Rhetorical terms

Allegory

A fictional work in which characters represent ideas or concepts. Example: Animal Farm by George Orwell because it uses animals as main characters with human characteristics

Ambiguity

When something is uncertain or subject to more than one interpretation. Example: The word 'bank' can refer to a financial institution or the side of a river.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one line or clause to begin the next. Example: 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.'

Analogy

A comparison that asks the reader to consider the resemblance between two different things. Example: 'Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.'

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of two or more sentences. Example: 'I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up...' from Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode, often used to illustrate a point. Example: Starting a motivational speech with a personal story about overcoming challenges.

Antecedent

The noun or pronoun that a pronoun refers back to. Example: In the sentence 'The dog wagged its tail.'

Antithesis

An opposition or contrast of ideas expressed in balanced phrases. Example: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'

Apostrophe

A figure of speech addressing an absent person or personified object. Example: 'O Death, where is thy sting?'

Apotheosis

The elevation of a character or thing to a godlike status. Example: In literature, a protagonist may be idealized and treated with reverence by other characters.

Appositive

A word or phrase following a noun for emphasis or clarity. Example: 'My brother, the doctor, is visiting us this weekend.'

Assertion

A stance taken by an author in favor or against a particular viewpoint. Example: The author stating that climate change is caused by human activity.

Assumption

An inference or conclusion based on evidence. Example: Assuming that a person is wealthy based on their expensive clothing.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. Example: ‘The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain’

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. Example: 'I came, I saw, I conquered.'

Attitude

The feelings expressed by a speaker or piece of writing toward a subject. Example: A sarcastic tone may indicate a negative attitude toward a topic.

Authority

Arguments that rely on the recognized expertise of individuals. Example: Citing a medical expert when discussing health issues.

Authorial Aside

A technique where the author speaks directly to the reader to reveal attitude or purpose. Example: Jane Austen frequently uses authorial asides in her novels.

Backing

Support or evidence provided for a claim in an argument. Example: Statistics and research findings that support an argument.

Bathos

False or forced emotion that is often humorous or melodramatic. Example: A dramatic climax followed by a trivial conclusion, such as a hero fainting over a spilled drink.

Bdelygmia

A litany of abuse or a series of critical descriptors. Example: 'You are lazy, incompetent, and untrustworthy!'

Cacophony

A grouping of harsh, discordant sounds. Example: The sound of a car crash.

Compound Sentence

A sentence with two independent clauses connected by a conjunction. Example: 'I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.'

Connotation

The associations suggested by a word beyond its dictionary definition. Example: The word 'home' connotes safety and comfort.

Concession

Acknowledgment of a valid point in an opposing argument. Example: 'While you make a good point, I still believe...'.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within closely placed words. Example: 'Pitter-patter, pitter-patter' suggests the sound of rain.

Contrast

The use of oppositions to elaborate on ideas. Example: Comparing the bright colors of spring to the dullness of winter.

Deductive Reasoning

Logical thinking where general statements are applied to specific situations. Example: All humans are mortal; Socrates is human; therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Denotation

The literal dictionary definition of a word. Example: The denotation of 'snake' is a legless reptile.

Diction

Word choice that contributes to a writer's voice. Example: if formal, it may be used in academic writing, but if it’s informal, it may be used in personal storytelling.

Didactic

Fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral. Example: Aesop's Fables are a collection of short stories that use animals to teach moral lessons.

Elegy

A work expressing sorrow by mourning a loss. Example: 'Ode to a Grecian Urn' by John Keats includes elegiac elements.

Ellipsis & elliptical

Omission of words in a sentence structure. Example: 'I went to the store, and she to the park.' (the verb 'went' is omitted).

Epigraph

A quotation at the beginning of a work suggesting its theme. Example: A quote from Shakespeare at the beginning of a novel.

Ethos

The ethical appeal based on credibility and trustworthiness. Example: A doctor speaking about health issues.

Euphemism

A mild expression substituting for a harsh idea. Example: using 'passed away' instead of 'died'.

Figurative language

Imaginative comparisons in writing, such as similes and metaphors. Example: 'Time is a thief' is a metaphor.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues suggesting future events in a narrative. Example: In 'Romeo and Juliet', the dark premonitions hint at their tragic fate.

Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning that draws conclusions based on evidence. Example: Observing that the sun has risen every day leads to the conclusion that it will rise again tomorrow.

Inversion

Reversed order of normal word arrangement. Example: 'In the night sky shimmered the stars' rather than 'The stars shimmered in the night sky'.

Irony

Using words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Example: A fire station burning down

Juxtaposition

Placing contrasting elements next to each other for comparison. Example: ‘Night and day’, ‘Good and evil’, ‘Justice and revenge’.

Litotes

An understatement that affirms by negating its opposite. Example: 'Not the worst weather' suggests that the weather is actually quite nice.

Loaded Questions

Questions that assume the truth of a fallacy. Example: 'Have you stopped cheating on tests?' assumes the person has cheated.

Logos

Appeal to reason and logical support in an argument. Example: a speaker claims that "teen pregnancy has decreased in the last five years" by citing studies that show a significant decrease in teenage pregnancy.

Loose sentence

A sentence that is grammatically complete before its end. Example: 'The boy ran quickly, darting around corners and leaping over puddles.'

Malapropism

A ludicrous misuse of a word. Example: 'He's the pineapple of politeness' instead of 'pinnacle'.

Maxim

A brief statement of a general truth. Example: 'Actions speak louder than words.'

Metaphor

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things. Example: 'Time is a thief' suggests that time steals moments from our lives.

Metonymy

Substituting a word closely related to the subject. Example: 'The White House issued a statement' instead of 'The President issued a statement.'

Mood

The prevailing feeling or atmosphere of a work. Example: A horror film is often tense and frightening.

Objectivity

Attempting to remove personal bias from writing. Example: Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Organization

The arrangement of evidence to support a thesis. Example: A well-organized essay has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

Oxymoron

Two contradictory words combined in one expression. Example: My sister and I had a friendly fight.

Pacing or narrative pacing

The speed at which a story's action progresses. Example: A fast-paced thriller may have short chapters and swift dialogue.

Parable

A short story pointing to a moral. Example: 'The Good Samaritan' teaches forgiveness and compassion.

Paradox

A seeming contradiction revealing a truth. Example: 'Less is more' suggests simplicity can be more effective.

Parallelism

Use of the same syntactical structure in a series. Example: 'I came, I saw, I conquered' uses parallel structure.

Parenthesis

A technique of adding a witty aside to the text. Example: 'The car, believe it or not, was a vintage model.'

Parody

Imitation of a work to ridicule or make fun of it. Example: Snl’s amazon echo for old people

Pathos

An emotional appeal evoking feelings of pity or compassion. Example: A commercial showing sad animals needing homes.

Periodic sentence

Sentence placing the main idea at the end. Example: 'In spite of the heavy snow and the low temperatures, the game continued.'

Persona

The character created by the voice of a text. Example: a middle-aged author uses the persona of a teenager to tell a story set in a high school

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told. Example: First-person point of view uses 'I', while third-person uses 'he', 'she', or 'they'.

Polysyndeton

Using conjunctions for emphasis in a series. Example: 'He ran and jumped and laughed for joy.'

Proverb

Short, memorable statement of general truth. Example: 'A stitch in time saves nine.'

Pun

A play on words that has dual meanings. Example: 'I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough.'

Refutation

Addressing opposing arguments in discourse. Example: 'While some argue that technology is detrimental, evidence shows it can greatly enhance communication.'

Repetition

Reiterating a word or phrase for emphasis. Example: 'I have a dream' is repeated for emphasis in Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech.

Rhetoric

The art of persuasion and effective communication. Example: Advertisers create catchy slogans to get people to buy products.

Rhetorical Question

A question posed without expecting an answer. Example: 'Is the sky blue?'

Satire

Ridiculing or mocking ideas or events to emphasize change. Example: A magazine article exaggerating the public's extreme reaction to a celebrity.

Sarcasm

A form of verbal irony. Example: 'Great job on your test!' when someone fails.

Simple sentence

A sentence with one independent clause. Example: 'The cat slept.'

Spoonerism

Switching the initial sounds of words. Example: 'Tease my ears' instead of 'Ease my tears.'

Style

The choices in diction, tone, and syntax made by a writer. Example: playful, somber, clinical, casual, etc.

Subjective

Ideas containing bias or personal involvement. Example: A movie review that includes personal opinions about the film.

Subordinate Clause

A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence. Example: 'Although I was tired' cannot stand alone.

Syllogism

A deductive reasoning form creating new conclusions. Example: All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Synecdoche

Using a part to represent the whole. Example: 'All hands on deck' uses 'hands' to refer to sailors.

Synonymous

Having the same or nearly the same meaning. Example: 'Big' and 'large'.

Syntax

The arrangement of words in a sentence. Example: 'The dog chased the cat' vs. 'The cat chased the dog'

Tension

A feeling of excitement and expectation in a literary work. Example: It builds as the protagonist nears danger.

Tricolon

Sentence consisting of three equal-length parts. Example: 'I came, I saw, I conquered.'

Understatement

Deliberately making a situation seem less important. Example: 'It's just a scratch' when referring to a large dent.

Zeugma

Using a word with multiple meanings in a sentence. Example: 'He stole my heart and my wallet.'