What the speaker/author wants to achieve with the text. What they want the audience/reader to think, believe, or do after having read their text. This is the main reason for creating the text.

The character or emotions of a speaker that are expressed in an attempt to persuade an audience.

The appeal to morality and ethics that a speaker makes in order to persuade an audience.

The persuasive appeal to the audience’s logic and rationality, often using data, numbers, statistics, and reasoning to convince the audience intellectually.

The appeal to the emotions of an audience by creating an emotional response and connection to the argument made by the speaker.

The use of words in a way that deviates from conventional or literal meaning. This type of language helps make an argument more meaningful, colorful, evocative, and stylistic.

Any message or argument that is communicated by a speaker/author. This could include any visual, verbal, or auditory message (i.e. essays, articles, books, speeches, advertisements, commercials, movies, TV shows, podcasts, art, etc.)

A main point that the author is making. What the text is mostly about. The thesis of the text: One sentence that states what the article is about.

There are 2 of these: (1) Ethos-Pathos-Logos; (2) The Rhetorical Situation and elements of an argument: Speaker, Audience, Message, Purpose, Context

The recipients of an argument, either as readers, viewers, or listeners.

Often, this term applies moreso to the intended recipients of an argument, or, the specific group(s) of people that a speaker wishes to target their message.

The creator of a message; the producer of an argument; the composer of a written or spoken text.

The circumstances (like time, place, and occasion) that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea in a way that it can be fully understood and assessed.

What a speaker/author uses to support their claims. OR

What a student uses to support their arguments and/or analysis of texts.

An assertion made by a speaker or author that must be proven. An argument.

The assertion that is in opposition to the speaker’s claim. This is the claim that the speaker must argue against.

A highly structured four-sentence paragraph that summarizes the content of and analyzes the delivery of an argument.

The stylistic choice of words and phrases in speech or writing. The characteristic of these choices of words and phrases.

When a speaker uses a repetitive structure of words or phrases within a sentence or a group of sentences. By making each compared item or idea in a sentence follow the same grammatical pattern, a parallel construction is created.

The rhetorical technique of stating something again or slightly differently, especially more clearly or convincingly.

The rhetorical technique of using an indirect or passing expression or reference to call something from history or literature to mind without mentioning it explicitly.

The rhetorical technique of repeating something that has already been said or written in order to bring attention and emphasis to an idea.