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AP Language and Comp Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

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6636010623AllusionA direct or indirect reference to some other work or idea that is commonly known0
6639162698AnadiplosisThe repetition of the LAST word in a sentence with the first (or near the beginning) word in the following sentence1
6636010624AmplificationLike repetition or tautology, it is the expansion of information already given but in complete sentences or phrases/clauses (i.e. "Next we come to the fruit fly--the drosophilia melanogaster, that tiny, insubstantial bug, on whom the foundations of biology have rested for so long.)2
6636013239AnalogyA similarity or comparison between two different things using a more commonly known relationship example3
6636086104AnaphoraA sub-type of parallelism with the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive sentences or phrases4
6636086105AntithesisThe opposition or contrast in ideas; the direct opposite5
6636090662ApostropheA figure of speech which directly addresses something or someone who cannot answer back6
6636090663AsyndetonThe deliberate omission of a conjunction from a list7
6636094498ChiasmusTakes a pair of elements and lists them, reversing the order the second time. (i.e.--"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country)8
6636099724ConduplicatioThe repetition of a word from anywhere in a preceding sentence with the first (or near the beginning) word in the following sentence9
6636204176DistinctioA rhetorical form in which the writer elaborates on the definition of the word to make sure that there is no misunderstanding (i.e.-"At this point, we have a short time left--a short time being less than fifty years."10
6636265991AllegoryUsing a character or a story element as a symbol for something such as "hope" or "liberty"11
6636300635AphorismA proverb-like statement that expresses a truth or moral principle12
6636304992Colloquial(ism)The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing13
6636306632ConnotationThe non-literal, associative meaning of a word (i.e.-"babe" as an attractive person--that would be a POSITIVE connotation btw; whereas "dick" has a negative connotation compared to it's neutral denotation)14
6636306633DenotationThe strict, literal dictionary definition of a word15
6636306634DictionThe writer's strong, specific word choice16
6636311213EnumeratioThe act of supplying a list of details about something (i.e.--I went to the mall, the park, the river, the salon, and, finally, home."17
6636311214EpistropheThe repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences18
6636313638EuphemismFrom the greek word "good speech;" more agreeable words for distasteful things (i.e.--waste vs. poop)19
6636317411Extended MetaphorA metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work20
6636317412EpithetAttaching a descriptive and unusual adjective to a noun for the desired effect, usually dramatic (i.e.--The REDEMPTIVE clouds hovered close to a PARCHED horizon)21
6636322021EponymSimilar to an allusion, it links a specific famous person and his/her attributes with something/someone else (i.e.--He is the Chuck Norris of rhetorical analysis!)22
6639067770Figure of SpeechA frequently used saying or idiom that describes a common occurrence or feeling (i.e--"heartbroken" or "on the fritz")23
6639070811GenreThe major category in which a literary work fits: Prose, poetry, and drama.24
6639072992HyperbatonArranging the words in a sentence in an unexpected order--usually listing a noun's adjective after (instead of before) the noun itself. (i.e.--The forest burned with a fire unquenchable.)25
6639072993HyperboleA figure of speech that uses deliberate exaggeration or overstatement (i.e--I could eat a horse!)26
6639074813HypophoraAsking a question, then proceeding to answer it27
6639079736InvectiveAn emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.28
6639079737IronyThe contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant OR what is thought to happen doesn't actually happen29
6639083756LitoteUsing a double-negative statement to express a positive (i.e.--not a bad idea=it's a good idea)30
6639086241MetonymyMeans "changed label" or "substitute name" in Greek; using a common name or figure of speech in place of the person/item's actual name (i.e.--"The White House states" in place of "The President states")31
6639089916NarrativeA form of story-telling or retelling of events32
6639089917MetabasisSumming up a body of work before moving on to a new point (i.e.--"I have discussed cars and factories, and how these relate to global warming, but we have still to look at long-term atmospheric trends.")33
6639092563ParadoxA statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but actually has some validity (i.e.--"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times")34
6639092564ParallelismThe grammatical framing of words or sentences to give structural similarity35
6639094069ParataxisThe listing of a series of clauses (verb phrases) without conjunctions; very similar to asyndeton, but deals in clauses, not just words (i.e.- "I came, I saw, I conquered."36
6639096134ParodyA work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule (i.e.-Weird Al Yankovic's works)37
6639104579PolysyndetonUsing a conjunction unnecessarily and repetitively for emphasis38
6639118310Rhetorical QuestionAsking a question that you do not intend to answer because the answer is so obvious.39
6639121538SatireA work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule (Swift's "A Modest Proposal"40
6639131163SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole. (i.e.--a boat being called a sail)41
6639133826SynesthesiaWhen one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the experience of another. (i.e--hearing a mosquito makes you itchy)42
6639133827SyntaxThe order in which words or phrases are joined together to form a sentence. (i.e.--Subject, Verb Object, etc...)43
6639138054UnderstatementThe opposite of hyperbole; the ironic minimalizing of fact.44
6639141156ZeugmaUsing both the denotative/literal and connotative/metaphorical meaning of a word in the same sentence (i.e.--"She opened both her door and her heart to the orphans.")45
6642499897TricolonA series of three coordinate items in a list (a type of parallelism)46
6642501322TetracolonA series of four coordinate items in a list (a type of parallelism)47
6642501323TautologyThe repetition of an idea by listing synonyms of that idea (i.e.--"It is all together FITTING and PROPER that we should do this)48
6642506048OxymoronPlacing two words that are normally contradictory side by side49

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