Vocabulary
Persuasive Language
rhetoric · ethos · pathos · logos · assertion · refutation
Rhetoric
language designed to persuade, often using elaborate or impressive techniques
Ethos
an appeal to authority, credibility, or the speaker's character
Pathos
an appeal to the audience's emotions
Logos
an appeal to reason or logic using facts and evidence
Examples
His speech was praised for its powerful rhetoric.
Citing research credentials is a classic use of ethos.
Assertion
a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief
Refutation
the action of proving an argument or theory wrong
Anaphora
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Parallelism
using the same grammatical structure in successive clauses for emphasis
Examples
The opening assertion of the essay sets out the central argument.
The second paragraph offers a thorough refutation of the opposing view.
Hedging
using cautious language to soften or qualify a claim
Polemic
a strong written or spoken attack on a particular opinion or practice
Examples
"This may suggest..." uses hedging to avoid overstatement.
The pamphlet was a fierce polemic against corporate greed.
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