glossary

ad hominem

directed against an opponent's personal character rather than the position they

are maintaining (From the Latin meaning ​to the man​)

ad populum fallacy

(also known as the ​bandwagon appeal​): a fallacy that occurs when evidence

boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do."

Allegory

an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings

represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the

surface story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric

Alliteration

​the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words (Ex. "while I

nodded, nearly napping")

Allusion

​a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical

ambivalent

​having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward

something or someone

anaology

a comparison that explains one thing in terms of another to highlight the ways in which

they are alike (EXAMPLE:"He's as flaky as a snowstorm.")

Anaphora

​ a rhetorical device of repeating the same word or words at the start of two or more

lines of poetry or successive phrases or sentences in prose

anecdote

a brief story used to illustrate a point or claim

anticlimactic

referring to an event, period, or outcome that is strikingly less important or

dramatic than expected

Antithesis

​a rhetorical device contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, balancing one

against the other in strong opposition. The contrast is reinforced by the similar grammatical structure

(Example: "[W]e shall . . . support any friend, oppose any foe . . ."

John F. Kennedy)

appeal to athority

​an argument made in which truth is attributed to a statement based on

the authority of the speaker or the authority of someone supporting the statement

Appeal to Ignorance

​an argument made in which an assumption of a conclusion is based

primarily on lack of evidence to the contrary ​(X is true because you cannot prove that X is false // X is false

because you cannot prove that X is true) ​(EXAMPLE: Santa Claus is real because you can't prove that he

doesn't exist.)

Aphorism

​a concise statement which expresses succinctly a general truth or idea often using

language that isn't meant to be taken literally and using rhyme of balance (Example: ​Give him an

inch and he'll take a mile.)

Apostrophe

​a rhetorical device in which an absent or imaginary person or an abstraction is

directly addressed as though present (Ex. "Death, be not proud.")

Assonance

​the repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as in ​neigh / fade

Asyndeton

​the omission or absence of conjunctions between a series of related clauses, used for

the stylistic purpose of increasing rhythmic speed or emphasis ​("...government of the people, by the

people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth."

The Gettysburg Address")

cacophony

​harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the

opposite of euphony

circular reasoning

a fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide

evidence ​(X is true because of Y // Y is true because of X)

EXAMPLE: You can't give me a C; I'm an A student.

Chiasmus

​a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the

reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect (EXAMPLE: "It is not the oath that

makes us believe the man, but the man the oath."

Aeschylus, 5th Century B.C.)

claim of fact

a claim that asserts that something is true or not true (EXAMPLE: "The number of

suicides and homicides committed by teenagers, most often young men, has exploded in the last

three decades . . ."

Anna Quindlen)

claim of policy

a claim that proposes a change (EXAMPLE: "Yet one solution continues to elude

us, and that is ending the ignorance about mental health, and moving it from the margins of care and

into the mainstream where it belongs."

Anna Quindlen)

claim of value

a claim that argues whether something is good or bad or right or wrong

(EXAMPLE: "There's a plague on all our houses, and since it doesn't announce itself with lumps or

spots or protest marches, it has gone unremarked in the quiet suburbs and busy cities where is has

been laying waste."

Anna Quindlen)

Clause

a group of words with a subject and its verb in it

Colloquialism

​informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

complex sentence

a sentence that contains at least ​one ​independent clause and at least ​one

dependent clause (a group of words with a subject and a verb that ​cannot​ stand alone) EXAMPLE:

Because she is hungry, she ate dinner.

compound

complex sentence

least ​one​ dependent clause (EXAMPLE: She completed her literature work, but she still needs to

proofread before she submits it.)

compound sentence

a sentence that ​contains at least ​two​ ​independent clauses (two sets of

subjects and verbs) EXAMPLE: She read the book, and she liked it.

conceit

an elaborate figure of speech in which two seemingly dissimilar things or situations are

compared

concession

an acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

Confirmation

​the part of a speech/essay providing logical arguments in support of a position

Connotation

​the implied or associative meaning of a word (as opposed to denotation)

Consonance

​the repetition of a consonant sound used to create a rhyme or cadence that typically

refers to the repetition of sounds at the end of the word but can also refer to repeated sounds in the

middle of a word (EXAMPLE: pitter patter

repetition of the "t," and "r" sounds)

Counterargument

an opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward

cumulative sentence

sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and

then builds and adds on (EXAMPLE: "But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take

comfort from our present course—both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both

rigidly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain

balance of terror that stays in the hand of mankind's final war."

John F. Kennedy)

deduction

​a method of reasoning in which one reaches a conclusion by starting with a general

principle (a major premise) and applying it to a specific case (a minor premise); the process is usually

demonstrated in the form of a syllogism, as the following example shows:

MAJOR PREMISE: Exercise contributes to better health.

MINOR PREMISE: Yoga is a type of exercise.

CONCLUSION: Yoga contributes to better health.

Denotation

​the literal meaning of a word (as opposed to connotation)

Dependent or subordinate clause

a group of words with a subject and its verb that cannot stand alone

Diction

word choice

didactic

​intended to teach, particularly in conveying moral instruction; might be used to describe

a writer's or speaker's tone

dissonance

​the grating of sounds that are harsh or do not go together

Ellipsis

​the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced

from the context (Ex. Kathleen wants to be a firefighter; Sara, a nurse.)

Epiphora

​a rhetorical device of repeating the same word or phrase at the end of several clauses

(almost a reciprocal of anaphora) ​("Sweet Portia,/ If you did know to whom I gave the ring/ If you did know

for whom I gave the ring/ And would conceive for what I gave the ring/ And how unwillingly I left the ring/

When nought would be accepted but the ring,/ You would abate the strength of your displeasure.)

ethos

​the ethical appeal based on the character, credibility, or reliability of the speaker/writer

persuading the audience that the person making the argument is worth listening to (from the Greek

meaning ​character​)