rhetorical devices

quiz will be on 1-31

abstract

language that describes conscepts (ideas & qualities) rathern than concrete ideas (things, people, places, etc)

allegory

the rhetorical strategy of extending a metaphor throughout an entire narrative. uses symbols to convey a hidden meaning throughout a story, picture, or art form. usually used to represent a moral or political meaning

alliteration

involves two or more words that appear closely together & have the same initial stressed or constant sound

allusion

a brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fiction), or to a work of art

analogy

a form of comparison, unlike a simile or metaphor, that concentrates on one point of resemblance & draws a parallel between two unlike things that have several common qualities or points of resemblance. comparison of two things to make a point

anaphora

the repeated use of words or phrases at the beginning of multiple sentences, clauses, or phrases

anastrophe

an inversion in the order of words in a sentence, saying, or idea

antecedent

a noun or noun phrase that gives meaning to pronouns

anticipating audience response

a rhetorical technique used by anticipating & stating the arguments that one’s opponent is likely to give & then answering the arguments before the opponent says them

antithesis

an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other

aphorism

a short phrase that expresses an important truth about life

apostrophe

a speaker addressing a person or thing that is absent, inanimate, or non-human

appositive phrase

a noun phrase that comes after another noun to give the reader extra information about it

attitude

an author's or speaker's feelings, emotions, or opinions about a subject that they express through their writing or speech

call to action

writing that clearly tells the audience to take action or promote change

characterization

a technique a writer uses to develop a character by describing the character’s appearance, actions, thoughts, & feelings

chiasmus

a type of balance where you reverse the order of words or phrases in a sentence or phrase to create a mirror image of the original

classification & division

where a writer or speaker takers a large topic & breaks it down into smaller, more manageable categories

cliché

a timeworn expression that through overuse has lost its power to evoke concrete images

coinage

a word or phrase made, invented, or fabricated

collaquial expression

an informal phrase used in every-day speech

comparison/contrast

points out similarities or differences

compound/complex sentences

a type of rhetorical sentence structure that contains two or more independent clauses & at least one subordinate clause

conceit

an elaborate & surprising figure of speech comparing two very dissimilar things. it usually involves intellectual cleverness & ingenuity

concrete

pertains to actual things, instances, or experiences (opposite of abstract)

defensive/offensive

a method of argument in which the speaker or writer defends her own views and/or attacks the views of others

definition

a method of specifying the basic nature of any phenomenon, idea, or things.

denotation & connotation

_____ = dictionary def

_____ = emotions associated

diction

the choice of words in a work of literature & an element of style important to the work’s effectiveness

doublespeak

language use to distort & manipulate rather than to communicate