rhetorical terms :(

pedantic def

is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details

pedantic purpose

people show off their knowledge by correcting small errors that do not matter in the grand scheme of things. They often use big words in situations where they are not appropriate.

pedantic example

Asking a person a simple question that requires a short answer and the person turns it into a 20-minute rant about the question

periodic sentence def

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone

periodic sentence purpose

to add emphasis and structural variety

periodic sentence example

Because everyone was quite slow I relaxed after finishing my work

personification def

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.

personification purpose

used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.

personification ex

The sun smiled down on us

point of view def

The perspective from which the story is told

point of view first person

I, me, my, mine, our, ours, myself, we, ourself

point of view second person

Narrator as you, your, yours, yourself, the reader is the main character

point of view third person

relates to the events with pronouns, he, she, her, him, they, them, herself, hers, himself, his, themselves, their, theirs

point of view purpose

he writer uses point of view to determine who is telling the narrative to whom

point of view first person example

I woke up to the sound of rain tapping on the window, I knew I would be sleeping in.

point of view second person example

You've come to this coffee shop so often, the barista knows you

point of view third person example

john walked down the street unaware that his friend waited for him at a coffee show with bad news. The crow watched from a tree above.

paradox def

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

paradox purpose

Used as a method to get the reader to think for themselves or change their perspective on a subject.

paradox example

The more you fail, the more likely you are to succeed

predicate adjectives def

adjectives that modify or describe the subject of a sentence or clause and are linked to the subject by a linking verb.

predicate adjective purpose

to modify the subject by adding a description to it

predicate adjective ex

The sky seems wonderful

parallelism def

-The grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.

-act as an organizing force to attract the reader’s attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.

parallelism purpose

Makes writing more dynamic, compulsive, and comprehensible, connected related ideas to emphasize a relationship

parallelism example

Julius Caesar’s “I came, I saw, I conquered,”

predicate nominative def

A second type of subject complement - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject, the meaning of the sentences stays the same when something is changed

predicate nominative purpose

renames the subject of the sentence which this diction is defined to be the noun or pronoun that comes after the linking verb in a sentence.

predicate nominative ex

The man running away is a thief

prose definition

refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms because they are written in ordinary language and most closely resemble ordinary speech. Technically, anything that isn’t poetry or drama is this term

prose purpose

writers often borrow poetic and dramatic elements

prose ex

Ella read her article and drank her coffee

parody def

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule

parody purpose

takes a piece of creative work–such as art, literature, or film–and imitates it in an exaggerated, comedic fashion

parody ex

In the movie “Spaceballs” is a ______ of “Star Wars”

repetition def

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

repetition purpose

To emphasize an idea or link two ideas together as well as allow the reader comfort with something familiar

repetition ex

James sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed