| A | B |
|---|
| climax | definition: organizing ideas in writing so that they proceed from the least to the most important |
| conduplication | definition: takes an important word from anywhere in one sentence or phrase and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase |
| distinction | definition: elaborating on the definition of a word to make sure there is no misunderstanding |
| enthymeme | definition: an informal or abbreviated version of a syllogism. A syllogism is a structured argument in deductive logic that contains two premises that are assumed to be true and a conclusion drawn from those premises. These usually omit one of one of the premises as "because" statements |
| enumeration | definition: refers to the act of supplying a list of details about something |
| epistrophe | definition: repeating the same word or phrase at the end of multiple clauses or sentences |
| epithet | definition: attaching a descriptive adjective to a noun to bring a scene to life or evoke a particular idea or emotion |
| eponym | definition: referring to a specific famous person to link his or her attributes with someone else |
| equivocation | definition: a common fallacy of ambiguity, where a word or phrase is used with two distinct meanings, but the conclusion is drawn as if there were only one meaning. |
| exemplum | definition: simply providing the reader with an example to illustrate the writer's point; may be factual or fictional as long as fictional examples are presented as hypothetical rather than factual. |
| hortatory | definition: speech or writing that urges or commands an audience to follow (or not follow) a particular course of action |
| hyperbaton | definition: purposefully arranging words in a sentence in a unexpected order |
| hyperbole | definition: exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis; never meant to be taken literally |
| hypophora | definition: the technique of asking a quection, then proceeding to answer it |
| allusion | definition: a brief, informally introduced reference to a fairly well-known event, place, or person |
| anadiplosis | definition: repeating the last word of a sentence or phrase near the beginning or the next sentence or phrase; used this way words end up near one another, so their repetition becomes ver apparent |
| analogy | definition: makes use of something already well known to explain something less well known by comparison |
| antanagoge | definition: a way of ordering points to downplay the negatives so that readers feel less strongly about them |
| anaphora | definition: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences |
| antithesis | definition: parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas |
| aporia | definition: used to express doubt or ignorance- feigned or real about an idea |
| apostrophe | definition: a rhetorical device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object. it should not be confused with the punctuation mark of the same name, to which it has no relation. |
| asyndeton | definition: leaving out conjunctions in a list or between words, phrases, or clauses |
| chiasmus | definition: a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed, or flipped around; the crisscross figure |
| amplification | definition: repetition of something just said while adding more detail to the original description |
| litotes | definition: emphasizes its point by using a word opposite to the condition |
| metabasis | definition: a device used to sum up a body of work that has come before, so that readers can move on to a new point |
| metaphor | definition: speaking of one thing as though it actually were another, thus making an implicit comparison |
| metonymy | definition: referring to something closely related to the actual object as a way of referring to the object itself |
| parallelism | definition: using the same general structure for multiple parts of a sentence, or for multiple sentences, in order to link them all |
| parataxis | definition: involves listing a series of clauses with no conjunctions |
| parenthesis | definition: a device used to insert an aside or additional information into the main flow of writing. One way to do this is by using the actual symbols, although using dashes or commas is also common; this is the written equivalent of the spoken aside |
| persona | definition: a voice or mask that an author, speaker, or performer puts on for a particular purpose. |
| personification | definition: giving human attributes to something that in non-human (animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts) |
| phronesis | definition: one of the rhetorical constituents of ethos, this is characterizing a speaker as having prudence or practical wisdom. |
| polemic | definition: a disputed argument attacking an opposing point of view, especially dealing with a controversial topic. |
| polysyndeton | definition: the deliberative use of a series of conjunctions |
| procatalepsis | definition: deals specifically with objections and usually does so without even asking a question |
| red herring | definition: a detail or remark inserted into a discussion, either intentially or unintentionally, that sidetracks the discussion. this is invariably irrelevant and is often emotionally cahrged |
| rhetorical question | definition: a question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer |
| sententia | definition: a fancy term for a quotation, maxim, or wise saying; usually a general maxim not attributed to a single source, but ma also quote a real person |
| simile | definition: a figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things that are already somewhat related |
| straw man | definition: a device meant to ealsily prove that one's position or argument is superior to an opposing argument by deliberately misrepresenting and weakening the argument of the opposing side. |
| syllogism | definition: a structured argument in deductive logic that contains two premises, one major and one minor, both of which are assumed to be true, followed by a conclusion drawn from those premises. |
| symploce | definition: a special form that combines both anaphora and epistrophe |
| synecdoche | definition: using a part of something, or something closely related, to refer to a larger whole |
| tautology | definition: the redundant use of words or phrases within a single speech pattern or literary construction |
| trope | definition: a figure of speech in which words are used in a way which changers their meaning; many of these rely on cultural or social norms which can make translation into other languages or cultures very difficult |
| understatement | definition: lack of emphasis or restraint in language, the force of which is less than what one would normally expect; when contrasted sharply with reality, the statement becomes absurd. |
| zeugma | definition: linking unexpected items in a sentence by a shared word; i.e. subjects linked together by a verb, pronouns by nouns, direct objects by verbs, adjectival phrases by verbs, etc. |
