The repetition of a phonetic sound at the beginning of several words in a sentence.
What is Alliteration
100
The study of the rules of grammar that define the formation of sentences.
What is Syntax
100
Any sentence with an Active Verb.
What is Active Voice
100
An exaggeration, fairly common in nonfiction prose arguments, that bolsters an argument.
What is Hyperbole
200
The association or moods that accompany a word.
What is connotation
200
Describes the author's attitude towards his material, the audience, or both.
What is Tone
200
The deliberate omission of conjunctions from a series of related independent clauses.
What is an Asyndeton
200
A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics.
What is Caricature
200
An argument using an inappropriate metaphor.
What is False Analogy
300
An argument stating that something is true because it has never been proven false.
What is an Argument From Ignorance
300
A play on words.
What is Pun
300
A minor device in which two or more elements in a sentence are tied together by the same verb or noun.
What is Zeugma
300
The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.
What is Colloquialism
300
A major figure of speech in rhetorical analysis that seeks to create a mental discontinuity, which then forces the reader to pause and seek clarity.
What is Paradox
400
A person or character is introduced with language that suggests that he is not at all reliable before the listener/reader knows anything about him.
What is Poisoning the Well
400
Making one idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite.
What is Juxtaposition
400
A pattern of language that creates a rhythm of repetition often combined with some other language of repetition.
What is Parallel Syntax or Parallelism
400
An argument that distracts the reader by raising issues irrelevant to the case.
What is Red Herring
400
Also known as an either/or fallacy. The suggestion is made in the argument that the problem or debate only has two solutions.
What is False Dilemma
500
This is an attack on the person rather than the issues at hand--common fallacy, especially during an election year.
What is Ad Hominem
500
A wonderful form of word play in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds familiar.
What is Malapropism
500
The last word of the clause begins the next clause, creating a connection of ideas important to the author's purpose in some way.
What is Anadiplosis
500
This occurs when a person engaging in an argument defines his opponent's position when the opponent is not present and defines it in a manner that is easy to attack.
What is Straw Man
500
A brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth.