Lit & Comp 11 H: Rhetorical Devices, Sentence Types, and Persuasive Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering syntactic structures, sentence types, figures of speech, and rhetorical/argumentative terms from Lit & Comp 11 H notes.

Syntax

The way in which linguistic elements (words and phrases) are put together.

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical structures in a pair/series of related words, etc. Example: "He likes hiking, swimming, and riding bicycles."

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel grammatical structures. Example: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Declarative Sentence

A sentence that makes a statement/expresses an opinion. Example: "The sun rises in the east."

Imperative Sentence

A sentence that gives a direct command, request, or instruction. Example: "Please close the door."

Interrogative Sentence

A sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark. Example: "What time does the movie start?"

Exclamatory Sentence

A sentence that expresses strong emotion and ends with an exclamation point. Example: "We won the championship!"

Compound Sentence

A sentence composed of 2 independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) or a semicolon. Example: "I wanted to go to the park, but it was raining."

Complex Sentence

A sentence containing one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Example: "Although he was tired, he finished his homework before bed."

Compound-Complex Sentence

A sentence containing 2 independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Example: "Because the weather was cold, Sarah wore her heavy jacket, and Sam brought a warm blanket."

Asyndeton

A rhetorical device where conjunctions are deliberately omitted between a series of related clauses/words.

Pun

A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings. Example: "Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana."

Synesthesia

A figurative device where one sense is described in terms of another. Example: "He wore a loud yellow shirt."

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or vice versa. Example: "Check out my new set of wheels!" (where wheels represents the whole car).

Understatement

The presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it really is. Example: "'It's a bit chilly today' (said during a blizzard)"

Argument/Persuasive Terms

Methods and techniques that help the construction of an argument.

Ethos

An appeal to ethics, credibility, authority, & moral character to persuade an audience. Example: "As a doctor with over 20 years of medical practice, I strongly advice you take this treatment."

Pathos

An appeal to emotion, sympathy, or passion to persuade an audience. Example: "If we don't adopt this dog today, he will spend more lonely nights in a cold cage."

Logos

An appeal to logic, reason, evidence, and factual data to support an argument. Example: "Studies show that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injuries by 85%."

Claim

The main assertion or position/statement that the author or speaker is attempting to prove in an argument. Example: "School start times should be shifted later to improve student health and academic performance."