english terms

ethos

an appeal to the credibility or authority of the speaker or writer

pathos

an appeal to the audience’s emotions

logos

an appeal to logic, reason, or evidence

diction

the choice of words a writer uses, which affects tone and clarity

tone

the attitude of the writer toward the subject or audience, revealed through diction and style

audience

the intended readers or listeners of a text

purpose

the writer’s goal: to persuade, inform, entertain, or explain

rhetorical question

a question posed for effect rather than an actual response

allusion

a reference to another text, historical event, or cultural element to add meaning

parellelism

the repetition of grammatical structures for balance, rhythm or emphasis

antithesis

a rhetorical device that sets up a contrast of ideas in parallel structures

denotion

the literal, dictionary definition of a word

connotation

the implied or emotional associations of a word