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What Are the Primary Tenets of Rhetoric?

Rhetoric is the art, study and practice of using spoken language in a persuasive manner. Rhetoric has been practiced since the times of ancient Greece and is still popular as a discipline today. While rhetoric involves many important skills, some of the most important concepts are diction and syntax, figurative language, rhetorical questions and tone and attitude.
  1. Diction and Syntax

    • Diction and syntax are the foundations of rhetoric. Diction refers to the specific words used when speaking. Syntax refers to the way those words are ordered in a sentence. Diction and syntax work together to create a message to deliver to an audience, and all other tenets of rhetoric are built off diction and syntax.

    Figurative Language

    • Figurative language refers to the practice of describing something by comparing it to something else. Common techniques used in figurative language include similes, metaphors and personification. Figurative language helps an audience identify with your words by connecting those words to their own past experiences and perceptions. This technique is an important skill in rhetoric.

    Rhetorical Questions

    • Rhetorical questions, as the name suggests, are commonly used in the art of rhetoric. A rhetorical question is not meant to be answered. Rather, it is used to provoke thought. For example, a rhetorical question in a speech about war might ask "What is to be gained from armed conflict?" The speaker isn't expecting an answer but is trying to make the audience consider the costs and benefits of warfare.

    Tone and Attitude

    • The tone and attitude of a speech can refer both to the choice of words as well as the body language, facial expressions, voice inflections and other nonverbal communication used by the speaker. Because rhetoric involves much more than simply putting words down on paper, nonverbal communication is an extremely important aspect of this art.

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