Rhetorical Devices

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Abstract Language

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Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places. The opposite of concrete language.

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Allegory

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A narrative, either in verse or prose, in which character, action, and sometimes setting represent abstract concepts apart from the literal meaning of a story. The underlying meaning usually has a moral, social, religious, or political significance, and the characters are often personifications of abstract ideas such as charity, hope, greed, and so on. Examples: Scarlett Letter or Animal Farm.

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Alliteration

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The repetition of initial identical consonant sounds or any vowel sounds in successive or closely associated syllables.

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Allusion

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a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art

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Analogy

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a comparison to a directly parallel case; the process of drawing a comparison between two things based on a partial similarity of like features

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Anaphora

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one of the devices of repletion in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences

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Anastrophe

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the inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. It is deliberate rather than accidental and is used to secure rhythm or to gain emphasis. Anything in language capable of assuming a usual order can be inverted. Instead of saying, “I walked home,:; an inversion of this sentence would be, “Home I walked” or “Home walked I.”

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Anecdote

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A short account of an interesting or humorous incident, intended to illustrate or support some point.

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Antecedent

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The word to which a pronoun refers (whose place it takes)

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Anticipating Audience Response

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a rhetorical technique often used to convince an audience by anticipating and stating the arguments that one’s opponent is likely to give and then answering these arguments even before the opponent has had a chance to voice them.

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Antithesis

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a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas. Balancing of one term against another for emphasis. True structure demands for the opposition in different parts be manifested through similar grammatical structure

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Aphorism

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concise statement of a principle given in pointed words. A tersely phrased statement in truth or opinion. Found in fields like law/politics/art

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Attitude

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closely linked with tone of piece, can be underlying feeling behind a tone

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Call to Action

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wiring that urges people to action or promote change

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Caricature

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imitation of a person's features or mannerisms exaggerated as to be comical or absurd

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chiasmus

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a pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed

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classification

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method of sorting, grouping, collecting and analyzing things by categories based on features shared by all memebers of a class or group

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division

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method of breaking down an entire whole into separate parts or sorting a group of items into non-overlapping categories

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Cliche

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a timeworn expression that through overuse has lost its power to evoke concrete images

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Colloquial Expression

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words or phrases characteristic or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing

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Compare and Contrast

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points out similarities or differences. May use point by point method to interweave points of comparison or contrast between two things or a subject by subject method to discuss similarities and differences

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Compound/Complex Sentence

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a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause

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Conceit

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an elaborate and surprising figure of speech comparing two very dissimilar things. Usually involves intellectual cleverness and ingenuity

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Concrete Language

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actual things, instances, or experiences. Opposite of abstract language

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Definition

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method for specifying the basic nature of any phenomenon/idea/thing. Dictionaries place the subject to be defines in the context of the general class to which it belongs and gives distinguishing features that differentiate it from other things in its class

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Denotation

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specific, exact meaning of the word as defined

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Connotation

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emotional implication that words may carry

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Diction

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the choice of words in a work of literature and an element of style important to the works effectiveness

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Doublespeak

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language used to distort and manipulate rather than to communicate

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Downplaying/Intensifying

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methods of drawing attention and diverting attention

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Either-or reasoning

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when the writer reduces an argument or issue to two polar opposites and ignores any alternative

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Ellipsis

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the omission of a word or words necessary for complete construction, but understood in context

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Emotional Appeal (Pathos)

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when a writer appeals to an audience emotion; exploiting reader's feelings of pity or fear to make a case

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Ethical Appeal (Ethos)

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most subtle and often most powerful of appeals because it comes from character and reputation, not words. Stems from ability to convince readers that he/she is reliable, intelligent and cares about the issues

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Ethnocencticity

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the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own group and culture

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euphemism

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substitution of an offensive, indirect, or agreeable expression for a word/phrase perceived as socially unacceptable or harsh

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Exposition

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writing that seeks to clarify, explain or inform using one or several of the following modes of discourse: process analysis, definition, classification.division, comparison/contrast and cause/effect analysis

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Figurative Language

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use of words outside their literal or usual meanings. Used to add freshness and suggest associations and comparisons that create effective images: including elements such as hyperbole, irony, metaphor, personification and simile

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Freight Train

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sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions

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Generalization

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when a writer basis a claim upon isolated examples or asserts that acclaim is certain rather than probable. This happens when a writer asserts that claim applies to all instances instead of some

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Hyperbole

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conscious exaggeration is used without intent of literal persuasion. May be used to heighten effect or produce comic effect

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Imagery

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use of language to convey sensory experience, most often through creation of pictoral images though figurative language

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Idiom

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expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words.

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Inversion

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a variation of the normal word order in a sentence. Inverted order is when the predicate (main verb) comes before the subject

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Irony

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words express a meaning opposite the intended meaning (appearance vs reality)

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Dramatic Irony

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audience knows somethings a character doesnt

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Verbal Irony

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writers says one thing but means another

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Situation Irony

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outcome is significantly different from what was expected or considered appropriate

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Jargon

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refers to a specialized language providing a shorthand method of quick communication between people on the same field

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Juxtapose

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placing two ideas side by side or close together. Sometimes the two ideas are completely different

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Lending Credence

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In arguing his/her point, a writer or speaker should always lend her opponent some credit for the opponent’s ideas. In this way, the writer or speaker persuades his/her audience that he/she is fair and has done the research, thereby strengthening the argument.

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Litotes

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a form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite.

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Logical Fallacies

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methods of pseudo-reasoning that may occur accidently or may be intentionally contrived to lend palusibility to an unsound argument

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Ad Hominem

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attack against the character of the person instead of the issue

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Begging the question

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the premise of an argument presupposes the truth of its conclusion; in other words, the argument takes for granted what it's supposed to prove.

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False Analogy

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when two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them

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Non-sequitur

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the introduction of irrelevant evidence to support a claim

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Red Herring

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use of irrelevant point to divert attention from real issues

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Slippery Slope

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a failure to provide evidence showing that one event will lead to a chain of events of a catastrophic nature

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Straw Men

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an easily refuted objection used to divert attention from the real issue

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Logical Reasoning/Appeal (Logos)

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the idea tat there are principles governing correct or reliable inferences

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Loose Sentence

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a sentence grammatically complete at some point before the end: opposite of periodic sentence. Meaning of loose sentence can be easily understood in the very beginning (front loaded)

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Metaphor

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an implied comparison. Can be simple or extended throughout a whole work

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Metonymy

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figure of speech characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the word in mind for the word itself. Metonymy is also the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it, such as describing someone's clothing to characterize the individual.

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Mood

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overall atmosphere of a work. May change paragraph to paragraph or page to page

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Motif

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recurrent images, words, objects, phrases or actions that tend to unify the work

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Narration

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the story of events or experiences that tell what happened

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Onomatopoeia

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use of words that by their sound suggest their meaning

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Oxymoron

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a self contradictory combination of words or smaller verbal units; usually noun-noun, adj-adj, adj-noun, adverb-adverb or adverb-verb

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Paradox

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phrase or statement that while seeming contradictory or absurd may actually be well founded or true. Used to attract attention or to secure emphasis

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Parallelism

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the arrangement of parts of a sentence, sentences, paragraphs and larger units of comparison that one element of equal importance with another is similarly developed and phrased

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Parody

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an exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purpose

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Periodic Sentence

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sentence that is not grammatically complete before its end. The main clause follows subordinating parts. Makes sense only when the end of the sentence is reached. (end loaded)

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Persona

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a writer often adopts a fictional voice or mast to tell a story. Persona or voice is usually determined by a combination of subject matter and audience

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Personification

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giving human characteristics to non human things

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Point of View

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the way in which the reader is presented with the materials of a work. The angle or vantage point from which the author presents information

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Polysyndeton

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the repetition of conjunctions in close succession for rhetorical effect

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Process Analusis

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method of clarifying the nature of something by explain how it works in separate, each to understand steps.

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Pun

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a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on similar sense or sound of different words

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Refutation

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when a writer gathers relevant opposing arguments

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Repitition

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reiteration of a word or phrase or rewording the same idea, to secure emphasis

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Rhetorical Question

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a question asked solely to produce an effect and not to elicit a reply

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Satire

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a technique that ridicules both people and societal institutions, using irony, wit, and exaggeration

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Simile

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a figure of speech involving comparisons using like or as

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Simple Sentece

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a complete sentence that is neither compound nor complex

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Style

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the authors characteristic manner of expression. Style includes the types of words used, their placement, and distinctive features of tone, imagery, figurative language, sound and rhythm

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Syllogism

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a formula for presenting an argument logically. Demonstrates logic of an argument though analysis. In its simplest for, it consist of three divisions: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

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Symbol

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something concrete such as an object, person, place or event that stands for or represents something abstract

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Synedoche

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a figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or the whole for a part

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Syntax

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how a sentence is constructed, how its contributes to and enhances meaning and effect

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Tone

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the voice the writer has chosen to project to relate to readers. It's produced by the combined effect of word choice, sentence structure and purpose

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Voice

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implied personality the author chooses to adopt