The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses and sentences (sentence structure).
What is Syntax?
100
A work that targets human vices for reform or ridicule.
What is Satire?
100
Framing words or sentences to give structural similarity.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness."
What is Parallelism?
100
This fallacy is a misrepresentation of what was originally said. (The audience is either ignorant or ill-informed.)
Person A: Sunny days are good.
Person B: He doesn't like rain. Without rain we would have famine and starve. He wants you to die!
What is a Strawman fallacy?
200
An appeal to the credibility of the speaker or subject.
What is Ethos (Ethics)?
200
The words an author or speaker chooses to use to express him or herself.
What is Diction?
200
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with comic intent.
What is Parody?
200
Describes words, phrases, or tone that is overly-scholarly or academic. Using showy language.
What is Pedantic?
200
This fantasy involves a false choice, and your choices are limited. There is no middle ground, you must choose one or the other.
What is Black or White fallacy?
300
A fallacy that is limited or flawed because it is made up on the spot. Literally "for this purpose."
What is Ad Hoc fallacy?
300
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. Literally, "to come before."
What is an Antecedent?
300
A play on words or joke that uses different meanings or pronounciations of a word.
Example: See Mr. Betz.
(The man who lost his left side, but was okay because he's "all right.")
What is a Pun?
300
The duplication of a sound word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.
What is Repetition?
400
To attack your opponent rather than the argument in question.
What is Ad Hominem fallacy?
400
A clause that contains a subject and a verb, but cannot stand on its own.
What is a Subordinate Clause?
400
Verbal irony, usually scornful or insulting, where the opposite meaning is intended from what is said.
What is Sarcasm?
400
To draw a reasonable conclusion from the evidence presented.
What is an Inference?
500
A logical fallacy in which previously agreed upon standards for deciding an argument are arbitrarily changed once they have been met.
What is Moving the Goalposts fallacy?
500
When on kind of sensory stimulation evokes another. Examples: That juice tastes red.
Seeing ants makes you feel itchy.
What is Synesthesia?
500
Intentionally amusing language that surprises and delights.
(Example: John Green and Mental Floss)
What is Wit?
500
A figure of speech where the speaker uses deliberately contradictory words.
Heavy lightness. Jumbo shrimp. Well-formed chaos.