP Language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences, and the answer may appear in previous sentences (often) or after the use of the pronoun (rarer).

Antithesis

A type of parallel structure that requires balance as two contrasting or opposite ideas are intentionally juxtaposed; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Antithesis creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas. Ex. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” – Jim Elliot “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” - Neil Armstrong

Analyze/Analysis

Basically, it means break into parts and put the parts back together in a framework that makes sense —your interpretation of the piece or your thesis.  A car mechanic analyzes when he or she looks at the noises your car makes and the way it handles before stating it’s a transmission problem; a doctor’s analysis involves him or her listening to your symptoms and diagnosing you with West Nile; your analysis means you look at the various strategies, organization, and overall rhetoric of a piece before determining why the author did it and his or her purpose.

Asyndeton

A list that omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unplanned multiplicity. Asyndetic lists can be more emphatic than if a final conjunction were used. Ex. “On his return he received medals, honors, treasures, titles, fame.” “They spent the day wondering, searching, thinking, understanding.”

Chiasmus

From the Greek word for “criss-cross” and based on the Greek letter “chi,” (our English X), this is a type of parallel structure where two successive phrases or clauses have the same syntax (sentence type/ arrangement) but reversed word order. Same words, same pattern, different order which causes a new meaning. Often this reversal causes nouns to become verbs and verbs nouns. Ex.  “Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure” – Lord Byron “Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you” – attributed to Joey Adams “She’s hurting those who love her and loving those who hurt her” – me in a text message

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates (makes one clause dependent/reliant on) one clause to the other. New standards for AP mandate that I teach you subordinating and coordinating clauses.