Style and Rhetorical Strategy Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions of diction, figurative language, syntax, schemes, and rhetorical strategies.

Diction

The study of a writer or speaker's choice of words.

Denotation

The literal (or primary) definition of a word.

Connotation

The associated meaning(s) we have for words. Ex: When a writer uses the word 'dark,' we think not only of the absence of light but of uncertainty and evil.

Tone

The speaker's attitude toward the subject of the text.

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere created for the reader by the text's choice of words.

Figurative language

Sometimes words are used in a nonliteral sense to encourage an audience to link ideas to images, to see a new

perspective, or to emphasize an important point

Metaphor

A surprisingly imaginative comparison made between two objects that are in actuality dissimilar. If the comparison uses 'like' or 'as,' we call it a simile.

Personification

Attributing a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or ironic point.

Understatement

A figure of speech in which something is presented as less important, dire, urgent, good, and so on, that it actually is, often, for satiric or comical effect. The opposite of hyperbole.

Formal and informal styles

Speakers tailor their choice of words to their audience and the occasion.

Archaic

Old-fashioned or outdated choice of words—relative to the time period, of course.

Colloquial

Conversational or informal choice of words.

Jargon

Technical terminology used in a specific field or profession.

Slang

Informal and nonstandard choice of words specific to a time, place, or group of people.

Syntax

The study of a writer or speaker's arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Parallelism

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

Antithesis

Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of multiple conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.) between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.

Short Sentence

Used deliberately to create emphasis by contrast, especially after several long sentences.

Sentence Fragment

A deliberate incomplete sentence used for a special reason: to make a transition, signal a conclusion, or emphasize an important point.

Cumulative Sentence

A sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on.

Periodic Sentence

A sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end.

Rhetorical Question

A question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer.

Euphemism

A term used to soften (Ex: Instead of 'murder' we say, 'his life was taken.')

Asyndeton

An absence of conjunctions (scheme of omission)

Aphorism

A short statement that contains a truth

Oxymoron

When two words are placed side by side (often conflicting) but together make sense (Ex: jumbo shrimp)

Anecdote

A personal story

Ellipses

The '…' to indicate something was left out

Imagery

Descriptive language than paints a picture

Allusion

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly

Predatory Reading

A formulaic approach where students treat an analysis prompt as a seek-and-find exercise, listing literary tropes without explaining their specific effect in the rhetorical situation.