Explanation:
Abstract diction: (compare to concrete diction) Abstract diction refers to words that describe concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places.) These words do not appeal imaginatively to the reader's senses. Abstract words create no "mental picture" or any other imagined sensations for readers. Abstract words include: Love, Hate, Feelings, Emotions, Temptation, Peace, Seclusion, Alienation, Politics, Rights, Freedom, Intelligence, Attitudes, Progress, Guilt, etc. Try to create a mental picture of "love." Do you picture a couple holding hands, a child hugging a mother, roses and valentines? These are not "love." Instead, they are concrete objects you associate with love. Because it is an abstraction, the word "love" itself does not imaginatively appeal to the reader's senses.
"Ralph and Jane have experienced difficulties in their lives, and both have developed bad attitudes because of these difficulties. They have now set goals to surmount these problems, although the unfortunate consequences of their experiences are still apparent in many everyday situations."
2. Absolutes: an adverbial clause that has a nonfinite verb or no verb at all (the clause is missing “was” or
“were” or it is replaced by a verbal, making it dependent).
The prisoners marched past, their hands above their heads. (The prisoners marched past. Their hands were above their
heads.)
The work having been finished, the gardener came to ask for payment. (The work was finished. The gardener came to ask
for payment.)
“But I knew her sick from the disease that would not go, her legs bunched under the yellow sheets, the bones gone limp as
worms.”—Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
“We pretended with our heads thrown back, our arms limp and useless, dangling like the dead.”—Sandra Cisneros, The
House on Mango Street
3. Academic diction: use of scholarly words or terms, e.g. “Kennedy employs many rhetorical strategies in his
speech, namely chiasmus, parallelism, allusion, and pathos.”
4. Active voice: (compare to passive voice) In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts.
Active: The dog bit the boy.
Passive: The boy was bitten by the dog.
5. Ad hominem fallacy: a fallacy of logic in which a person’s character or motive (Latin, literally “argument to
the man”) is attacked instead of that person’s argument. In the political arena, this is called “mudslinging.” “Jack is wrong when he says there is no God because he is a convicted felon."
“I disliked going to see Dr. Hopper. In fact, I probably dislike Dr. Hopper. He has a sharp nose that points downward,
seeming always to be calling attention to his shoes. He is a hard-faced man who makes much of small things.”—
Anne F. Rosner
“Let me say, incidentally, my opponent, my opposite number for the vice-presidency on the democratic ticket, does have
his wife on the payroll, and has had her on the payroll for the last ten years.”—Richard Nixon
6. Ad populum fallacy: popular appeal, or appeal to the majority. The fallacy of attempting to win popular assent to a conclusion by arousing the feeling and enthusiasms of the multitude. The two main forms of this appeal are “snob appeal” and “bandwagon.”
7. Adjective: a part of speech that can modify a noun and usually can itself be modified by very; for example, (very) wise, (very) careful. The stupid girl fell for the abusive criminal. When asked to address the author’s use of diction, look for any unusual adjectives used or any common adjectives used in uncommon ways.
“The moth’s enormous wings are velveted in a rich, warm brown, and edged in bands of blue and pink delicate as a watercolor wash.”— Annie Dillard
“She is sitting on the stoop of a rickety, wooden, one-family house in Birmingham.”—MLK, Jr.
Rhetoric Terms Page 1
8. Adjective phrase: see phrase
9. Adverb: a part of speech usually ending in –ly that is used chiefly as a modifier of an adjective (She is extremely pale.), a modifier of another adverb (The storm came very suddenly.), or as an adverbial (I visit my family frequently).
10. Adverb phrase: see phrase
11. Adverbial: a sentence element used to convey a range of information about the situation depicted in the basic sentence structure (how, when, where, to what extent, or under what conditions).
Vietnamese veterans were demonstrating noisily outside the White House. (both “noisily” and “outside the White House” are adverbials.
I entirely agree.
Unfortunately, no cure exists.
A reliable witness has testified tat they were in Denver on the day they claimed to be in Houston. They are therefore lying. For all its weaknesses the Continental Congress had won the war against one of the world’s mightiest powers.
Jade is plentiful in this area.
A few days ago a new mayor was elected in New York.
I found this on The web UwU
