Assertion | A strong statement |
Antithesis | Statement opposed to another assertion (Not this, but that) |
Anticipate an Objection | addressing an objection before someone can raise it |
Direct address | speaking directly to someone |
Rebuttal | final opposition to an assertion, disproving or refuting |
Reduce to the absurd | showing the foolishness of an argument (usually through sarcasm) |
Parallelism | When a writer or speaker expresses ideas of equal worth with the same grammatical form. (I came, I saw, I conquered) |
Overstatement | saying considerably more that the situation warrants, usually to be ironic |
Rhetorical Question | Asking a question without desiring a response |
Repetition | deliberately repeating words or phrases to achieve a certain purpose |
Anaphora | A special kind of repetition where words or phrases are repeated at the beginning of clauses |
Sarcasm | Bitter or ironic language directed to cut or cause pain |
Juxtaposition | Placing two opposite things side by side for comparison |
Asyndeton | leaving out conjunctions (apples, carrots, bananas) |
Polysyndeton | adding conjunctions (apples and carrots and bananas) |
Allusion | indirect reference to literary, artistic, scientific, or historical people, places, or things for effect |
Metaphor | a direct comparison between two unlike things for related effects (not using like or as) |
Personification | human characteristics given to nonhuman things |
Simile | a comparison using like or as |
Diction | Word choice |
Imagery | language used to evoke mental pictures; appeals to your senses |
Syntax | sentence structure |
Irony | is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. |
Arugment | a set of statements, each supporting the others, that presents a position or viewpoint. An argument contains a hook, claim, support, concession & refutation, and call to action. |
Call to action | voices a final plea |
Claim | assert or affirm strongly; states your belief and what you wish to argue |
Concession | the act of yielding; recognizes the arguments made by the other side |
Refutation | at length against the opposing viewpoint by proving your side has more validity |
Support | he act of bearing the weight of or strengthening; the reasoning behind your argument |
Theme | the subject matter of a conversation or discussion; the underlying message |
Topic sentence | asserts an opinion about a specific topic |
Transition | the act of passing place to the next; used in writing to make ideas flow together |
Cohesion | how the structure and content of a sentence or text is linked together to create meaning |
False generalizations | a type of false reasoning in which speakers don't have enough evidence to support a broad conclusion, or they selectively leave out details and come to a quick conclusion |
Pas de deux | a dance for two people, typically a man and a woman |
Implication | an idea that is communicated indirectly, through a suggestion or hint |
Consciousness | our awareness of ourselves and our environment |
Demolition | destruction |
Anecdote | a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person |
Hostility | unfriendliness; hatred |