Transcript Rhetoric Key Terms

July 4, 1776
Key Terms

 Cumulative/Loose Sentence
 is a long sentence that has the main point at the beginning
 is effective because the main idea is followed by supporting
information
 is the opposite of a periodic sentence
Examples:
Aruba is a vacationer’s paradise with its pristine beaches, sundrenched days, and glorious breathtaking sunsets.
The hotel has greatly expanded its customer base through the
addition of a fitness spa, extensive advertising, and weekend
specials.

 Periodic Sentence
 is a long sentence that has the main point at the end is
not typically used, but this type of sentence can be
dramatic or even persuasive
 is particularly useful when the audience already has a
strong opinion before reading the sentence, and in this
case, the speaker or the writer is able to present their
argument first
 is the opposite of a loose sentence
Example:
If the class sizes were smaller, the teachers were better,
and the degree was nationally recognized, I would be
willing to pay more tuition at this college.

 Antecedent
 An antecedent is the word or group of words to which a
pronoun refers. One way to look at this is: A pronoun is a
form of shorthand that we use instead of repeating a certain
word or group of words; the word or phrase that the
pronoun replaces is a duplicate of the word or phrase that is
the pronoun's antecedent.
Example: Our company makes commitments, and our
company follows through on commitments" as "Our
company makes commitments, and it follows through on
them."
The pronouns it and them represent, respectively, company and
commitments. The antecedent of it is company, and the
antecedent of them is commitments.

 Tone
 A writer's attitude toward subject, audience, and self.
Tone is primarily conveyed through diction, point of
view, syntax, and level of formality.
 Diction
 Style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice
of words.

 First-person
 The use of I, me, we and other first-person pronouns to
relate the thoughts, experiences, and observations of a
narrator in a work of fiction (a short story or novel) or
nonfiction (an essay, memoir, or autobiography).
 Third-person
 The use of third-person pronouns such as he, she, and
they to relate events in a work of fiction or nonfiction.

 Parallel syntax
 Is the repetition of words, phrases, and clauses used in
a concise manner to emphasize a point.
 Transition
 The connection (a word, phrase, clause, sentence, or
entire paragraph) between two parts of a piece of
writing, contributing to cohesion.

 Passive Voice
 the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject
of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the
action denoted by the verb
 Connotation
 is the feeling or association that a word or phrase
evokes in addition to its literal meaning.
ETHOS, PATHOS,
LOGOS

 The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are
valid, or more valid than someone else's. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided
the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories--Ethos, Pathos, Logos.
 Ethos (Greek for 'character') refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer
or speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and
through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. It can also be affected
by the writer's reputation as it exists independently from the message--his or her
expertise in the field, his or her previous record or integrity, and so forth. The impact
of ethos is often called the argument's 'ethical appeal' or the 'appeal from credibility.
 Pathos(Greek for 'suffering' or 'experience') is often associated with emotional
appeal. But a better equivalent might be 'appeal to the audience's sympathies and
imagination.' An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond
emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view--to feel what the writer
feels. In this sense, pathos evokes a meaning implicit in the verb 'to suffer'--to feel
pain imaginatively.... The values, beliefs, and understandings of the writer are
implicit in the story and conveyed imaginatively to the reader. Pathos thus refers to
both the emotional and the imaginative impact of the message on an audience, the
power with which the writer's message moves the audience to decision or action.
 Logos (Greek for 'word') refers to the internal consistency of the message--the clarity
of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence.
The impact of logos on an audience is sometimes called the argument's logical
appeal.
Basically…

 Ethos (Credibility): the source's credibility, the
speaker's/author's authority
 Pathos (Emotional): the emotional or motivational
appeals; vivid language, emotional language and
numerous sensory details.
 Logos (Logical): the logic used to support a claim
(induction and deduction); can also be the facts and
statistics used to help support the argument.

 Parallel construction, also called parallelism, shows that
two or more ideas are equally important by stating them
in grammatically parallel form: noun lined up with noun,
verb with verb, phrase with phrase. Paral- lelism can lend
clarity, elegance, and symmetry to what you say:
 I came;
I saw;
I conquered.
—Julius Caesar
 Using three simple verbs to list the things he did, Caesar
makes coming, seeing, and conquering all equal in
importance. He also implies that for him, conquering was
as easy as coming and seeing.

 Deductive Reasoning, also called deductive logic, is the process of reasoning from
one or more general statements regarding what is known to reach a logically certain
conclusion. Deductive reasoning involves using given true premises to reach a
conclusion that is also true. Deductive reasoning contrasts with inductive reasoning
in that a specific conclusion is arrived at from a general principle. If the rules and
logic of deduction are followed, this procedure ensures an accurate conclusion.

An example of a deductive argument:
All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
 The first premise states that all objects classified as "men" have the attribute "mortal".
The second premise states that "Socrates" is classified as a "man" – a member of the
set "men". The conclusion then states that "Socrates" must be "mortal" because he
inherits this attribute from his classification as a "man".
 Deductive reasoning (also known as logical deduction) links premises with
conclusions. If both premises are true, the terms are clear and the rules of deductive
logic are followed, then the conclusion of the argument follows by logical necessity.

 Syllogism (Logic)
 an argument the conclusion of which is supported by
two premises, of which one (major premise) contains
the term (major term) that is the predicate of the
conclusion, and the other (minor premise) contains
the term (minor term) that is the subject of the
conclusion; common to both premises is a term
(middle term) that is excluded from the conclusion. A
typical form is “All A is C; all B is A; therefore all B is
C.”