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Analogy
Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple.
Argument
The combination of reasons, evidence, etc that an author uses to convince an audience of their position.
Aristotelian appeals
Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos, logos, and pathos.
Attitude
The writer's personal views or feelings about the subject at hand.
Audience
Who the author is directing his or her message towards
Compare and contrast
Discussing the similarities and differences between two things to some persuasive or illustrative purpose.
Connotation
The implied meaning of a word; words can broadly have positive, negative, or neutral connotations.
Context
The extra-textual environment in which the text is being delivered.
Counterargument
The argument(s) against the author's position.
Deductive reasoning
A form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific case.
Denotation
The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word.
Diction
The style of language used; generally tailored to be appropriate to the audience and situation.
Ethos
Setting up a source as credible and trustworthy.
Evidence
The information presented meant to persuade the audience of the author's position.
Figurative language
The use of language in a non-literal way; i.e. metaphor, simile, etc.
Genre
The specific type of work being presented.
Imagery
Any descriptive language used to evoke a vivid sense or image of something; includes figurative language.
Implication
When something is suggested without being concretely stated.
Inductive reasoning
Making a generalization based on specific evidence at hand.
Irony
At the most basic sense, saying the opposite of what you mean; also used to describe situations in which the results of an action are dramatically different than intended.
Juxtaposition
Placing two very different things together for effect.
Logos
Appealing to someone's sense of concrete facts and logic.
Occasion
The reason or moment for writing or speaking.
Organization
How the different parts of an argument are arranged in a piece of writing or speech.
Pathos
An Aristotelian appeal. Involves appealing to someone's emotions.
Purpose
The author's persuasive intention.
Repetition
Re-using a word or phrase repeatedly for effect or emphasis.
Rhetoric
The use of spoken or written word (or a visual medium) to convey your ideas and convince an audience.
Rhetorical triangle
The relationship between the author, the audience, the text/message, and the context.
Speaker
The persona adopted by the author to deliver his or her message; may or may not actually be the same person as the author.
Style
The author's own personal approach to rhetoric in the piece; similar to voice.
Symbolism
Using a symbol to refer to an idea or concept.
Syntax
The way sentences are grammatically constructed.
Synthesis
Combining sources or ideas in a coherent way in the purpose of a larger point.
Themes
Overarching ideas or driving premises of a work.
Tone
The use of stylistic devices to reveal an author's attitude toward a subject.
Voice
An author's unique sound. Similar to style.
Alliteration
Using words with the same first letter repeatedly close together in a phrase or sentence.
Allusion
Making a brief reference to the cultural canon—e.g. the Bible, Shakespeare, classical mythology, etc.
Anecdote
Offering a brief narrative episode. This device can serve many functions in a text—for example, introducing an issue, serving as evidence, to illustrate a point, and so on.
Concession
Agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point (but not in the larger argument).
Didactic
A text with an instructive purpose, often moral.
Euphemism
Referring to something with a veiled phrase instead of saying it directly
Exemplification
Providing examples in service of a point.
Hyperbole
Overstating a situation for humorous or dramatic effect.
Idiom
A commonly used phrase that signifies something very different than its literal meaning.
Onomatopoeia
Using "sound-effect" words (e.g. "clap," "buzz).
Paradox
A phrase or assertion that appears to contradict itself (but the contradiction itself may have its own meaning).
Parallelism
Repeated structural elements in a sentence.
Parody
Using the form of something to mimic and make fun of it.
Personification
Giving human characteristics to a nonhuman object or idea.
Sarcasm
Mockingly stating the opposite of what you mean. Easier to convey in the spoken word than via writing.
Satire
A genre of humorous and mocking criticism to expose the ignorance and/or ills of society.
Synecdoche
Referring to one part of something as a way to refer to the whole.
Understatement
Deliberately minimizing something, usually for humorous effect.
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