The List

Circular reasoning

often called begging the question, the argument repeats the claim instead of providing evidence.

Didactic

teaching a specific lesson or moral; providing a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Apophasis

calling attention to something by dismissing it:"No one would suggest that those who are homeless elected to live on the streets willingly ..

Satire

a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way, often through the use of humor, and generally intended to point out a flaw and affect a change.

Pathos

a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow); the rhetorical appeal concerned with how to reach an audience emotionally.

Concession

the act of granting or yielding a particular point or fact that is part of anothers argument or granting that an opposing argument has some merit.

Paradox

the expression of seemingly contrary ideas that have an underlying truth or coexistence.

Juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarity and /or difference.

Ethos

rhetorical appeal in which the author /speaker establishes trustworthiness of the audience; credibility.

Wit

the use of language that surprises and delights; it may involve particularly perceptive, humorous, or ingenious thoughts expressed through great verbal power.

Aphorism

a terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle often in a clever way:"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds ..

Understatement

a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said.

Hypophora

a type of reasoning in which one or more questions are asked and answered by the same writer /speaker.

Hyperbole

a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect.

Refutation

working to prove an argument false.

Narrative

a mode of expression, its intention being to tell a story.

Logical Fallacy

an error in reasoning that may render an argument invalid.

Anecdote

a brief recounting of a relevant episode; usually to inject humor or develop a point.

Transition

a word, phrase, or clause that links different ideas or paragraphs.

Polysyndeton

an insertion of conjunctions before each word /phrase in a list:"My fellow students read and studied and wrote and passed.

Alliteration

the repetition of sounds, usually initial consonants in neighboring words:"She sells sea shells by the sea shore ..

Parallelism

the framing of words, phrases, or clauses to provide structural similarity and symmetry.

Antithesis

opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction:"Many are called, but few are chosen, ""We shall support any friends, oppose any foe.

Pun

a humorous play on the multiple meanings of a word or words:"You can tune a fiddle, but you cant tuna fish- unless youre a bass player ..

Ellipsis

the omission of words or phrases, sometimes indicated by the use of ",

Sentential

(or Conjunctive) Adverbs: these single words or brief phrases emphasize the thought they precede, interrupt, or- rarely- follow.

Zeugma

a use of word (s) in a grammatically similar way that produce different meanings:"My teeth and ambition are bared- Be prepared !.

Infer

to draw a reasonable conclusion from information provided.

Euphemism

the act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive:"The drone strike inflicted collateral damage ..

Induction

reasoning from particulars to universals; examples to conclusion.

Non sequitur

when one statement isnt logically connected to another.

Metanoia

the qualification of a statement to either diminish or strengthen its tone, as in "She was disturbed- make that appalled- by the spectacle ..

Litotes

this is the strategy of understatement using two negative terms, often employed to provide subtle emphasis, frequently for ironic effect or to underline a passionate opinion:"The assassin was not unacquainted with danger ..

Diction

word choice in speech or writing.

Epigraph

a short quotation, often used at the beginning of a work, section, or chapter to introduce a theme.

Straw man

when a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak.

Context

the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a texts production.

Counterargument

set of reasons put forward to oppose an anticipated idea or theory.

Denotation

The literal definition of a word.

Apostrophe

the direct address of a non- person or an absent or imaginary person:"Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour /England hath need of thee; "may also be a personified abstraction, especially as a digression in the course of a speech or composition: "So, I ask you, dear reader, what would you have me do ?.

Syllogism

a logical argument often expressed in this typical form:"All A is C; all B is A; therefore all B is C ..

Genre

the category into which a literary work fits (drama, poetry, prose being the most general, but these may be further subdivided)

Exposition

a mode of expression, its intention being to explain.

Exigency

________: a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy, that has urged the writer to begin to write an argument.

Point of view

the perspective from which the text is expressed.

Anaphora

a repetition of a word or of words at the beginning of two or more successive clauses:"I came, I saw, I conquered ..

Parody

the close imitation of style, usually exaggerating the features of the model for comedic effect.

Imagery

word choice designed to appeal to one or more of the five senses.

Ambiguity

the state of having multiple meanings; an intentional or unintentional equivocation.

Ambiguity

the state of having multiple meanings; an intentional or unintentional equivocation

Analogy

a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect

Anecdote

a brief recounting of a relevant episode; usually to inject humor or develop a point

Bathos

overdone or insincere attempts at evoking pity or compassion, usually creating a comedic effect

Claim

also called assertion or proposition, an arguments main idea/position

Claim of fact

asserts something is true or not true

Claim of policy

proposes a change

Claim of value

argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong

Concession

the act of granting or yielding a particular point or fact that is part of anothers argument or granting that an opposing argument has some merit

Connotation

extra cultural significance of a word or phrase in addition to its dictionary definition

Context

the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a texts production

Counterargument

set of reasons put forward to oppose an anticipated idea or theory

Deduction

logical process starting with a general principle (major premise), apply it to a specific case (a minor premise)

Denotation

The literal definition of a word

Diction

word choice in speech or writing

Didactic

teaching a specific lesson or moral; providing a model of correct behavior or thinking

Ellipsis

the omission of words or phrases, sometimes indicated by the use of " , "

Epigraph

a short quotation, often used at the beginning of a work, section, or chapter to introduce a theme

Exigency

a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy, that has urged the writer to begin to write an argument

Exposition

a mode of expression, its intention being to explain

Figurative language

any language that cannot be taken literally (like simile, metaphor, verbal irony, metonymy, etc.)

Genre

the category into which a literary work fits (drama, poetry, prose being the most general, but these may be further subdivided)

Hortative sentence (hortation)

one that urges, calls to action

Hyperbole

a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect

Hypophora

a type of reasoning in which one or more questions are asked and answered by the same writer/speaker

Induction

reasoning from particulars to universals; examples to conclusion

Infer

to draw a reasonable conclusion from information provided

Imagery

word choice designed to appeal to one or more of the five senses

verbal irony*

* words used are the opposite of the intended meaning

situational irony*

* events turn out other than as expected

Juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarity and/or difference

Logical Fallacy

an error in reasoning that may render an argument invalid

ad hominem

(literally, "against the man") when a writer personally attacks his or her opponents instead of their arguments

ad populum (bandwagon appeal)

a claim supported by popularity

appeal to false authority

an author cites an individual who has no expertise to comment on the issue

circular reasoning

often called begging the question, the argument repeats the claim instead of providing evidence

either/or (false dilemma)

an argument presents two extreme options as the only possible choices (politicians, ha! )

faulty analogy*

* an argument compares two things that are not comparable (ignoring significant differences)

hasty generalization*

* a faulty conclusion is reached after inadequate evidence (smoking isnt bad; my sister has smoked for years and remains the picture of health)

non-sequitur

when one statement isnt logically connected to another

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

when a writer implies that because one thing follows another, the first caused the second

red herring

when a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue

straw man

when a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak

Narrative

a mode of expression, its intention being to tell a story

Paradox

the expression of seemingly contrary ideas that have an underlying truth or coexistence

Parody

the close imitation of style, usually exaggerating the features of the model for comedic effect

Pedantic

overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (connotation usually negative)

Point of view

the perspective from which the text is expressed

Polemic (polemical)

one who argues with hostility and generally does not concede opposing opinions have merit

Refutation

working to prove an argument false

Rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive communication