Rhetorical Devices Study Guide: Definitions PT2

Syntax

The arrangement of words and sentences — how a sentence is structured.

Tone

The writer or speaker's attitude toward the subject.

Concession

Acknowledging the other side before arguing against it.

Audience

The intended readers or listeners.

Synthesis

Combining ideas from different sources.

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like the thing they describe.

Slippery slope

Saying one action will lead to extreme consequences.

Synecdoche

A part represents the whole.

Metonymy

Something closely related stands for something else.

Themes

The big idea or message of a work.

Motifs

Repeated images or ideas.

Reader

The person interpreting the text. Can be different from the audience.

Parallelism

Repeating similar structure and same verb conjugation.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural meaning a word suggests beyond its literal definition.

Context

The historical, cultural, or situational background needed to understand a text.

Symbolism

When an object represents a deeper idea.

Speaker

The voice telling the story or poem (not always the author).

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis.

Hasty Generalization

A conclusion based on too little evidence.

Evidential Conclusion

A conclusion based on evidence and reasoning.

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side to highlight contrast.

Colloquialism

Informal, everyday language, slang.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth.

Denotation

The literal dictionary meaning.

Diction

The writer's choice of words.

Oxymoron

Two opposite words together.

Invective

Harsh, insulting language.

Irony

When the opposite of what is expected happens.

Exposition

Background information at the beginning.

Occasion

The broader context, setting, or event (e.g., a speech, a wedding) within which something is written.

Organization

The order ideas appear in.

Structure

The overall design of the text.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration.

Pedantic

Showing off knowledge in an annoying way.

Paronomasia (Pun)

Wordplay using similar sounds.

Aside

Character speaks to audience.

Ingratiating

Trying to gain approval through flattery.

Satire

Humor used to criticize society.

Humor

Writing meant to be funny.

Selection of detail

Choosing certain facts to shape meaning.

Claim

A part of an argument.

Thesis

The main argument in essay form.

Line of reasoning

How the argument develops step by step.

Persona

The identity the speaker takes.

Person

The point of view or perspective indicated by pronouns.

Shift / Volta

When voice, person, perspective, tone, structure, or style changes.

Omniscience

A literary tool where the author writes a narrative in third person, and the story's narrator has complete awareness, understanding, and insight into the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of some or all of the characters in the story.

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions.

Rhetorical Question

Question asked for effect, not answer.