word play
A comparison to a directly parallel case; the process of drawing a comparison between two things based on a partial similarity of like features.
Analogy
An expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words.
Idiom
the central and overall purpose of a work
Thesis
appealing to the audience's shared values
Ethos
a complete sentence that is neither compound, nor complex. (1 subject, 1 predicate.)
Simple sentence
Substitutions of an inoffensive, indirect, or agreeable expression
Euphemism
A contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas.
Antithesis
Writing that urges readers to action or promote a change
Call to action
attacking a person's motives or character
instead of his argument or claims
Ad Hominem
a sentence that contains 2 independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
Compound sentence
a self contradictory combination of words.
Oxymoron
Placing two ideas side by side or close together
Juxtaposition
Appealing to logical reasoning and sound evidence
Logos
failure to provide evidence showing that one event will lead to a chain of events
Slippery Slope
An independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses.
Complex sentence
The emotional implications that a word may carry
Connotation
second half of an expression is balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed
Chiasmus
a statement that indicates the force of the argument
Qualifier
misrepresenting opponent's position to make it easier to attack (taking things out of context)
Straw Man
the word to which a pronoun refers
Anecedent
specific, exact meaning of a word as defined
Denotation
the same expression is repeated at the beginning of 2 or more consecutive lines
Anaphora
When a writer delivers relevant opposing arguments.
Refutation
something used to distract the audience's attention from the real issue or argument
Red herring
a form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite
Litotes