Rhetorical Terms- Argument

Question 0

Antanaclasis

Answer 0

Repetition of a word in two different senses (Ex. If we do not hang together, we will hang separately.)

Question 1

Antagonist

Answer 1

The character who opposes the interest of the protagonist

Question 2

Anticipated objection

Answer 2

The technique a writer or speaker issues in an argumentative text to address and answer objections, even though the audience has not had the opportunity to voice these objections

Question 3

Antimetabole

Answer 3

The repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order (Ex. One should eat to live, not live to eat)

Question 4

Apologist

Answer 4

A person or character who makes a case for some controversial, even contentious, position (Ex. Romeo makes a cause for marrying Juliet despite the controversy)

Question 5

Apology

Answer 5

An elaborate statement justifying some controversial, even contentious, position (Ex. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed; ‘we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”)

Question 6

Apostrophe

Answer 6

The direct address of an absent person or personified object as if he/she/it is able to reply (Ex. “O’ Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo!”)

Question 7

Appeal to authority

Answer 7

In a text, the reference to words, actions, or beliefs of a person in authority as a means of supporting a claim, generalisation or conclusion

Question 8

Appeal to emotion

Answer 8

The appeal of a text to the feelings or interests of the audience

Question 9

Argument by analysis

Answer 9

An argument developed by breaking the subject matter into it’s component parts

Question 10

Asyndeton

Answer 10

The omission of conjunctions between related clauses (Ex. “This is the villain among you who deceived you, who cheated you, who meant to betray you completely”)

Question 11

Basic topic

Answer 11

One of the four perspectives that Aristotle explained could be used to generate material about any subject matter: greater or less, possible and impossible, past future, and future fact

Question 12

Brain-storming

Answer 12

Within the planning act of the writing process, a technique used by a writer or speaker to generate many ideas some of which he or she will eliminate later

Question 13

Cloze test

Answer 13

A test of reading ability that requires a person to fill in missing words in a text

Question 14

Common topic

Answer 14

One of the perspectives, derived from Aristotle’s topics used to generate material. The six common topics are definition, division, comparison, relation, circumstances, and testimony

Question 15

Compound subject

Answer 15

A sentence in which two or more nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses, constitute the grammatical subject of a clause

Question 16

Confirmation

Answer 16

In ancient Roman oratory, the part of speech in which the speaker or writer could offer proof or demonstration of the central idea

Question 17

Conflict

Answer 17

The struggle of characters with themselves, with others, or with the world around them

Question 18

Connotation

Answer 18

The implied meaning of a word, in contrast to it’s directly expressed “dictionary meaning”

Question 19

Consulting

Answer 19

Seeking help for one’s writing from a reader

Question 20

Dramatistic pentad

Answer 20

The invention strategy, developed by Kenneth Burke, that invited a speaker or writer to create identities for the act, agent, agency, attitude, scene and purpose in a situation

Question 21

Effect

Answer 21

The emotional or psychological impact a text has on a reader or listener

Question 22

Ellipsis

Answer 22

The omission of words, the meaning of which is provided by the overall context of a passage

Question 23

epanalepsis

Answer 23

Repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause.

Question 24

epithet

Answer 24

A word of phrase adding a characteristic to a person’s name.

Question 25

figurative language

Answer 25

Language dominated by the use of schemes and tropes.
Ex: “The ground is thirsty and hungry.”

Question 26

flashback

Answer 26

A part of the plot that moves back in time and then returns to the present.

Question 27

generalization

Answer 27

A point that a speaker or writer generations on the basis of considering a number of particular examples.

Question 28

Genre

Answer 28

A piece of writing classified by type.

Question 29

investigating

Answer 29

Activities that writers use, during the writing process, to locate ideas and information.
Ex: For my research paper, I have investigated many sources in the library and online.

Question 30

irony

Answer 30

Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken.
Ex 1: “Of course I believe you,” Joe said sarcastically.
Ex 2: “I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her…I even hoped for a while that she’d throw me over”

Question 31

narration

Answer 31

In ancient Roman oratory, the part of a speech in which the speaker provided background information on the topic.
Ex: Julius Caesar used narration in many of his speeches.

Question 32

Pace

Answer 32

The speed with which a plot moves from one event to another.
Example: In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck paces the story somewhat slowly, interspersing it with main-idea chapters.

Question 33

parallelism

Answer 33

A set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses that appears in a sentence or paragraph.
Ex 1: The dog ran, stumbled, and fell.
Ex 2: “After two years I remember the rest of that day, and that night and the next day…”

Question 34

people’s topics

Answer 34

The English translation of konnoi topoi, the four topics that Aristotle explained could be used to generate material about any subject matter; also called basic topics.
Ex: Topics include justice, peace, rights, and movie theaters.

Question 35

periodic sentence

Answer 35

A sentence with modifying elements included before the verb and/or complement.
Ex: “John, the tough one, the sullen kid who scoffed at any show of sentiment, gave his mother flowers.”

Question 36

Scheme

Answer 36

An artful variation from typical formation and arrangement of words or sentences.
Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.