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Fri 24 Jul, 2015 11:20 am
Is the phrase "if you ask me" rhetorical?
example:
Person A: Obama is a bad president
Person B: If you ask me, he's done a great job so far
Is the above "if you ask me" rhetorical or if not can it be used rhetorically in another way?
Please help
thanks
@Stevenn,
Steve that's a perfectly reasonable q, one I hope fellas like FBM, Rag, Blue, Mac, and Tutor might address better than I
http://onelook.com/?w=rhetorical&ls=a&loc=home_ac_rhetorical
Yes, it is a rhetorical locution.
Surely a rhetorical question (such as "How could I be so stupid?") is one that's asked merely for effect with no answer expected? The answer may be obvious or immediately provided by the questioner. I don't see a rhetorical question the sentence provided. Example:
Is Obama is a bad president? He's done a great job so far.
Rhetoric is practice of written or spoken communication. Not all rhetorical locutions are questions. That was a rhetorical statement--"If you ask me . . ."--the first speaker did not ask the second speaker, and i'd say it is a safe bet that the second speaker doesn't really care.