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AP Language and Composition - Summer Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

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6624804346rhetoricthe art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.0
6624833327logosa literary device that can be defined as a statement, sentence or argument used to convince or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason or logic1
6624842574pathosa method of convincing people with an argument drawn out through an emotional response.2
6624852141ethosrepresents credibility or an ethical appeal which involves persuasion by the character involved; it convinces others of the credibility of the persuader3
6624879865dictionthe choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing4
6624881857syntaxthe arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed, intentional sentences in a language5
6624898471tonean attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience; is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject6
6624932355connotationa meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly, usually through cultural and emotional associations7
6624980326inversiona literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis8
6624995580imageryto use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses9
6625077082denotationliteral or dictionary meanings of a word10
6625079457parallelismthe use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter11
6625079458anaphorathe deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic or rhetorical effect12
6625082653paradoxIt is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth13
6625082654antithesisa rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect14
6625086019juxtapositiona literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a speech, narrative, or a poem15
6625088230deductive reasoninginvolves generalization at the initial stage and then moves on towards the specific case16
6625088231inductive reasoninga statement that is derived using facts and instances which lead to the formation of a general opinion17
6625090722allusiona word or phrase designed to call something to mind, without mentioning that thing explicitly18
6625090723analogya comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it19
6625214092allusion - example"So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay."20
6625219384antithesis - example"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness"21
6625256490paradox - example"I must be cruel to be kind."22
6625260941parallelism - exampleWhether in class, at work or at home, Shasta was always busy23
6625287776anaphora - example"O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?"24
6625296190imagery - example"Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft, And gathering swallows twitter in the skies."25
6625312986juxtaposition - example"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;"26
6625387469inversion - example"In love let's so persevere."27
6625396040ethos - example"John is a forensics and ballistics expert working for the federal government for many years - if anyone's qualified to determine the murder weapon, it's him."28
6625414374pathos - example"He had meant the best in the world, and been treated like a dog—like a very dog. She would be sorry someday—maybe when it was too late. Ah, if he could only die TEMPORARILY!"29
6625416985logos - exampleAll men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.30

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