Rhetorical Terms List 2

Tone

A writer's attitude toward the subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization.

Metaphor

Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words.

Motif

a recurring idea in a piece of literature.

Oxymoron

When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.

Parallelism

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word, phrase or clause at the end of a sentence or clause

Chiasmus

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed.

Polysyndeton

When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions.

Asyndeton

When a writer omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

Hypophora

When a writer raises a question, and then immediately provides an answer to that question.

Inductive Reasoning

specific examples are given to represent an area being examined, then a general conclusion is drawn. Making a generalization based on specific evidence at hand.

Appositive

A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning.

Deductive Reasoning

generalization of the subject opens the topic and then a specific conclusion is drawn.