Rhetorical Analysis Terms

sic

exactly as stated; thus, in this way

Ad hoc
created for a special purpose

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion.

Ambiguity

multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Alter-ego - A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character. In Shakespeare’s last play, NOT PERSONA

Anecdote - A brief recounting or short of narrative/incident of a relevant episode. are often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

Antecedent - word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Atmosphere - The emotional mood/nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere forshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood.

Caricature - a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics.

Classicism - Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures (see romanticism).

Comic relief - when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat. The “gatekeeper scene” in Macbeth is an example of comic relief.

Conceit - A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made.

Diction - Word choice, element of style, The choice and use of words in speech or writing.

Created tone, attitude, as well as style and meaning. (2) A way of speaking, usually assessed in terms of prevailing standards of pronunciation and elocution.

Colloquial - Common, ordinary, familiar language, slang/informalities

Connotation - Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning. (For example, “policeman,” “cop,” and “The Man” all denote the same literal meaning of police officer, but each has a different connotation.)

Denotation - The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

Cacophony - Dissonance harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.

Euphony - a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony

Abstract - refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images. (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places)

Concrete - The observable or “physical” is usually described

Pedantic - An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, lecturing, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as “show-offy”; using big words for the sake of using big words).

Pedestrian - ordinary or dull

Jargon - Specialized vocabulary of a group.

Vernacular - 1)Language or dialect of a particular country, 2)Plain everyday speech

didactic - A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. literally means “teaching.” Have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

Adage – A folk saying with a lesson. “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” Similar to aphorism and colloquialism.

Allegory - narrative, extending a metaphor, The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.

Aphorism - A terse statement, short, often witty, which expresses a general truth or moral principle. Can be a memorable summation of the author's point.

colloquialism - common or familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism. Use of slang or informalities in speech writing

Parable - a short tale that teaches a moral; similar to but shorter than an allegory

Ellipsis - The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author. “The whole day, rain, torrents of rain.” …which is the three periods used to show omitted text in a quotation.

Epigraph - The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is “You are all a lost generation” by Gertrude Stein

Euphemism - are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

figurative language - is the opposite of “Literal Language, Language in which figures of speech

Figures of speech - A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement., depart from customary construction

Analogy - A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them…can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. reasoning or arguing from parallel cases

Apostrophe - Figure of speech addressing someone or something as though they were there. A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer.

Idiom - A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally. “I got chewed out by my coach.”

Hyperbole - A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

litotes - a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Ex. “Not a bad idea,”

Metaphor - Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words., not using “like,” as,” or other such words.

Extended Metaphor - A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. Comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

Metonymy - Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept

Synecdoche - A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts

Oxymoron - Figure of speech juxtaposing opposite or contradictory words to create a paradox. "pretty ugly"

Personification - Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human. “The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill.”

Simile - Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things. “My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.”

Synesthesia - a description involving a “crossing of the senses.” Examples: “A purplish scent filled the room.” “I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing.”

Trope - Figure of speech that turns of twists to change meaning

Foreshadowing - When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

Generic Conventions - This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing.

Genre - The major category into which a literary work fits. _____, a type of literary work fits, The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama

prose - one of the major divisions of genre, refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line.

Gothic - Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death. Also refers to an architectural style of the middle ages, often seen in cathedrals of this period

Homily - This term literally means “sermon,” but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

Humor - anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person’s temperament

Image - A word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense; a concrete representation.

Imagery - Word or words that create a picture/images in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the five senses. Authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.

Inference - To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.

Invective - A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.

Irony - When the opposite of what you expect to happen does, contradiction between appearance between and reality

Verbal Irony - when the words literally state/or say the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) meaning

Dramatic Irony - when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work.

Situational irony - Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie. Events turn out the opposite of what was expected. What the characters and the readers think ought to happen.

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

Lyrical - Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.

rhetorical modes or modes of discourse - the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. Mode the method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written. description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.

Exposition - is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion.

Narration - The purpose is to tell/recount a story or an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing.

Description - to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in it; good descriptive writing can be sensuous and picturesque. Descriptive may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional an subjective.

Argument - to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning. A point of view is debated

Persuasion - s a type of argumentation having an additional aim of urging some form of action language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.

Mood - prevailing atmosphere or emotional attitude or aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect this

Motif - a recurring idea in a piece of literature

Objectivity - an impersonal presentation of events and characters

Pacing - speed or tempo of an author’s writing. Writers can use a variety of devices

Paradox - A seemingly contradictory situation or statement which is actually true.“You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job.”

Comparison - A rhetorical strategy in which a writer examines similarities and/or differences between two people, places, ideas, or objects.

Parallelism - Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns. The similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Anaphora - Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Chiasmus - When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed. “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Also called antimetabole.

Antithesis - the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite. juxtaposition of contrasting words

Zeugma - The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use maybe grammatically or logically correct with only one. “I quickly dressed myself and the salad.”

Parenthetical Idea - are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence. It is almost considered an aside…a whisper, and should be used sparingly for effect

Generalization - When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable.

Parody - A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author’s expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.)

Persona - The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story. Do not confuse with alter-ego.

Poetic device - A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.

Assonance - The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Consonance - repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words. Ex. “Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door"

Internal rhyme - When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line. Ex. “To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!”

Slant rhyme - When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly – they are merely similar. Ex. “I sat upon a stone, / And found my life has gone

End rhyme - When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.

Rhyme Scheme - The pattern of a poem’s end rhymes

Stressed and unstressed syllables - In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllable(s). In the name “Nathan,” the first syllable is stressed. In the word “unhappiness,” the second of the four syllables is stressed.

Meter - A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.

Free verse - Poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme.

Iambic pentameter - Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.

Sonnet - A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Usually divided into three quatrains and a couplet.

Point of View - The perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information.

first person - “I,” and is a character in the story. This narrator can be the protagonist, a secondary character, or an observing character.

third person - narrator relates the events with pronouns, “he,” “she,” and “it.” There are two main subdivisions to be aware of

third person omniscient - in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters

third person limited omniscient - in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters.

Polysyndeton - When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions. Normally, a conjunction is used only before the last item in a list. Ex. "Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle"

Pun - When a word that has two or more meanings or senses is used in a humorous way.

Regionalism - an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot

Repetition - duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

Rhetoric - art of effective communication.

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle - relationships, in any piece of writing, between the writer, the audience, and the subject. All analysis of writing is essentially an analysis of the relationships between the points on it

Rhetorical Question - Question not asked for information but for effect.

Romanticism - Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature. Does not rely on traditional themes and structures (see classicism).

Sarcasm - A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded. Ex. “to tear flesh,” involves bitter, caustic language, mocking

Satire - A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for A text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity.

Semantics - The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.

Sentence - A group of words (including subject and verb) that expresses a complete thought.

Clause - A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

Balanced sentence - A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale. Both parts are parallel grammatically. = parallelism

Compound sentence - Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

Complex sentence - Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Cumulative sentence - (also called a loose sentence) When the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements. OPPOSITE - PERIODIC SENT the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.

Periodic sentence - When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence. The writer begins with subordinate elements and postpones the main clause. The opposite construction is called a cumulative sentence

Simple sentence - Contains only one independent clause.

Speaker - the voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona

Stereotype - a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality; a conventional pattern, expression or idea.

Style - choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. --> may be conscious or unconscious. Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament speech or writing, manner of expression

Coherence - Unity quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle meaning of a whole intelligible

Climax - Mounting by degrees through words or sentences of increasing weight and in parallel construction with an emphasis on the high point or culmination of a series of events.

Conundrum - a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem

Diacope - repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase. ex. We will do it, I tell you; we will do it. We give thanks to Thee, O God, we give thanks (Psalm 75:1)

Subject Complement - The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it (the predicate nominative) or (2) describing it (the predicate adjective

the predicate nominative - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence

the predicate adjective - an adjective, a group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is in the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject.

Subjectivity - a personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions

Subordinate Clause - Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought.

Subordination - Words, phrases, and clauses that make one element of a sentence dependent on another

Symbol - Anything that represents or stands for something else

Syntactic Fluency - Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.

Syntactic Permutation - Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for a reader to follow.

Syntax - Grammatical arrangement/structure of words.

Theme - Central dominant idea or focus of a work.

Thesis -The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, main idea, purpose, meaning, or proposition. It should be short and clear. (

Tone - Writer/author’s attitude toward his reader, his subject, himself.

Transition - A word or phrase that links different ideas.

Understatement - ironic minimizing of fact, something less significant, opposite of exaggeration

Litotes - Understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite Ex. He’s no fool (which implies he is wise).

Undertone - An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece.

Voice - The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator.

wit - intellectually amazing language that surprises and delights, humorous

Argument - a piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion.

Conclusion - is the end result of the argument. the main point being made.

Ethos - When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text, projected character

Pathos - means persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions.

Logos - means persuading by the use of reasoning, using true premises and valid arguments.

Claim - An arguable statement, which may be a claim of fact, value, or policy.

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

Conditional statement - is an if-then statement and consists of two parts, an antecedent and a consequent.

Confirmation - The main part of a text in which logical arguments in support of a position are elaborated.

Contradiction - hen one asserts two mutually exclusive propositions

counterexample - example that runs counter to (opposes) a generalization, thus falsifying it.

Deductive argument/reasoning - in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises easier to understand terms. the claim or position is stated at the beginning of the argument and evidence is used to support that claim for the remainder of the argument

Fallacy - An error in attractive, but unreliable reasoning that renders an argument invalid.

Ad hominem - "against the man". Personally attacking your opponents instead of their

arguments. It is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, feeling rather than intellect.

Appeal to authority - The claim that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be right. This fallacy is often used in advertising.

Appeal to the bandwagon - as evidence for an idea, that many people believe it, or used to believe it, or do it.

Bad analogy - Claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren't.

Cliche thinking - Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no exceptions.

false cause (post hoc ergo propter hoc) - Assuming that because two things happened, the first one caused the second one.

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

Hasty generalization - A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.

Non Sequitur - A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument., following idea make no sense

Slippery slope - assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme possible outcome.

Inductive argument - the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization

Oversimplification - When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument

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

Sound argument - First, that the line of reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid. Second, that the premises are true.

Syllogism - reckoning together. Formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called “major” and the second called “minor”) that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.

Hypophora - Figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one’s own question(s)

Epiphora / epistrophe - Repetition of phrase at the ENDS of successive lines, sentences phrases, clauses. The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses.

Enumeratio - Figure of amplification in which a subject is divided into constituent parts or details, and may include a listing of causes, effects, problems, solutions, conditions, and consequences; the listing or detailing of the parts of something. Ex. I love her eyes, her hair, her nose, her cheeks, her lips. “Who’s gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It’s chocolate; it’s peppermint; it’s delicious. . . It’s very refreshing!” – Kramer (Seinfeld).

Epigraph - the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.

Epithet - Adjective or phrase applied to a noun to accentuate a certain characteristic

Expletive - Figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side of the expletive. Ex. in fact, of course, to be sure, indeed, I suppose,

Unstated premises - Not every argument is fully expressed. Sometimes premises or even conclusions are left unexpressed.

Valid Argument - An argument is valid if the conclusion logically follows from the premises.