the opposite of passive voice, essentially any sentence with an active verb
ex- Johnny Appleseed planted his seeds in the garden.
active voice
an attack on the person rather than the issues at hand-- a common fallacy, especially during election year
ad hominem
repetition of a phonetic sound at the beginning of several words in a sentence
ex- she sells sea shells
alliteration
reference that recalls another work, another time in history, another famous person, and so forth
allusion
a wonderful technique of repetition; the last word of the lause begins the next clause, creating a connection of ideas important to the author's purpose in some way
ex- The Furies pursued the men. The men were chased by their nightmares. The nightmares aw
anadiplosis
term that signifies a relational comparison of or similarity between two objects or ideas
analogy
in rhetoric, the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive poetic lines, prose sentences, clauses, or paragraphs.
anaphora
this argument occurs when the speaker states a claim that includes a word or phrase that needs to be defined before the argument can proceed.
ex- because of the extreme conditions before us, we must vote for this tax. (uh, what conditions are being called
begging the question
aka post hoc ergo propter hoc (meaning in latin, after this, therefore because of this). Such an argument falls under the general umbrella of causality fallacy or false cause
cause and effect
ABBA syntactival structure (rather than the more common parallel ABAB sturcture.)
chiasmus
sentence structure that is a combo of a dependent clause and an independent clause
ex- if you walk to the top of the tower, you will find a sacred sardine can
complex sentence
a sentence stucture made up of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
ex- don't open the door or a deadly smell will kill you.
compound sentence
association or moods that accompany a word. either negative or positive
connotation
basic statement or assertion and most common type of sentence
declarative sentence
ending of a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words
ex- this government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth
epistrophe
appeal to credibility
ethos
study of the origin of words and their historical uses.
ex- the name of the sandwich came from the Earl of Sandwich, and altogether unremarkable peer of the English realm
etymology
use a safer or nicer word for something others find inappropriate or unappealing
ex- "grazes in the pastures of forever" to mean "die
euphemism
a sentence that conveys excitement or force
exclamatory sentence
failure of logical reasoning
fallacy
an argument using an inappropriate metaphor
false analogy
aka either/or fallacy. suggestion is made in the argument that the problem or debate only has two solutions, excluding the middle (As it is sometimes referred to as)
ex- there are only two options in gun control: when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will
false dilemma
a verb ending in "ing" that serves as a noun
gerund
pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people.
jargon
making on idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite
juxtaposition
appeal to reason
logos
independent clause followed by all sorts of debris, usually dependent clauses
loose sentence
wonderful form of word play in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds similar
malapropism
figure of speech in which what is unknown is compared to something that is known in order to better gauge its importance
metaphor
verbal expressing action or state of being that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed subject
participle
opposite of active voice
passive voice
appeal to emotion
pathos
sentence with several dependent clauses that precede the independent clause
ex- while watching the cave and wondering why the rain had not stopped, nor even abated, the hero filed his fingernails and waited.
periodic sentence
giving human attributes to non-human things
ex- the thunder grumbled all night
personification
perspective
point of view
question who's answer is assumed
rhetorical question
occurs when author of an essay significantly alters his/her diction, syntax, or both
rhetorical shift
uses like or as
simile
independent clause. has a subject and a verb, and that's pretty much it
ex- i ate the apple
simple sentence
fallacy of argumentation argues that one thing inevitably leads to another
slippery slope
occurs when a person engaging in an argument defines his opponent's position when the opponent is not present and defines it a manner that is easy to attack.
straw man
formal term for noun
subject
conjunction that makes an independent clause into a dependent clause
subordinate conjunction
three-part argument construction in which two premises lead to a truth (either true or not true)
ex- all human beings are mortal. heather is a human being. therefore, heather is mortal.
syllogism
minor figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole.
ex- all hand on deck
synecdoche
study of the rules of grammar that define the formation of sentences
syntax
to unite or synthesize a variety of sources to achieve common end
synthesis
basic message or meaning conveyed through elements of character and conflict
theme
person or character introduced wtih language that suggests that he is not at all reliable before the listener/reader knows anything abou him
ex- the next speaker, an alcoholic wife-abuser, will seek to sway us to his view that...
poisoning the well
the use of consecutive coordinating conjunctions even when they are not needed. the effect is to render the reader somewhat breathless
ex- he was overwhelmed, as if by a tsunami, and by the fishes, and by the seaweed, and by the salt spray from the heaven
polysyndeton
formal term for the verb that conveys meaning
predicate
adjective that follows linking verb and modifies subject
predicate adjective
noun or pronoun that uses a linking verb to unite, describe, or rename the noun in the subject of the sentence
ex- the silly dwarf is a squirrel
predicate nominative
another word for a claim that is either limited and absolute, or vague and open ended
ex- two parallel lines with remain equidistant forever / china's trade policy with the us is unfair.
premise
play on words
ex- he waves to the singer because he's a devoted fan
pun
argument that distracts reader by raising issues irrelevant to the case
red herring
exaggeration that bolsters an argument
hyperbole
any time one of the five senses is evoked by reading/writing
imagery
command
imperative sentence
clause that can stand alone as a sentence
independent clause
form of logical argumentation that requires the use of examples
ex- writers who argues for the success of a particular diet plan would use testimony from success stories, a scientific study proving its effectiveness, and a few doctors who claims it has sa
inductive
a question
interrogative sentence
use of words to express something other than and often the opposite of the literal meaning
irony
minor figure of speech when one thing is substituted for another in which it is closely associated
ex- the crown spoke...
crown = king/queen
metonymy
literally means "it does not follow"
an argument by misdirect and is logically irrelevant
ex- Should we invade Canada, Sire? Has anyone seen my wand?
non sequitur
noun toward which though feeling or action is directed
object
two words that together create a sense of opposition
ex- ...with the bubbly heaviness of their captain.
oxymoron
seeks to create mental discontinuity
ex- be careful how you pace yourself- by walking too quickly you get there more slowly, or My silent love grows louder with each passing moment.
paradox
pattern of language that creates rhythm of repetition
ex- we'll fight them in the east, fight them in the west, etc
parallelism (parallel syntax)
reversal of the natural order of words in a sentence
ex- to her he gave
anastrophe
observation or claim that is in opposition to your claim or an author's claim
ex- the electoral college is an outdated anachronism; like the rest of the Constitution, it has managed to adapt to the changing times
antithesis
prayer-like
ex- o eloquent, just, and mighty death!
apostrophe
noun phrase, modifies the noun next to it
ex- the dragon, a large creature with glittering green scales, looked warily at the approaching wizard
appositive
argument stating something is true bc it hasn't been proven false
argument from ignorance
deliberate omission of conjunctions from a series of related independent clauses
ex- all the orcs at the food, broke the dishes, trashed the hall, beat the dogs to the shower
asyndeton
aka vox populi
to go with it because everyone else is, or someone else said it
the giants example
bandwagon
form of logical argumentation using claims or premises
deductive
opposite of connotation. definition
denotation
clause contains a noun and a verb but is set up with a subordinate conjunction which makes it the clause of an incomplete thought
ex- because the magician's rabbit refused to come out of the hat...
dependent clause
regional speech pattern
dialect
particular words an author uses in any essay
diction
three dots that indicate words have been left out of a quotation; they also can be used to create
ellipsis
repeats opening word;sentence with three equally distinct and equally long parts (separated by commas rather than colons, despite the name)
ex- i came, i saw, i conquered
tricolon
this creates exaggeration by showing restraint
opposite of hyperbole
"please hand me the barrel of ale if it's not too heavy for you" says knight to the giant
understatement
two or more elements in a sentence are tied together by the same verb or noun
ex- she dashed into the bar and out of the building.
zeugma