Rhetorical Terms

anecdote

anecdote

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A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning.

rhetoric

The art of effective communication, persuasive

shift

a deliberate change in a speaker or writer's approach, such as a change in tone, focus, argument, or rhetorical mode, to further their purpose and guide the audience toward a new idea or a deeper understanding.

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions. Good satire usually has three layers: serious on the surface; humorous when you discover that it is satire instead of reality; and serious when you discern the underlying point of the author.

Syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Tone

The author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject matter or audience, which is conveyed through word choice (diction), sentence structure, and style.

Euphemism

a figure of speech that replaces an unpleasant, offensive, or blunt word or phrase with a milder, more agreeable one to avoid discomfort or taboo subjects.

Colloquialism

an informal word or phrase that is understood by people in a particular geographical region or group, reflecting everyday language and conversation rather than formal speech

Epistrophe

literary and rhetorical device characterized by the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses, sentences, or verses

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

Allusion

a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, event, or another work of art that the author assumes the reader will recognize.

Analogy

an extended comparison between two different concepts, ideas, or things to illuminate a complex or abstract concept by relating it to something familiar

aphorism

a brief, memorable statement that expresses a universal truth, a general principle, or a wise observation, often with wit or cleverness

Apostrophe

a rhetorical device where a speaker or writer directly addresses an absent person, an inanimate object, a personified abstract idea, or an imaginary entity that cannot respond

Assonance

The repetition of nearby vowel sounds within a sentence

Anaphora

the repetition of nearby vowel sounds within a sentence

Anecdote

a brief, interesting, or amusing account of a specific, often personal, incident, intended to illustrate a point, enhance understanding, or make a narrative more relatable and engaging for the audience.

Antithesis

a rhetorical device that presents two opposing or contrasting ideas within a balanced, parallel grammatical structure

Ethos

the appeal to character or credibility, used to persuade an audience by establishing the writer's or speaker's authority, trustworthiness, and ethical integrity

Pathos

a rhetorical technique used to appeal to an audience's emotions, evoking feelings such as pity, sorrow, or sympathy to persuade them or create a strong connection with the text

message

the specific lesson, meaning, or idea that an author conveys to the reader, often through the characters and plot of a story

fallacy

a flawed argument or misleading reasoning that appears sound but is based on incorrect or invalid assumptions or logic

irony

a literary device that creates a contrast or contradiction between what is said and what is meant, between appearance and reality, or between what is expected and what actually happens

motif

a distinctive, recurring element—such as an image, idea, word, sound, or character—that helps to develop a story's themes, mood, or characterization

extended metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things that is developed over a significant portion of a literary work, such as a paragraph or even an entire story, by exploring various similarities between them

hyperoble

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

image

words that create a vivid, sensory experience—a mental picture—for the reader

Juxtaposition

a device where two contrasting elements—such as ideas, characters, settings, or images—are placed side-by-side to highlight their differences, create a specific impact, or make an argument

Oxymoron

a literary device where two contradictory or opposite words are combined to create a paradoxical, thought-provoking, or even humorous effect

Paradox

a self-contradictory statement or concept that contains a deeper truth or insight

Understatement

a figure of speech where something is deliberately described as less important, serious, or impressive than it actually is

argumentation

the process of creating and presenting a claim (an argument) about a text, using textual evidence, reasoning, and rhetorical strategies to persuade a reader to accept the author's interpretation or viewpoint

purpose

the author's reason for writing a text

audience

the intended group of people for whom a writer creates a text

style

the author's unique way of expressing themselves through their word choice, sentence structure, tone, and use of literary devices

syllogism

a form of deductive reasoning where a character's argument is presented with two premises, often implicit, leading to a necessary conclusion

periodic sentence

a complex sentence structure where the main clause and its most important meaning are withheld until the end, after several subordinate clauses or phrases build up to it

description

a type of writing that creates a vivid and sensory impression of a person, place, object, or idea in the reader's mind

exposition

the part of a story that provides essential background information, introducing the audience to the characters, setting, and fundamental plot details before the main events unfold

parody

a work that imitates the style, mannerisms, and conventions of another work, author, or genre in a humorous or satirical way.

formal

a precise and systematic explanation of a term or concept within a specific literary context, often focusing on the text's structure, form, and linguistic elements rather than external influences like authorial intent or historical context

standard

a set of evolving criteria and norms used to define what constitutes literature and evaluate its quality

informal

explains a word using simple, conversational language, often employing relatable examples, colloquialisms, contractions, or personal anecdotes to make the meaning clear to a broad audience

levels of diction

the range of word choices from formal to informal, used to convey tone, characterize speakers, and set the mood of a text

parallelism

the rhetorical device of using similar grammatical structures, phrases, or ideas to create rhythm, balance, and emphasis, connecting ideas and evoking emotional responses

inference

a logical conclusion, educated guess, or interpretation that a reader forms by combining textual clues, background knowledge, and reasoning to understand meanings, themes, or motivations not explicitly stated by the author

clause

a group of words containing a subject and a verb that form a complete or incomplete thought

sarcasm

a form of verbal irony in which a character says the opposite of what they actually mean, with the primary intent to mock, insult, or convey contempt

denotation

the literal, objective, and dictionary definition of a word, stripped of any emotional associations, feelings, or cultural interpretations that the word might otherwise evoke

persuasion

a technique writers use to influence an audience's beliefs, attitudes, or actions, often through a combination of logical arguments, emotional appeals (pathos), and appeals to credibility (ethos)

antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause that comes before a pronoun, acting as the antecedent to which the pronoun refers

lampoon

a virulent or harsh satire, typically in prose or verse, that ridicules an individual, institution, or society

pacing

the control of the speed at which a story unfolds, influencing how quickly or slowly events progress and how much detail readers receive

loose sentence

known as a cumulative sentence, is a sentence structure that begins with an independent clause (the main idea) and is followed by a series of subordinate clauses, phrases, and modifiers.

pedantry

an excessive, ostentatious display of learning or knowledge, often by focusing on minor, irrelevant details or rules to an annoying degree

narration

the act of telling a story, encompassing the entire process of communicating a sequence of events by a narrator to an audience

speaker

the imagined voice or persona that delivers a poem or addresses an audience within a literary work

repetition

a rhetorical device where words, phrases, sentences, sounds, or ideas are repeated to emphasize a point, create rhythm, and enhance meaning or memorability

context

a rhetorical device where words, phrases, sentences, sounds, or ideas are repeated to emphasize a point, create rhythm, and enhance meaning or memorability

persona

the distinct voice or character that an author creates to tell a story or express a perspective, serving as a "mask" or a specific role that is separate from the author's own personal identity

mode

a broad category of writing characterized by its particular purpose, technique, or style