Key Terms
Genre
A type of composition defined by shared features and purpose.
Rhetoric
Using language to persuade. Dates back to ancient Greece — Aristotle's "On Rhetoric" covered audience, organization, and
Ethos
Appeal to ethics and credibility. Establishes why the audience should trust you.
Logos
Appeal to logic. Relies on sound reasoning, facts, and statistics.
Pathos
Appeal to emotion. Uses vivid language, personal anecdotes, and emotional triggers — fear, sympathy, guilt, sorrow, ange
Demography
Statistical study of human populations. Epistrophe: repetition at the end of successive phrases.
Captive audience
People attending because of obligation, not choice. Requires more work to build common ground.
Culture
Shared values, customs, and traits of a group. Influences how your words are received in real time.
Signposts
Statements that guide the audience through the presentation. Three types:
Reverse-engineering
Write the conclusion first to know where you're going, then build the script to get there.
Tone
The writer or speaker's attitude as expressed through language, word choice, and delivery.
Repetition
Repeating a word, phrase, or sound for emphasis. Example — Chief Joseph's surrender speech repeats "dead" and "cold" to
Parallelism
Using similar grammatical structures across phrases or clauses. Example — Kennedy's inaugural address: "pay any price, b
Example
"...of the people, by the people, for the people."
Rate
Speed of speech. Vary it — speed up for tension, slow down for emphasis.