Rhetorical Terms

anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning.

mode

Patterns of organization writers use to present their ideas for a specific purpose, with the four most common being narration, description, exposition, and persuasion/argumentation.

rhetoric

The art of effective communication.

shift

A change in a writer's or speaker's style, tone, focus, or perspective within a communication, often signaled by conjunctions like "but" or changes in verb tense.

satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions.

syntax

Grammatical arrangement or grouping of words to create a particular rhetorical or stylistic effect.

tone

A writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.

euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts. Sometimes they are used for political correctness.

colloquialism

An informal word or phrase used in everyday conversation rather than in formal writing or speech. Help to create authentic dialogue and settings in literature, making characters and narratives more realistic and relatable.

epistrophe

A rhetorical device and literary technique that involves the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive sentences, clauses, or verses. Creates emphasis, reinforces a central idea, and establishes a rhythmic, memorable effect in writing.

allegory

A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth

allusion

An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

analogy

A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. When a writer uses this figurative language, he or she argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables. “America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle.”

aphorism

A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle. Can be a memorable summation of the author's point. Ben Franklin wrote many of these in Poor Richard's Almanac, such as “God helps them that help themselves,” and “A watched pot never boils.”

apostrophe

A rhetorical device or figure of speech where a speaker or writer addresses a dead or absent person, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea as if it were alive and able to respond.

assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

antithesis

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

ethos

Being convinced by the credibility of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect. A writer tries to convince the audience the he or she someone worth listening to, in other words an authority on the subject, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect.

pathos

Means persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions. But, an argument that relies too much on emotion can become a fallacy.

message

The central idea of a work. It may be directly stated in nonfiction works, although not necessarily. It is rarely stated directly in fiction.

fallacy

A flawed or misleading pattern of reasoning in an argument, often used to persuade or manipulate an audience rather than to present a sound argument. These errors in logic can be intentional or unintentional, aiming to confuse, distract, or appeal to emotions over reason to make an argument seem stronger than it is.

irony

When the opposite of what you expect do happen does.

motif

A recurring idea in a piece of literature. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that “you never really understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is a motif, because the idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.

extended metaphor

When the metaphor is continued later in the written work. If I continued to call my feet “my popsicles” in later paragraphs.

hyperbole

Exaggeration.

image

Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the five senses.

juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. Often used in order to make a point. (For example, an author may compare the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary).

oxymoron

When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox – “wise fool,” “eloquent silence,” “jumbo shrimp.”

paradox

A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.“You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job.”

understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous. “Our defense played valiantly, and held the other team to merely eight touchdowns in the first quarter.”

argumentation

The act of forming reasons and drawing conclusions to justify beliefs or actions, with the aim of convincing an audience. It's a practical form of communication, often found in concrete contexts with conflicting values or uncertainty, and it focuses on how to use reasoning, evidence, and appeals to persuade others to accept a claim or take action.

purpose

The goal or aim of communication, describing what the author wants the audience to think, feel, or do after engaging with the text. Authors have used this in their communication, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or educate, while audiences also have purposes for reading or listening, like to be instructed or entertained.

audience

The specific individuals or groups a speaker or writer intends to influence with their message. Awareness of the audience's backgrounds, beliefs, and needs is crucial for crafting an effective argument and achieving their purpose.

satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions.

style

The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes, and may be conscious or unconscious.

syllogism

A formal argumentative structure using deductive reasoning where a conclusion is inferred from two premises. It consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion, such as "All public libraries should serve the people. This is a public library. Therefore, this library should serve the people".

invective

A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.

periodic sentence

When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence. The writer begins with subordinate elements and postpones the main clause. “His confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet with perspiration, he doubted whether he could ever again appear before an audience.”

description

The use of language to create vivid and engaging mental images for the audience, appealing to the senses to evoke feelings, convey ideas, or portray objects more effectively.

exposition

The act of conveying essential background information to an audience to help them understand a subject, story, or argument.

parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. It borrows words or phrases from an original, and pokes fun at it.

formal

Describes the nature of the language or discourse, indicating it is serious, conventional, and often elevated in style.

standard

The use of a particular set of word choices and vocabulary that conforms to the prevailing norms of a language in terms of formality, correctness, and general understandability for a broad audience.

informal

The use of casual, everyday language, including slang and colloquialisms, to create a relaxed tone, establish a character's background, or connect with a familiar audience.

levels of diction

The range of word choices in writing, from very formal to very informal, that writers use to suit their specific audience and purpose.

argumentation

The process of forming and presenting reasons to support a claim.

parallelism

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns. It is used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing. “Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs.”

inference

A conclusion or opinion reached by applying logic to clues and evidence presented in a text, rather than being explicitly stated.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. Can be independent and express a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. Or dependent, and cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

sarcasm

A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded. However, not all satire and irony are sarcastic. It is the bitter, mocking tone that separates sarcasm from mere verbal irony or satire.

denotation

A word's or phrase's literal, dictionary definition, devoid of any emotional or cultural associations.

persuasion

The overarching art of convincing an audience to believe or act in a particular way, using various strategies and techniques.

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

lampoon

A rhetorical term for a sharp and often malicious satire that ridicules an individual, institution, or society. A specific type of satire, often more direct and personal in its attack than broader forms of social critique.

pacing

The speed or tempo of an author’s writing. Writers can use a variety of devices (syntax, polysyndeton, anaphora, meter). Can be fast, sluggish, stabbing, vibrato, staccato, measured, etc.

loose sentence

A type of complex sentence that begins with a main clause and adds modifying elements (phrases or clauses) afterward to elaborate on the idea.

pedantry

The ostentatious display of academic knowledge or an excessive focus on unimportant details, rules, or formal precision, often to show off one's learning or superiority at the expense of the larger picture or the audience's understanding.

narration

A pattern of development or a rhetorical mode that involves telling a story or recounting a sequence of events, often presented chronologically.

speaker

The person or persona delivering a text, speech, or poem, who is not necessarily the author but rather a created voice designed to persuade an audience.

repetition

The purposeful repeating of words, phrases, or sounds for emphasis, to make a message more persuasive, memorable, and emotionally impactful.

context

The surrounding circumstances and external factors—such as the social, cultural, political, and historical setting, along with the purpose, audience, and occasion—that influence a communicator's message and its reception.

persona

The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story. Do not confuse with alter-ego.