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AP English Language Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
4365944879Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
4365944880AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
4365944881AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
4365944882AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
4365944883AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
4365944884AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
4365944885AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
4365944886AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
4365944887AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
4365944888ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
4365944889AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
4365944890AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
4365944891AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
4365944892AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
4365944893AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
4365944894ContrastOppositions15
4365944895Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
4365944896ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
4365944897Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
4365944898DictionAn author's choice of words19
4365944899DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
4365944900ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
4365944901EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
4365944902EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
4365944903EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
4365944904ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
4365944905Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
4365944906ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
4365944907HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
4365944908ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
4365944909Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
4365944910IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
4365944911JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
4365944912LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
4365944913MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
4365944914MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
4365944915MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
4365944916OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
4365944917OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
4365944918ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
4365944919ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
4365944920ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
4365944921PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
4365944922Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
4365944923PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
4365944924PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
4365944925Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
4365944926PunA play on words47
4365944927RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
4365944928RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
4365944929Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
4365944930Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
4365944931Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
4365944932SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
4365944933Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
4365944934SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
4365944935SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
4365944936SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
4365944937SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
4365944938SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
4365944939SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
4365944940TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
4365944941ThemeThe central idea62
4365944942ToneAttitude63
4365944943UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
4365944944ZeugmaWhen a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them65

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