rhetorical vocab #4

ellipsis

The omission of words, the meaning of which is provided by the overall context of a passage

enthymeme

Logical reasoning with one premise left unstated.

epistrophe

The repetition of a group of words at the end of successive clauses-for example, “They saw no evil, they spoke no devil, and they heard no evil”

epithet

A word or phrase adding a characteristic to a person's name-for example “Richard the Lion-Hearted”

ethos

The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker

euphemism

An indirect expression of unpleasant information in such a way to lessen its impact--for example, saying a person’s position was eliminated rather than saying the person was fired

evidence

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

extended analogy

An extended passage arguing that if two things are similar in one or two ways, they are probably similar in other ways as well

extended example

An example that is carried through several sentences or paragraphs.

fable

A narrative in which fictional characters often animals take actions that have ethical or moral significance.

generalization

A point that a speaker or writer generates on the basis of considering a number of particular examples.

genre

A piece of writing classified by type-for example, letter, narrative, eulogy, or editorial

heuristic

A systematic strategy or method for solving problems.

hyperbole

An exaggeration for effect.

image

A passage of text that evokes sensation or emotional intensity.

imagery

Language that evokes particular sensations or emotionally rich experiences in a reader.

implied metaphor

A metaphor embedded in a sentence rather than expressed directly as a sentence. For example, his voice cascaded through the hallways” contains an implied metaphor; “His voice was a cascade of emotion” contains a direct metaphor

inductive reasoning

Reasoning that begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle.

inference

A conclusion that a reader or listener reaches by means of their own thinking rather than by being told directly by a text.

irony

Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken.

jargon

The specialized vocabulary of a particular group