Rhetorical terms

Ad Hominem

An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack.

Allusion

A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event--real or fictional.

Anaphora

The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

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.

Argument

A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood.

Colloquial

Characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English.

Concession

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

Connotation

The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry.

Deduction

A method of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises.

Diction

The choice and use of words in speech or writing or a way of speaking, usually assessed in terms of prevailing standards of pronunciation and elocution.

Epiphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses. (Also known as epistrophe.)

Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

Fallacy

An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.

False Dilemma

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

Figurative Language

Language in which figures of speech (such as metaphors, similes, and hyperbole) freely occur.

Hasty Generalization

A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement.

Imagery

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses.

Induction

A method of reasoning by which a rhetor collects a number of instances and forms a generalization that is meant to apply to all instances.

Irony

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is directly contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

Juxtaposition

Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side-by-side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Narrative

A rhetorical strategy that recounts a sequence of events, usually in chronological order.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side-by-side.

Parallelism

The similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Point of View

The perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information.

Refutation

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

Repetition

An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage--dwelling on a point.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

Style

Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament speech or writing; broadly, as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing.

Symbol

A person, place, action, or thing that (by association, resemblance, or convention) represents something other than itself.