Rhetorical Terms

Question 1

connotation

Answer 1

the implied meaning of a word

Question 2

denotation

Answer 2

the actual meaning of the word

Question 3

diction

Answer 3

a writer’s choice of words; style

Question 4

syntax

Answer 4

the grammatical order in which words are placed

Question 5

tone

Answer 5

attitude the write takes towards his or her subject

Question 6

explicit

Answer 6

directly stated

Question 7

implicit

Answer 7

implied

Question 8

infer

Answer 8

to deduce information based on facts or evidence

Question 9

parallelism

Answer 9

similarity of structure in a series of related words, phrases, or clauses

Question 10

periodic sentence

Answer 10

beginning with subordinate clauses, building up suspension

Question 11

cumulative sentence

Answer 11

ending with subordinate clauses to call attention to them

Question 12

balanced sentence

Answer 12

where two parallel elements set off against each other; both have the same form

Question 13

antithesis

Answer 13

opposition or contrast of words or ideas within a balanced sentence

Question 14

inversion

Answer 14

reversal of normal, grammatical word order, often for emphasis

Question 15

analogy

Answer 15

a comparison of similar things

Question 16

qualification

Answer 16

in argument or logic: a restriction in meaning or qualification

Question 17

logical fallacies

Answer 17

intentional incorrect reasoning in argument; exploit emotional triggers

Question 18

metaphor

Answer 18

comparison not using like or as; something regarded as representative or symbolic of something else

Question 19

simile

Answer 19

comparison using like or as

Question 20

apostrophe

Answer 20

a dramatic address to someone not present

Question 21

allusion

Answer 21

reference to something outside the text

Question 22

hyperbole

Answer 22

obvious and intentional exaggeration, for rhetoric

Question 23

understatement

Answer 23

where the speaker deliberately portrays the situation as less important than it really is

Question 24

paradox

Answer 24

a contradictory assertion with some truth in it

Question 25

epithet

Answer 25

a descriptive word, phrase, or title

Question 26

euphemism

Answer 26

a mild time for an offensive term

Question 27

conceit

Answer 27

an extended metaphor, especially for the basis of an entire poem

Question 28

metonym/synecdoche

Answer 28

a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another with which it is associated; the use of part of something to represent the whole

Question 29

alliteration

Answer 29

repetition of initial sounds

Question 30

onomatopoeia

Answer 30

the use of a word whose sound imitates the act or thing it names

Question 31

subjective/objective

Answer 31

opinion, biased, personalized / completely unbiased, based on facts

Question 32

cliché

Answer 32

an overused statement or idea

Question 33

satire

Answer 33

corrective ridicule

Question 34

irony

Answer 34

when the literal meaning is opposite the actual meaning

Question 35

parody

Answer 35

mocking imitation

Question 36

archetype

Answer 36

the original pattern or model

Question 37

antistrophe

Answer 37

the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses

Question 38

polysyndeton

Answer 38

the repetition of conjunctions

Question 39

juxtaposition

Answer 39

placing concepts close together for comparison or contrast

Question 40

antithesis

Answer 40

the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in a balanced phrase or clause

Question 41

deductive

Answer 41

reasoning from general to specific

Question 42

inductive

Answer 42

reasoning from specific to general

Question 43

anaphora

Answer 43

repetition of the initial word or phrase in a series of clauses

Question 44

aphorism

Answer 44

a pithy observation that contains a general truth

Question 45

epigram

Answer 45

a witty, paradoxical saying; sometimes a concise poem

Question 46

alliteration

Answer 46

the repetition of the consonant sounds in neighboring words

Question 47

analysis

Answer 47

separating of material into its constituent elements and determining its essential features

Question 48

argumentation

Answer 48

the act of using reasons to justify claims

Question 49

syllogism

Answer 49

form of deductive reasoning where the conclusion is inferred from two other statements

Question 50

enthymeme

Answer 50

a syllogism with one part of the argument missing

Question 51

chiasmus

Answer 51

where the words or concepts are repeated in reverse order in the same or modified form

Question 52

ellipsis

Answer 52

omission of one or more words for conciseness

Question 53

anadiplosis

Answer 53

where the final word of a sentence or clause becomes the first word of the next

Question 54

epanalepsis

Answer 54

opening and closing a sentence with the same word or phrase

Question 55

antimetabole

Answer 55

repeating words in reverse order for surprise and emphasis (like chiasmus)

Question 56

asyndeton

Answer 56

omission of conjunction before the last item in a series

Question 57

allegory

Answer 57

a story where characters and things represent something else; have a moral or lesson

Question 58

simple sentence

Answer 58

subject-verb

Question 59

compound sentence

Answer 59

2 independent clauses joined by a conjunction

Question 60

complex sentence

Answer 60

independent clause and dependent clause

Question 61

compound-complex sentence

Answer 61

2 independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

Question 62

declarative

Answer 62

statement

Question 63

exclamatory

Answer 63

strong feeling

Question 64

interrogative

Answer 64

question

Question 65

imperative

Answer 65

command

Question 66

antecedents

Answer 66

a word to which another word refers to

Question 67

nostalgia

Answer 67

a longing or wistful affection for the past