Rhetorical Devices and Logical Fallacies

Asyndeton

the omission of conjunctions, as in "He has provided the poor with Jobs, with opportunity, with self-respect." I came, I saw, I conquered.

Litotes

understatement, esp. that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in "not bad at all.

Chiasmus

rhetoric reversal of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases: he came in triumph and in defeat departs; He went to the country, to the town went she.

Polysyndeton

the use of several conjunctions in close succession, esp where some might be omitted, as in he ran and jumped and laughed for joy.

Anaphora

A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Example: I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country.

Anadiplosis

A rhetorical term for the repetition of the last word of one line or clause to begin the next. Example: 'Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.'

Anachronism

something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, esp. a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword in modern warfare.

Isocolon/parison

A rhetorical term for a succession of clauses of approximately equal length and corresponding structure. Example: 'Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.'

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole. Example: All hands on deck; 'The sputtering economy could make the difference if you're trying to get a deal on a new set of wheels.'

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as 'crown' for 'royalty').

Zeugma

the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words when it is appropriate to only one of them or is appropriate to each but in a different way, as in to wage war and peace.

Apostrophe

a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as 'O Death, where is thy sting?'

Conundrum

a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun.

Invective

a verbally abusive attack.

Circumlocution

The use of an unnecessarily large number of words or an indirect means of expression to express an idea so as to effect an evasion in speech.

Begging the question

Supporting a claim with a reason that is really a restatement of the claim in different words.

Adage

A saying or proverb embodying a piece of common wisdom based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language. (E.g. It is always darkest before the dawn.)

Verisimilitude

Similar to truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades the reader that he/she is getting a vision of life as it is.

Malapropism

A confused, comically inaccurate use of a long word or words. Ex. Romeo and Juliet the nurse says 'I desire some confidence with you sir.'

Cadence

The rising and falling rhythm of speech especially in free verse or prose.

False Analogy

Error in assuming that because two things are alike in some ways, they are alike in all ways. EX. A school is not so different from a business. It needs a clear competitive strategy that will lead to profitable growth.

Hasty Generalization

Unsound inductive inference based on insufficient, inadequate, unspecified evidence.

Nonsequitur

A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before.

Post Hoc

Because one thing follows another, it is held to cause the other.

Ad hominem

Instead of attacking an assertion, the argument attacks the person who made the assertion.

Polyphrasis

Excessive talking.

Diatribe

A bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism. A bitter and abusive speech or writing.

Epistrophe/epiphora

The repetition of a word or words at the end of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences.

Apposition

A syntactic relation between expressions, usually consecutive, that have the same function and the same relation to other elements in the sentence, the second expression identifying or supplementing the first.

Appeal to authority

A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution.

Appeal to ignorance

A fallacy based on the assumption that a statement must be true if it cannot be proved false.

Concession

An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point.

Encomium

A tribute or eulogy in prose or verse glorifying people, objects, ideas, or events.

False dilemma

A fallacy of oversimplification that offers a limited number of options (usually two) when in fact more options are available.

Refutation

The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view.

Running style

Sentence style that appears to follow the mind as it worries a problem through, mimicking the 'rambling, associative syntax of conversation'--the opposite of periodic sentence style.

Explication

An explanation; interpretation.

Imperative tone/sentence

Commanding.

Interrogative

Questioning.

Exclamatory

Expressing enthusiasm or excitement.

Declarative

Declaring a statement or fact.

Infinitives

'To be' verbs... 'to come' 'to show' 'to dance.'