Rhetorical Terms

1
Rhetorical Terms

• Review Game
• All terms and definitions taken from Sylva
  Rhetoricae
• (http//humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm)

2
How to Play

• A rhetorical term will appear on the screen
• As a group, you will have 30 seconds to define it
  on your paper
• When time is up, every group will read their
  answer
• Groups that correctly define the word earn 100
  points groups that have no answer or an
  incorrect answer earn 0 points

3
ellipsis

• Omission of a word or short phrase easily
  understood in context

4
apostrophe

• Turning one's speech from one audience to
  another. Most often, apostrophe occurs when one
  addresses oneself to an abstraction, to an
  inanimate object, or to the absent

5
irony

• Speaking in such a way as to imply the contrary
  of what one says, often for the purpose of
  derision, mockery, or jest

6
epimone

• Persistent repetition of the same plea in much
  the same words

7
epistrophe

• Ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or
  sentences with the same word or words

8
climax

• Generally, the arrangement of words, phrases, or
  clauses in an order of increasing importance,
  often in parallel structure. More specifically,
  climax is the repetition of the last word of one
  clause or sentence at the beginning of the next,
  through several clauses or sentences

9
allegory

• A sustained metaphor continued through whole
  sentences or even through a whole discourse

10
chiasmus

• Repetition of ideas or grammatical structures in
  inverted order

11
asyndeton

• The omission of conjunctions between clauses,
  often resulting in a hurried rhythm or vehement
  effect

12
metalepsis

• Reference to something by means of another thing
  that is remotely related to it, either through a
  farfetched causal relationship, or through an
  implied intermediate substitution of terms. Often
  used for comic effect through its preposterous
  exaggeration

13
litotes

• Deliberate understatement, especially when
  expressing a thought by denying its opposite

14
digressio

• A departure from logical progression in a speech

15
metonymy

• Reference to something or someone by naming one
  of its attributes

16
synecdoche

• A whole is represented by naming one of its parts
  (genus named for species), or vice versa (species
  named for genus)

17
hyperbole

• Rhetorical exaggeration. Hyperbole is often
  accomplished via comparisons, similes, and
  metaphors

18
parabola

• The explicit drawing of a parallel between two
  essentially dissimilar things, especially with a
  moral or didactic purpose. A parable.

19
erotema

• The rhetorical question. To affirm or deny a
  point strongly by asking it as a question

20
zeugma

• A general term describing when one part of speech
  (most often the main verb, but sometimes a noun)
  governs two or more other parts of a sentence
  (often in a series)

21
enigma

• Obscuring one's meaning by presenting it within a
  riddle or by means of metaphors that purposefully
  challenge the reader or hearer to understand

22
euphemismus

• Substituting a more favorable for a pejorative or
  socially delicate term

23
onomatopoeia

• Using or inventing a word whose sound imitates
  that which it names (the union of phonetics and
  semantics)

24
tautologia

• The repetition of the same idea in different
  words, but (often) in a way that is wearisome or
  unnecessary

25
metaphor

• A direct comparison between two basically unlike
  things

26
paradox

• A statement that is self-contradictory on the
  surface, yet seems to evoke a truth nonetheless

27
oxymoron

• Placing two ordinarily opposing terms adjacent to
  one another. A compressed paradox

28
systrophe

• The listing of many qualities or descriptions of
  someone or something, without providing an
  explicit definition

29
metastasis

• Denying and turning back on your adversaries
  arguments used against you

30
epitasis

• The addition of a concluding sentence that merely
  emphasizes what has already been stated. A kind
  of amplification

31
polysyndeton

• Employing many conjunctions between clauses,
  often slowing the tempo or rhythm

32
epanodos

• Repeating the main terms of an argument in the
  course of presenting it OR returning to the main
  theme after a digression OR returning to and
  providing additional detail for items mentioned
  previously (often using parallelism)

33
paralipsis

• Stating and drawing attention to something in the
  very act of pretending to pass it over. A kind of
  irony

34
parallelism

• Similarity of structure in a pair or series of
  related words, phrases, or clauses

35
personification

• Reference to abstractions or inanimate objects as
  though they had human qualities or abilities

36
rhetorical question

• any question asked for a purpose other than to
  obtain the information the question asks. The
  question as a grammatical form has important
  rhetorical dimensions the technical term for
  rhetorical questions in general is erotema.

37
simile

• An indirect comparison, using the words like or
  as, between two basically unlike things

38
solecismus

• An element of speech or writing that is incorrect
  grammatically

39
Round Two

• This time, either a definition or (more likely)
  an example will appear on the screen
• As a group, you will have 30 seconds to identify
  on your paper the device being defined or used
• When time is up, every group will read their
  answer
• Groups that correctly identify the device earn
  100 points groups that have no answer or an
  incorrect answer earn 0 points

40
It is boring to eat to sleep is fulfilling

• chiasmus

41
The ship of state has sailed through rougher
storms than the tempest of these lobbyists

• allegory

42
Just why are you so stupid?

• erotema OR rhetorical question

43
What lies behind us and what lies before us are
tiny compared to what lies within us.

• epistrophe

44
The Sounds of Silence

• oxymoron

45
Whosoever loses his life, shall find it.

• paradox

46
For ever since that time you went awayI've been
a rabbit burrowed in the wood

• metaphor

47
Were sorry to hear that your husband has passed
on.

• euphemismus

48
Running a marathon in under two hours is no small
accomplishment

• litotes

49
The insatiable hunger for imagination preys upon
human life

• personification

50
I came I saw I conquered

• asyndeton

51
The scent of the rose rang like a bell through
the garden

• synaesthesia

52
Employing many conjunctions between clauses,
often slowing the tempo or rhythm

• polysyndeton

53
O villain! thou wilt be condemned into
everlasting redemption for this

• Malapropism

54
Miss America was not so much interested in
serving herself as she was eager to serve her
family, her community, and her nation

• climax

55
The explicit drawing of a parallel between two
essentially dissimilar things, especially with a
moral or didactic purpose

• parabola

56
I've told you a million times not to exaggerate

• hyperbole

57
The pen is mightier than the sword

• metonymy

58
A departure from logical progression in a speech

• digressio

59
The average person thinks he isn't

• ellipsis

60
Listen, you've got to come take a look at my new
set of wheels

• synecdoche

61
My love is like a red, red rose

• simile

62
Those hunger most who are most full

• enigma

63
Clean your bedroom. All of it.

• epitasis

64
Denying and turning back on your adversaries
arguments used against you.

• metastasis

65
The repetition of the same idea in different
words, but (often) in a way that is wearisome or
unnecessary

• tautologia

66
She tried to make her pastry fluffy, sweet, and
delicate

• parallelism

67
It would be unseemly for me to dwell on Senator
Kennedy's drinking problem, and too many have
already sensationalized his womanizing...

• paralipsis

68
Final Round

• On the next slide, the name of a device will
  appear.
• As a group, you will have two minutes to write
  and original example of that device.
• When time is up, every group will read their
  answer
• Groups that accurately create and example of the
  device earn 500 points groups that have no
  answer or an incorrect answer earn 0 points.

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The device is

• Synaesthesia

70
Congratulations!

• You are now an official expert in Rhetorical
  devices!
• ?