Rhetorical And Literary Terms

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Ad hominem

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Directed against an opponents character rather than the position they are maintaining

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Allegory

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The underlying meaning of an extended narrative prose or verse in which the circumstances reveal this double meaning

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Alliteratikn

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Repetition of initial sounds

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Allusion

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Reference to something literary, mythological, or historical

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Anaphora

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Rhetorical device of repeating the same word at the beginning of lines in poetry

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Antithesis

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Rhetorical device contrasting words, setbacks, or ideas giving each strong opposition

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Appeal to authority

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Argument in which the truth is attributed to a speaker or supporter of statement

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Appeal to ignorance

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Argument made in which the assumption of a conclusion is based primarily on lack of evidence to the contrary

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Aphorism

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Concise statement which expresses a general truth using a rhyme of balance

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Apostrophe

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Rhetorical device in which an absent or imaginary thing is addressed as if present

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Assonance

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Repetition of a bowl sounds between different consonants

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Asyndenton

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The omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses

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Blank verse

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Unrhymed iambic pentameter

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Caesura

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A pause in a line of poetry created by the natural speaking rhythm

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Cacophony

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Harsh, awkward or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry

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Circular argument

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Argument in which the proposition is supported by the premises, which is supported by the proposition

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Chiasmus

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Statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

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Colloquialism

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Informal words not usually accepted in formal writing

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Complaint

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Lyric poem of lament, regret, and sadness which may explain the speakers mood

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Conceit

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Elaborate figure of speech in which two seemingly did dinar things or situations are compared

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Confirmation

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Part of speech/essay providing logical arguments in support of a position

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Connotation

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He implied meaning of a word

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Consonance

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The final consonants in several stressed syllables agree, the vowel sounds that proceed are different

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Deduction

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Method of reasoning in which the conclusion follows from several premises

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Denotation

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Literal meaning of a word

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Diction

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Word choice

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Didactic

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Intended to teach morally

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Dissonance

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Grating of sounds that do not go together

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Elegy

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Formal poem focusing on death or mortality, usually beginning with a recent death of a particular person

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Ellipsis

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Omission of a word or phrase which is gramatically necessary but can be deduced from the content

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End-stopped line

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Line of poetry that ends when the grammatical unit ends

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Foil

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A character who highlights the characteristics of another character

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Free verse

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Poetry that is written without a regular meter

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Hasty generalization

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Fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified given the evidence at hand

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Hyperbole

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Exaggeration for humor or emphasis

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Idyll

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Short descriptive narrative about idealized country life

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Induction

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Method of reasoning to move towards a generalized conclusion

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Internal rhyme

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Rhyme occurring within a line of poetry

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Irony

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Situation where the truth is the opposite of appearances

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Invective

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Speech or writing that attacks a subject, generally in an abusive manner

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Jargon

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Use of specific words and phrases by those in a particular area of study

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Enjambent

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Line of poetry in which the sense and grammatical construction continue on the next line

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Litotes

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Type of understatement in which something positive is expressed by negating it's opposite

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Logos

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The appeal to reason, relying on logic

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Lyric

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Type of melodious poetry that js telling something short and personal, rather than telling a story

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Metonomy

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Figure of speech that uses the name of a thing to represent something that is associated with

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Modes of discourse

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Systems of thought composed of differences that represent the subject in a particular way

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Motif

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A standard theme which recurs in various works

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Mood

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Atmosphere that pervades a literary work with intention of invoking that feeling

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Non Sequitir

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An inference that doesn't logically follow the premise

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Ode

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A long lyric poem often to praise something

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Onomatopoeia

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Formation of a word from the imitation of natural sounds

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Epigram

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A witty saying in poetry or prose that either stands alone or is part of a larger work

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Oxymoron

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Expression where two words that contradict each other are joined

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Parable

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Short tale that teaches a moral

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Paradox

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Statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning

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Pastoral

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Poem that idealized rural life or shepards

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Pathos

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Appeal to emotion/passion, relying on manipulation of the audiences sentiments

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Polysyndeton

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Use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming affect

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Refutation

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Part of an argument in which the speaker confronts the contradicting point of view

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Rhetoric

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Art of effective, persuasive speaking through figurative language

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Stock character

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Standard character who may be stereotyped

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Syllepsis

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Linking of one word with the other two words in two strikingly different ways

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Epiphora

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Rhetorical device of repeating the same word or phrase at the end if several clauses

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Syllogism

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Logical argument using deductive reasoning

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Symbol

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Object that is something in itself yet is used to represent something else

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Synecdoche

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Use of one part of an object to represent the entire object

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Synesthesia

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Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another

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Syntax

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Arrangement of words within a sentence- includes sentence length and complexity; variety and pattern of sentence form; inversion of natural word order; unusual juxaposition; repetition; parallelism; use of active/passive voice; level of discourse

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Tautology

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Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding

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Tone

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Attitude of a writer

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Understatement

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Deliberate representation of something as less in magnitude than it really is

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Zeugma

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Figure of speech in which a word applies to more than one noun, blending together ideas that are grammatically different

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Transition

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Words and phrases providing connection between ideas, thus increasing flow and presenting the piece as a unified whole

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Eyhis

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Ethical appeal based on the character, credibility, or relatablity of the speaker/writer- persuading the audience

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Euphemism

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Less offensive way of saying something that is unpleasant

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Euphony

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Succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose

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Exemplum

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Brief tale used in medieval times to illustrate a sermon or lesson

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Fallacy

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An erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound contention

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False dilemma

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Presenting the audience with a limited number of options