Mr. McCarthy's Lit Terms List 4: Rhetorical Terms

Ethos

an appeal to the ethics, experience, or expertise of the speaker

Logos

an appeal based on logic or reason

Pathos

an appeal to emotion

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions rather than commas

Asyndeton

purposeful omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

Antithesis

the balancing of rhetorical opposites

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Rhetoric

the art of using language effectively and persuasively

Rhetorical question

A question asked merely for effect and not requiring an answer

Oratory

the art of public speaking

Epiphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses

Secular

Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters; non-religious

Colloquial

Characteristic of ordinary conversation rather than formal speech or writing