Rhetorical Précis

A. Groza

Rhetorical strategy/device – a particular way in which writers craft language so as to have an effect on readers. Strategies are means of persuasion, ways of using language to get readers’ attention and agreement.

Some examples of strategies

Making an allusion – referring to something real or fictional;

Making an aside – interrupting a text to add a somewhat related

Structure – in several parts/sections; two contrasting sections - problem solution model, past/present; one or multiple points of view;

Framing the issue – placing it in a historical/present context; integrating it in a bigger debate, etc.;

Opening with a (touching) story and then reflecting upon it;

Defining or redefining terms;

Asking rhetorical questions;

Using dialogue; repetition;

Counterpoint – presenting contrasting ideas;

Inserting logos through explanations, example, expert opinions, etc. to invite readers to draw logical conclusions, themselves;

Using a claim/data model;

Establishing credibility (ethos);

Appealing to emotions (pathos) to make readers/listeners feel for the issue;

Refuting a counter-argument;

Calling for an action;

Using language about language/metadiscourse to announce the overall project or to guide the reader to what will come next;

Adding emphasis to certain aspects/sections/ideas/etc.;

Making specific language choices;

Using parallelism – identical or equivalent constructions in corresponding clauses;

Clarifying misconceptions;

Making predictions about the future;

Expressing irony - a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning, often humoristic;

Describing – using imagery to render a mood, preferably by involving all five senses;

Using comparisons;

Making an analogy – comparing two pairs that have the same relationship;

Using chronological order;

Flashbacks – actions that interrupt to show an event that happened at an earlier time;

Exaggerating or overstating (hyperbole);

Relying on symbolism – using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning;

Revealing a paradox - a kind of truth which at first seems contradictory;

Cost & benefit analysis;

Foreshadowing – using hints to suggest what will happen in literature.

Inserting a Hypothetical Scenario;

Using pictures, graphs, visuals…