The Root Rangers
If the Latin root vovēre means "to vow," this word describes a person’s deep commitment or loyalty to a cause.
What is Devotion?
Authors use this "A-word" to reference famous stories like Adam and Eve to show that their message has historical or spiritual power.
What is an Allusion?
When an author presents a "Central Idea," they don't just state it once; they do this to it throughout the text using different examples and evidence.
What is develop it?
This term describes a speaker’s "Ethos." It is the reason an audience should trust them, often built by sharing their personal experiences or hardships.
What is credibility?
This 9-letter word comes from the Latin root for "to understand." It refers to your mental capacity to reason rather than just your feelings.
What is Intellect?
This rhetorical device gives human traits to non-human things, like saying "the stars witnessed her bravery" to show that her work was done in secret.
What is Personification?
This type of appeal uses "Logos" or logic. An example is listing all the hard labor you can do to prove you deserve equal rights.
What is a Logical Appeal?
When an author uses "Pathos," they are trying to trigger this in their audience to make them care about a cause.
What are emotions (or feelings)?
If an author says they are "in a fix," they aren't looking for a screwdriver. Based on common 19th-century context, they are in this kind of situation.
What is a difficult or troublesome situation?
When an author uses "Antithesis," they are doing this to two ideas (like "public vs. private" or "day vs. night").
What is contrasting them (showing how they are opposite)?
To "track the development" of an argument, you should look for how an author moves from specific personal examples to this.
What is a broader conclusion or universal claim?
This rhetorical move involves placing two strongly contrasting images or ideas side-by-side—such as "Day" vs. "Night" or "Public" vs. "Private"—to highlight the unique sacrifice of a person's work.
What is Antithesis?
This word is the past tense of "work." If a historical figure says they "wrought" a change, it means they did this.
What is labored or worked?
A speaker might address their audience as "children." Even if the audience is adults, this choice of words establishes this kind of tone or relationship.
What is a familiar, protective, or informal tone?
If a critic says an argument is "unsupported," the author could improve it by adding these two things (one starts with "E" and one with "F").
What are Expert opinions and Facts (or evidence/data)?
If an author claims that a woman "turned the world upside down," they are using this "H-word" to describe an extreme exaggeration used for emphasis.
What is hyperbole?
Explain the difference between the denotation and connotation of a word like "racket" when used in a speech about social change.
Denotation is a loud noise; Connotation is a social disturbance or heated public debate.
If an author mentions a "House of Bondage," they are using this literary device to symbolize the system of slavery.
What is a Metaphor (or Symbolism)?
When a speaker asks, "Am I not a human being?" they aren't looking for a "yes." They are using this specific type of question to make the answer feel obvious.
What is a Rhetorical Question?
Explain how a "Rhetorical Question" supports a logical appeal (Logos).
It forces the audience to acknowledge a fact that is so obvious it doesn't need an answer, making the author's argument feel like "common sense." (It allows the audience to THINK about the question and how it connects to the argument.)