Rhetorical Terms (Extended Analogy-Qualifiers)

**extended analogy**

An extended passage arguing that if two things are similar in one or two ways, they are probably similar in other ways as well

**generalization**

A point that a speaker or writer generates on the basis of considering a number of particular examples

**genre**

A piece of writing classified by type—for example, letter, narrative, eulogy, or editorial

**hyperbole**

An exaggeration, or overstatement, for effect

***induction*** **/ inductive reasoning**

Reasoning that begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle. *Reasoning that moves from a number of particulars to a general conclusion*

**inductive leap**

*Because we cannot test every instance (past, present, future), we take the leap from “most” or “some” to “all.” We reach a generalization*

**inference**

A conclusion that a reader or listener reaches by means of his or her own thinking rather than be direct statement in a text

**intention**

The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text—for example, to clarify difficult material, to inform, to convince, or to persuade. Also called aim and purpose

**irony**

Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken

**jargon**

The specialized vocabulary of a particular group

**Latinate diction**

Vocabulary characterized by the choice of elaborate, often complicated words derived from Latin roots

**litotes**

Understatement—for example, “Her performance ran the gamut of emotion from A to B”

**logic**

The art of reasoning

**logos**

The appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument or central ideas

**mood**

The feeling that a text is intended to produce in the audience

**occasion**

The part of context also referred to as time and place

**pathos**

The appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience

**persona**

The character that a writer or speaker conveys to the audience; the plural is *personae*

**persuasion**

The changing of people’s minds or actions by language

**polysyndeton**

Stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession, in order to achieve an artistic effect

**premise, major**

The first premise in a syllogism. The major premise states an irrefutable generalization

**premise, minor**

The second premise in a syllogism. The minor premise offers a particular instance of the generalization state in the major premise

**pun**

A play on words. For example, *anataclasis*, words that sound alike but have different meanings (“The spoiled turkey meat was fowl most foul”) and *syllepsis*, a word used differently in relation to two other words it governs or modifies (“Bright lights attract flies and celebrity watchers”)

**purpose**

The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text—for example, to clarify difficult material, to inform, to convince, and/or to persuade. Also called aim and intention

**qualifiers**

*words such as “probably,” “presumably,” and “generally.”*