Rhetorical Terms Quiz 2

Appeal to pathos

appeal to emotion

begging the question

the situation that results when a writer or speakre constructs an argument on an assumption that the audience does not accept

causal relationship (cause and effect relationship)

the relationship expressing "if x is the cause, then y is the effect" or "if y is the effect, then x caused it

colloquialism

a word or expression acceptable in informal usuage but inappropriate in formal discourse

conclusion

the final paragraph or paragraphs that sum up an essay and bring it to a close

connotation

the implication of emotional overtones of a word rather than its literal meaning

emphasis

a rhetorical principle that requires stress to be given to important elements in an essay at the expense of less important elements

essay

from the French word essai, or attempt. the essay is a short pose discussion of a single topic

euphemism

from the Greek word for "good speech". they are more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept

example

an instance that is representative of an idea or claim or that otherwise illustrates it

generalization

a statement that asserts some broad truth based upon a knowledge of specific cases

logical fallacy

errors in reasoning used by speakers or writers, sometimes in order to dupe their audiences

objective and subjective writing

two different attitudes toward description. Objective- present material fairly and without bias
Subjective- Personal responses and interpretations

Red herring

a side issue introduced into an argument in order to distract from the main argument

sarcasm

from the Greek meaning "to tear flesh" with bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something

satire

often attack on a person. Also use the wit and humor in order to ridicule society's weaknesses so to correct them

subordination

expressing in a dependent clause, phrase, or single word any idea that is not significant enough to be expressed in a main clause or an independent sentence

tone

in every writing, tone is the reflection of the writer's attitude toward subject and audience

understatement

a way of deliberately representing something as less than it is in order to stress its magnitude

voice

the presence or the sound of self, chosen by the author

abstract

words or phrases denoting ideas, qualities, and conditions that exist but cannot be seen

ad populem argument

a fallacious argument that appeals to the passions and prejudices of a group rather than its reason

allegory

to device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning

anaphora

the repetition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses

aphorism

a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love

attitude

a writer's intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject of the writing

audience

the group of whom a work is intended

claim

the ultimate conclusion, generalization, or point, backed up by support, of an argument

cliche

a stale image or expression, and the bane of good expository writing