APLAC Vocab

Rhetorical Choices

decisions made by the author to create purpose

Diction

The word choice of the author

Tone

The attitude an author has towards a subject

Syntax

Sentence Structure

Metaphor

Comparison NOT using like or as

Simile

Comparison using like or as

Apostrophe

An address

Allusion

Reference to something outside the text

Hyperbole

exaggeration

Irony

Stating or portraying the opposite of the author's true feeling

paradox

seeming contradiction

Epithet

name-calling

Euphemism

using a more polite term for a coarse or unpleasant term

Cause and Effect

one event leads to another

Classification

to categorize similar ideas

Definition

the concrete or abstract meaning of something to an author

process analysis

a step by step breakdown of events

Comparison

to look for similarities

contrast

to look for differences

Analogy

the comparison of two things for the purpose of clarification

Narration

telling a story

exposition

a description and explanation of an idea

satire

corrective ridicule

logos

to use facts/statistics to make a point

pathos

to use emotion to manipulate the audience

ethos

to show ethics (experts) to support a point

Anadiplosis

a technique whereby the concluding word of a sentence or clause becomes the first word of the next sentence or clause

Epanalepsis

opening and closing a sentence with the same word for surprise and emphasis.

Antimetabole

repeating words in reverse order for surprise and emphasis.

Chiasmus

reverses grammatical elements rather than just words, again for emphasis.

Ellipsis

omission of one or more words for conciseness and drama.

Asyndeton

omission of conjunction before last item in a series.

Anaphora

repetition of the initial word or phrase in a series of clauses or phrases for emphasis and rhythm.

Parallelism

repetition of words or grammatical elements to achieve cumulative force and rhythm.

Antithesis

a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.

Hasty Generalization

a general conclusion is drawn about a sample instead of considering the whole population

Faulty Causality

presuming that a real or perceived relationship between things means one is the cause of the other

Begging the question

creates the illusion that the premise provides adequate support by leaving out a key premise or restating the conclusion as a premise

Equivocation

using double meanings or ambiguities of language to mislead or misrepresent the truth

Non Sequitur

a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement

Ad Hominem

attacking your opponent’s character or personal traits

Slippery Slope

when the conclusion rests on an alleged unlikely chain of causes

Strawman

the arguer distorts another person’s argument for the purpose of distracting the opponent

Bandwagon

when you appeal to popularity or the fact that many people do something