APLAC Rhetorical Vocabulary (1-30)

Mr. Sturm

abstract

a piece of writing which summarizes the principles ideas or arguments advanced in

acronym

a word formed by combining the initial letters or syllables of a series of words to form a name (ex. radar, or radio detection and ranging).

adjective

word modifies or tells the reader something about a person, place or thing-Or noun- "modifies" it. _______ answer the questions Which one? What kind? How many? Whose? about a noun.

adverb

word which modifies or tells the reader something about a verb, adjective, or another _____. ______ answer the questions When? Where? How? To what extent? Why?

aesthetic effect

The pleasure, sense of beauty, emotion, or lack of such that readers, speakers, or listeners derive from aural, visual, and print texts.

aesthetic purpose

The pleasure, sense of beauty, and/or emotion a writer sets out to evoke constitutes the work's _____________. Often writers set out to achieve these particular aesthetic effects through subject matter, word choice, structure, and/or figurative devices.

aim- synonym is purpose

The goal of a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with a text -for example, to explain or clarify difficult material, to inform, to persuade. Also called (synonym).

allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some _______, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The _________ meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.

alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in she sells sea shells). Although the term is not used frequently in the multiple-choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage.

allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. _______ can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. Ex: Shakespeare often references Greek gods.

ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. Ex: "I've never tasted a cake quite like this before."

analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An _______ can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. ______ can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. NOTE: ______ can be used as support in exposition and/or persuasion as well as poetic language. Here the writer explains or describes something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar OR supports or proves an unknown by comparing it to something known or already proven.
Ex: New vocabulary is like learning to "ride a bike."

analysis

a method by which we examine a piece of art or literature in detail in order to understand it better or draw conclusions from it. Also, we may separate the work into its
"components" to find out what it contains, to examine individual parts, or to study the structure of the whole.

anaphora

One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. Ex: "Get busy living or get busy dying."

anecdote

A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person.

anecdotal scripting

When a reader makes notes in the margins of a text, notes that highlight important points, pose questions, summarize, or paraphrase, etc., the reader is scripting anecdotally. Another term for "marginalia" (see # 91 below).

annotated bibliography

An ________________ includes a list of resources, formatted according to a particular styles sheet, along with prose commentary for each source. This commentary usually includes a brief summary or overview of the resource, followed by an evaluation and/or recommendation reading the usefulness of the resource.

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. Ex: I hate my boss.
He always micromanages me. Boss = ________

antithesis

the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallels words, phrases, and grammatical structures or ideas. Ex: Alexander Pope reminds us that "To err is human, to forgive divine.'

aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) An _______ can be a memorable summation of the author's point.
Ex: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

appeal

One of the three strategies for persuading audiences-logos, appeal to reason; pathos, ______ to emotion; and ethos, ______ to ethics.

apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. Ex:
William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: / England hath need of thee.'

argument

In persuasive or expository writing, an _______ is the course of reasoning used to deliver the point of view or main idea that the writer is trying to get across to the reader. An _______ can also refer to a particular statement, fact, or example, etc., that a writer uses to make his/her point.

argument by analogy

analogies can be used as support for arguments or claims in exposition and/or persuasion. Here the speaker or writer supports or proves an unknown by comparing it to something known or already proven or explains or describes something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar. (see #12)

argument by authority

writers and speakers can support an assertion or claim by invoking the words of an expert or authority. The quality of this type of argument is dependent on the credibility of the expert in the area or field related to the topic at hand.

argument by causation

This type of argument is based on the assumption that even A leads directly to result B. Cause/effect arguments may be unconvincing or difficult to sustain unless the causal relationship between A and B is generally accepted.

argument by emotion

when a speaker or writer appeals to the heart rather than the mind in order to convince the audience. See also pathos.

article

part of speech-a short word that comes before and points to the noun. Articles are the words a, an, and the.

argument by logic

a logical argument attempts to demonstrate the truth or validity of an assertion or conclusion through the relating of a set of premises or body of evidence.
See also logos.

assertation

An unproven statement. _______ supported by evidence and reasoning make arguments.