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Grammar
Rhetorical Modes
Figurative Language
Rhetorical Devices
Rhetorical Fallacies
100
One of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb.
What is the "predicate?"
100
Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant. —Horace Consider this quotation about adversity from the Roman poet Horace. Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies Horace’s assertion about the role that adversity (financial or political hardship, danger, misfortune, etc.) plays in developing a person’s character. Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation, or experience.
What is "example?"
100
"Her eyes were pools of liquid light."
What is a "metaphor?"
100
Can poverty ever be eradicated?
What is a "Rhetorical Question?"
100
"Of course that writer supports gun control; she is a Democrat!"
What is an "ad hominem argument?"
200
A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units, such as prases and clauses.
What is "Loose sentence?"
200
This rhetorical mode divides up information into groups according to certain characteristics.
What is "classification?"
200
The presence of two or more possible meanings in any passage.
What is "Ambiguity?"
200
"Lampooned figures in the past . . . were, from time to time, enveloped in crises every bit as damaging as those that confront Mr Brown. But never were they subjected to such woundingly __________ attacks." (M. Linklater, "The Age of Personal Vitriolic Abuse," The Times, May 16, 2008)
What is "ad hominem?"
200
This is a statement that does not relate logically to what comes before it.
What is "a non sequitur?"
300
Words, phrases, and clauses that make one element of a sentence dependent on another. Contrast with coordination.
What is "subordination?"
300
This rhetorical mode is used by writers when they want to explain how to do something or how something was done.
What is "process analysis?"
300
Pre-owned for used or second-hand; enhanced interrogation for torture; wind for belch or fart; convenience fee for surcharge.
What is a "euphemism?"
300
"That’ll cost you an arm and a leg."
What is a "Cliché?"
300
"Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan are banging at the doors, and the political establishment, consisting of both politicians and the media, seems determined not to let them in on the grounds that they have no public support. This is a __________ argument; one of the reasons they have so little support is that they are generally ignored by the press and will most likely be barred from the presidential debates, which require a base support of 15 percent of the electorate." (Lars-Erik Nelson, "Party Going." The New York Review of Books, Aug. 10, 2000)
What is "Begging the Question."
400
A long and frequently involved sentence, marked by suspended syntax, in which the sense is not completed until the final word--usually with an emphatic climax.
What is a "periodic sentence?"
400
This rhetorical mode explains why things should be or should have been done. It explains the processes responsible for the process.
What is "cause and effect?"
400
"You have a lot of work to do, so I'll lend you a hand."
What is a "synechdoche?"
400
[Said to a mean boss]: “You’ve been so kind to me.”
What is "Irony?"
400
"Some environmentalists argue that the interests of nonhuman species should be given consideration in decisions about economic development. Every time there is an advance in industry, some animals may be harmed. But if we halt all economic growth and technological development, human beings will be forced to have far greater impacts on the environment that otherwise."
What is "strawman fallacy?" Clearly "halting all development" implies something quite different than does "given consideration."
500
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
What is an "antecedent?"
500
This rhetorical mode helps to make expository or argumentative writing lively and interesting and hold the reader's interest. It is typically used to communicate a scene, a specific place, or a person to the reader.
What is "description?"
500
"We talked with each other about each other Though neither of us spoke —" (Emily Dickinson)
What is "paradox?"
500
"Never let a fool kiss you--or a kiss fool you." (anonymous)
What is "chiasmus?"
500
This is shifting the attention away from an important issue by introducing an issue that has no logical connection to the discussion at hand.
What is a "red herring?"