Rhetorical and Literary Terminology

Terms:

Definitions:

allegory

The purpose of an allegory is to teach an idea Animal Farm is an allegory that uses animals on a farm to
or principle, or to explain an idea or principle. represent the overthrow of Tsar Nicolas II, the actions of
It is the extension of a metaphor throughout Stalin and the revolution in Russia before World War II.
the text that epitomizes an allegory.
The repetition of the same sounds or of the
same kinds of sounds at the beginning of
words or in stressed syllables

Examples:

What a tale of terror now their turbulency tells!

alliteration

allusion

A figure of speech making casual reference to I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchios.
a famous historic or literary figure or event or This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew
work of literature.
whenever he told a lie. It is from The Adventures of
Pinocchio, written by Carlo Collodi.
a comparison between two things, typically on You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard. You must be
the basis of their structure and for the purpose pretty annoying for someone to say that.
of explanation or clarification.
I am going to be toast when I get home. This is usually said
when someone is in trouble with their significant other.

analogy
he deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
the beginning of several successive verses,
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we
clauses, or paragraphs
shall fight in the hills" (Winston S. Churchill).
anaphora

anecdote

Anecdotes cover a wide variety of stories and At the beginning of a speech about fire safety, the speaker
tales, especially since they can be about
tells a short cautionary tale about a serious injury that
basically any subject under the sun
occurred as a result of not following protocol.
During a lunchtime discussion about favorite recipes, one of
the people in the group tells a story about one of her tried
and trued recipes gone wrong.
a note of explanation or comment added to a writing brief summaries in the text margins in the students'
text or diagram.
own words

annotation
a situation or event that occurred before

car chase in a movie that leads to a dramatic crash

he complete or exact opposite of something

An example of someone who is the antithesis of friendly

is a grump.

antecedent

antithesis

a brief sentence or phrase that expresses A penny saved is a penny earned

an opinion or a statement
aphorism

apostrophe

The superscript sign ( ' ) used to indicate the

omission of a letter or letters from a word, the
possessive case, or the plurals of numbers,
letters, and abbreviations

the punctuation mark ' used to indicate the omission of a

letter or number, such as he's for he has or he is, also used
in English to form the possessive, as in John's father and
twenty pounds' worth

the innate knowledge, images, or ways of Archetypeoftheindividualman,theloneventurer,whoagainsttheoddsmakes

thinking that are inherited from ancestors. out.
Asymbolisaninevitablyimperfectattempttorepresentanarchetype.

archetype
an exchange of diverging or opposite views,
typically a heated or angry one.
argument

"I've had an argument with my father"

a confident and forceful statement of fact The Great Depression sent the auto industry into a
or belief.
period of massive unemployment and clashes between
workers and police..
assertion

The act of taking to or upon oneself

assumption
the power or right to give orders, make
decisions, and enforce obedience.

A married couple broke up because he was spending too much

time hanging out with his friends. He lost his job because he was
late in the mornings and they permanently fought. assumptions:
He drinks too much or smokes drugs, he is lazy, he is immature, he
is between 20 - 35. We don't know any of these things but the
information
at thegenral
top implies it.
Cite the surgeon

authority (Toulmin)
support, justification, reasons to back up the
warrant.

The United States is based on a political system that is

supposed to serve the basic needs of its people, including
their health

a figure of speech by which the order of the

terms in the first of two parallel clauses is
reversed in the second.

"Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure"

the position or claim being argued for; the

conclusion of the argument.

The federal government should ban smoking

a phrase or opinion that is overused and

betrays a lack of original thought.

Withoutacareintheworld:Thisdescribessomeonewhoisnotplaguedby
problemsorworries

backing (Toulmin)

chiasmus

claim (Toulmin)

clich

colloquialism

Adiamondintherough:Thisdescribessomeonewhohasagreatfuture.

a word or phrase appropriate to conversation fork in the road - Americans say it all the time, Europeans
and other informal situations
have no idea what it might be.
shed - In Wales this means a place of division, such as the
crown of a roof or the part in one's hair. In England it means
a flat tilted roof. The Anglo-Saxon verb means to take off
quickly.

Whentwoindependentclausesareconnectedby "By day the goldfinches dip in yellow light, by night the
onlyacomma,theyconstitutearunonsentence frogs sing the song that never goes out of favor."
(E.B. White, "A Report in Spring")

comma splice
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in
addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Religion has always had a negative connotation for me.

a poetic device characterized by the

repetition of the same consonant two or
more times in short succession

"pitter patter" or in "all mammals named Sam are

clammy"

connotation

consonance

when a researcher works from the more

general information to the more specific

Every day, I leave for work in my car at eight oclock. Every

day, the drive to work takes 45 minutes I arrive to work on
time. Therefore, if I leave for work at eight oclock today, I
will be on time.
deductive reasoning
the literal or primary meaning of a word, in
The words home, house, residence and dwelling all have the
contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word same denotation, but the connotation of each word is very
suggests
different.
denotation

dialect

a particular form of a language that is peculiar South: "Y'all"

to a specific region or social group.
North: "You guys"
South: "Fixin' to"
North: "About to"
the choice and use of words and phrases in
"Wordsworth campaigned against exaggerated poetic
speech or writing.
diction"

diction

intended to teach, particularly in having

moral instruction as an ulterior motive
didactic

"Four-score and seven years ago, our fathers brought

forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in
liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created
The manequal."
lookedAbraham
above . . Lincoln
. all he could see were three

the omission from speech or writing of a

word or words that are superfluous or able black silhouettes against the bright blue sky.
to be understood from contextual clues.
ellipsis

source credibility, authority

ethos

euphemism

evidence (Toulmin)

genre

good reasons
(Toulmin)

"My three decades of experience in public service, my

tireless commitment to the people of this community, and
my willingness to reach across the aisle and cooperate with
the opposition, make me the ideal candidate for your
mayor."
Passedawayinsteadofdied

a mild or indirect word or expression

substituted for one considered to be too
Correctionalfacilityinsteadofjail
harsh or blunt when referring to something
unpleasant or embarrassing.
Departedinsteadofdied
Explanation of why or how the data supports
the claim, the underlying assumption that
connects your data to your claim.

Numbers of deaths attributed to second-hand smoke Lawsuit

recently won against large tobacco companies.

a category of artistic composition, as in

music or literature, characterized by
similarities in form, style, or subject
matter.

Epics.Anepicisatale,oftentoldinverse,ofaheroicfigureonaquest.
Militarystories.Militaryfictionusuallyinvolvesstoriesofbattleandespionage
fromthewarfront.
Spyfiction.Thesestories,intheJamesBondvein,recountthepulsepounding
expeditionsofspiesinvariousagenciesthroughouttheworld.
Westerns.StoriesthattakeplaceintheWildWest,typicallyincludinggunduels,
trainrobberies,heists,andshowdowns,areknowncollectivelyasWesterns.

reasoning that may be necessary to support

the warrant.

Smoking causes serious diseases in smokers

a speech or sermon given by a priest in a

Roman Catholic Church after a scripture has
been read

clear in the introduction to a homily given to address

California's Proposition 41 by Father Bill Messenger of St
Eugene's Parish in Los Angeles in 1984

homily

hyperbole

the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device Ivetoldyouamilliontimes

or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke
Itwassocold,Isawpolarbearswearingjackets
strong feelings or to create a strong
Sheissodumb,shethinksTacoBellisaMexicanphonecompany
impression
visually descriptive or figurative language,
esp. in a literary work.

imagery

OnastarrywinternightinPortugal.Wheretheoceankissedthe
southernshore.ThereadreamIneverthoughtwouldcometopass.
Cameandwentliketimespentthroughanhourglass
TeenaMarie,PortugueseLove

works the opposite way, moving from specific Today, I left for work at eight oclock and I arrived on time.
observations to broader generalizations and
Therefore, every day that I leave the house at eight oclock, I
theories.
will arrive to work on time.
inductive reasoning
Inference

a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence Sally arrives at home at 4:30 and knows that her mother
and reasoning.
does not get off of work until 5. Sally also sees that the lights
are off in their house. Sally can infer that her mother is not
yet home.

Farce

irony

a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and

horseplay and typically including crude
characterization and ludicrously improbable
situations.
Irony can best be defined as that middle
ground between what is said and what is
meant, or others understanding of what was
said and what was meant.

insulting, abusive, or highly critical

language.
invective

A lot of comedies from the 1930s-mid '50s were farces;

some prime examples would be the Marx Brothers films.
Wildly fun with plots that are silly to the point of almost
being unneeded, physical comedy galore, and plenty of
great one-liners.
A person who claims to be a vegan and avoids meat but will
eat a slice of pepperoni pizza because they are hungry. It
may not make sense, but it is an illustration of irony.
Callingapersonwhoislazy,overweightandwhoneverexercisesalardbutt.
Referringtothecrazyoldwomanwholivesdownthestreetfromyouasanoldbat.
Indicatingthatabusinessmanwhoyoubelievecheatedyouisadirtyrotten
scoundrel

ironical understatement in which an

you won't be sorry , meaning you'll be glad
affirmative is expressed by the negative of its
contrary
litotes
reason-giving, induction, deduction

"The data is perfectly clear: this investment has consistently

turned a profit year-over-year, even in spite of market
declines in other areas."

a figure of speech that consists of saying

less than one means, or of saying what
one means with less force than the
occasion warrants - an understatement

" Buck House" for the name of Buckingham Palace

"It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain."
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

a figure of speech containing an implied

comparison, in which a word or phrase
ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is
applied to another
word or phrase that is used to stand in for
another word

He is the apple of my eye - There is, of course, no real

apple in a person's eye. The "apple" is someone
beloved and held dear.

Theformationoruseofwordssuchasbuzzor
murmurthatimitatethesoundsassociatedwiththe
objectsoractionstheyreferto.

Bloop,splash,Spraysprinkle,squirt,drip,drizzle

logos

meiosis

metaphor

The "pen" stands in for "the written word"

The "sword" stands in for "military aggression and force"

metonymy

onomatopoeia

oxymoron

paradox

used for a variety of purposes. Sometimes

One famous oxymoron is the phrase "the same difference."
they are used to create some sort of drama for This phrase qualifies as an oxymoron because the words
the reader or listener, and sometimes they are "same" and "difference" have completely opposite
used to make the person stop and think,
meanings. Therefore, bringing them together into one
whether
it's
laugh or towhich
ponder.
phraseDickinson's
produces apoem
verbally
puzzling,
yettwice
engaging,
A
paradox
isto
a statement
contains
Emily
" My
life closed
beforeeffect.
its
apparently opposing or incongrous elements close. It yet remains to see If Immortality unveil .A third
which, when read together, turn out to make event to me. "
sense.

using phrases which are similar in

structure
parallelism

parody

Psalm93:
Theseashaveliftedup,OLORD,
theseashavelifteduptheirvoice;
theseashavelifteduptheirpoundingwaves.

Parody is an imitation of a particular writer,

For example, you have an Indian person in you classroom
artist or a genre exaggerating it deliberately to and one day, in gathering if a few friends, you go like, Will
produce a comic effect.
you veddy much bring me a coke please? This imitation of
an Indian accent is a parody.
In our daily watching of television, we see may hilarious
shows that blend parody and satire. The Daily Show, The
Colbert Report, and The Larry Sanders Show are
renowned and most watched. These shows mimic famous
political personalities and this serves them to target what
they think are unintelligent political and social viewpoint.
Parody has entered our day-to-day life through hilarious
parody movies that mimics the famous blockbusters.
Vampire sucks parodies and pokes fun at Twilight which
emotional or motivational appeals
"If we dont move soon, were all going to die! Cant you see
how dangerous it would be to stay?"

pathos
excessive concern with minor details and
rules.

"to object to this is not mere pedantry"

pedantry

personification

qualifier (Toulmin)

the attribution of a personal nature or human The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
characteristics to something nonhuman, or the
representation of an abstract quality in human
form.
specification of limits to claim, warrant and
The ban would be limited to public places
backing. The degree of conditionality
asserted.

rebuttal (Toulmin)

exceptions to the claim; description and

rebuttal of counter-examples and counterarguments.

Smokers have rights too. Smoking laws should be left to the

states.

effortsmadebyauthorstopersuadeorinform
readers

Allusion, Analogy, Paradox, Antithesisetc

ironic or satirical remark that seems to be

praising someone or something but is
really taunting or cutting. Sarcasm can be
used to hurt or offend or can be used for
comicinaffect.
used
many works of literature to show

Imtryingtoimagineyouwithapersonality.
Iwork40hoursaweektobethispoor.
Isittimeforyourmedicationormine?

rhetorical strategy

sarcasm

satire

foolishness or vice in humans, organizations,

or even governments - it uses sarcasm,
ridicule, or irony. For example, satire is often
used to effect political or social change, or to
prevent it.

a figure of speech in which a word is

applied to two others in different senses
syllepsis

syllogism

symbol

"When I address Fred I never have to raise either my

voice or my hopes."
(E.B. White, "Dog Training")

A form of deductive reasoning consisting All humans are mortal, the major premise, I am a
of a major premise, a minor premise, and ahuman, the minor premise, therefore, I am mortal, the
conclusion
conclusion.
Something that represents something else by
association, resemblance, or convention,
especially a material object used to represent
something invisible
a figure of speech using a word that is a part
to represent a whole, a whole to represent a
part or a material to represent an object

Time is money: This is symbolic because it warns you that when

you spend your time, you are giving up the opportunity to be doing
something else with that time (just as when you spend your
money, you give up your chance to do something else with the
money). Further, like money, time is not infinite.

the arrangement of words and phrases to

create well-formed sentences in a language

The young man carries the lady.

The lady carries the young man.

synecdoche

syntax

Satire covers many different methods including irony,

sarcasm, burlesque, parody, exaggeration, juxtaposition,
double entendres. It can be directed toward one individual, a
whole country or even the world. It is sometimes serious,
acting as a protest or to expose, or comical when used to
poke fun at something or someone.
Weekend Update from Saturday Night Live
The Daily Show
the movie Scary Movie
the movies of Austin Powers

The
The
The
The

word sails is often used to refer to a whole ship.

phrase "hired hands" can be used to refer to workmen.
word "head" refers to cattle.
word "wheels" refers to a vehicle

tone

ives shape and life to literature, because it is

through tone that the attitude and mood of a
work are created and presented. Tone gives
voice to the characters, both literally and
figuratively
when something is said that is far less than
what is true

Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty." -To Kill a

Mockingbird: This example shows the naivete of the young
narrator, Scout, because she thinks that 50 is extremely old.
Again, a coming of age narrative is established.
An example of an understatement is a millionaire telling
someone that they have a good paying job.

understatement
the principle, provision or chain of reasoning The constitution promises to "promote the general well-fare"
that connects the grounds/reason to the claim.
warrant (Toulmin)
Depiction of a strong connection
Synaesthesia

Appearance of being true or real

Versimilitude

A simple example is "cool colours." This is considered

synesthesia because the adjective "cool" is normally
associated with temperature, whereas colours are visual.
Simply stating that a colour represents a degree of
temperature would be absurd, and yet "cool" and "warm"
are commonly used to describe colours when decorating a
house,
for example.
the reader
possesses a sense of verisimilitude when reading
a story in which a character cuts his finger, and the finger
bleeds. If the character's cut finger had produced sparks of
fire rather than blood, the story would not possess
verisimilitude.