Rhetorical Terminology(Past)

Ad Hominem Argument

Comes from the Latin phrase meaning, “to the man.” it refers to an argument that attacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand

Allegory

Fictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts

Alliteration

the repetition of consonant sound, usually at the beginning of words

Allusion

a passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible, mythology, or literature. Used to capture the essence of an idea, atmosphere, emotion, or historical era. a reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person.

Ambiguity(ambiguous)

uncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation

Analogy

asks readers to think about the correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different—a form of comparison in which the writer explains something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar.

Anadiplosis

the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause at the beginning of a new clause.

Analytical Reading

reading actively, paying close attention to both the content and the structure of the text. often includes answering several questions about the piece of writing under consideration.

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Anastrophe

the inversion of the usual order of words or clauses. Authors sometimes use it to add emphasis or to achieve a desired rhythm.

Antecedent

Every pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun—the term; it is the grammatical term for the noun or pronoun which a pronouns derives its meaning.

Antithesis

An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses

Apostrophe

a figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker.

Apotheosis

derived from the Greek word deify. occurs in literature when a character or a thing is elevated to such a high status that it appears godlike.

Appositive

a word or phrase that follows a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity. Are usually set off by commas

Argument

One of the four modes of discourse. Narration, description, and exposition are the other three. To attempt to convince the reader to agree with a point of view, to make a given decision, or to pursue a particular course of action. the logical version is based on reasonable explanations and appeals to the reader’s intelligence.

Assertion

The thesis or proposition that a writer puts forward in argument.

Assonance

a type of internal rhyming in which vowel sounds are repeated.

Assumption

A belief or principle, stated or implied, that is taken for granted.

Asyndeton

when the conjunctions (such, as, and, or, but) that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence.

Atmosphere

The emotional feeling or mood of a place, scene, or event

Attitude

The feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea.

Audience

The intended readership for a piece of writing

Bathos

1. A false or forced emotion that is often humorous.

2. An effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or rediculous

Beginnings

The sentence group of sentences, or section that introduces an essay.

Endings

The sentence or group of sentences that brings an essay to closure

Cause and Effect or Causal Analysis

One of the types of exposition. Answers the question why? It explains the reasons for an occurrence or the consequences of an action.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical or literary device in which words, grammatical construction, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form

Claim

The thesis or proposition put forth in argument.

Classification

One of the types of exposition. writer arranges and sorts people, places, or things into categories according to their differing characteristic, thus making them more manageable for the writer and more understandable for the reader.

Cliché

an expression that has become ineffective through overuse.

Diciton

refer’s to an author’s choice of words

Division

involves breaking down a single large unit into smaller subunits or breaking down a large group of items into discrete categories.

Dominant Impression

the single mood, atmosphere, or quality a writer emphasizes in a piece of descriptive writing.

Draft

a version of a piece of writing at a particular stage in the writing process. A writer’s beginning attempt to give overall shape or his or her ideas

Editing

A writers attempt at making his or her prose conform to the conventions of the language.

Elegiac (elegy)

A work (of music, literature, dance, or art) that expresses sorrow. It mourns the loss of something.

Ellipsis

the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues.

Emphasis

the placement of important ideas and words within sentences and longer units of writing so that they have the greatest impact.

epanalepsis

the repetition of the initial part of a clause or sentence at the end of that same clause or sentence.

Essay

a relatively short piece of nonfiction in which the writer attempts to make one or more closely related points.

Colloquial Expressions

is characteristic of or appropriate to spoken language or to writing that seeks its effect. informal, as chem., gym, come up with, be at loose ends, won’t, and photo illustrate. are acceptable in formal writing only if they are used purposefully.

Coherence

a quality of good writing that results when all sentences, paragraphs, and longer divisions of an essay are naturally connected.

Comparison and Contrast

When the writer points out the similarities and differences between two or more subjects in the same class or category. The function is to clarify—to reach some conclusion about the items being compared and contrasted.

Conclusions

The sentence or group of sentences that bring an essay to closure.

Concrete

names a specific object, person, place, or action that can be directly perceived by the senses.

Abstract

refers to general qualities, conditions, ideas, actions, or relationships that cannot be directly perceived by the senses.

Connotation

the implied or suggested meaning of a word

Denotation

the dictionary meaning of a word, the literal meaning.

Controlling Idea

a statement of the main idea of an essay. may sometimes be implied rather than stated directly.

Contrast

often used to elaborate on ideas. helps writers to expand on their ideas by allowing them to show both what a thing is and what is not.

Deduction

the process of reasoning from a stated premise to a necessary conclusion. This form of reasoning moves from the general to the specific. This states the thesis or position up front and follows it with supporting evidence

Definition

a statement of the meaning of a word. may be either brief of extended, part of an essay or an entire essay itself.

Description

tells how a person, place or thing is perceived by the five senses. reports these sensory qualities factually, whereas subjective description gives the writer’s interpretation of them.

Dialogue

A conversation that is recorded in a piece of writing. Through it, writers reveal important aspects of characters’ personalities as well as events in the narrative.