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What rhetorical strategy is used in the following sentence:

I suppose we could go listen to her speech. No doubt some people think she is an expert.

User Pronskiy
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Final answer:

The sentence employs understatement and anticipates counterargument as rhetorical strategies to engage with the rhetorical situation and challenge expectations, aimed to persuade the audience by addressing potential disagreements.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rhetorical strategy used in the sentence “I suppose we could go listen to her speech. No doubt some people think she is an expert” appears to employ a combination of understatement and anticipation of counterargument.

The phrase “I suppose we could” signals a lack of enthusiasm, while “No doubt some people think she is an expert” anticipates that there are those who trust the speaker's expertise, thus acknowledging a view different from the speaker’s own possibly skeptical stance. This can be seen as an effort to engage with the rhetorical situation by addressing potential disagreements preemptively.

Such rhetorical strategies like these are aimed to persuade the audience by not only presenting an argument but also by foreseeing and reacting to opposing views. By doing so, the writer or speaker challenges conventional expectations in rhetorically effective ways, which can either strengthen their position or allow room for dialogue and contemplation.

User Jonas Lincoln
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