120 rhetorical terms for AP Language and Composition.
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| 2572593993 | Abstract | Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places) | 0 | |
| 2572593994 | Ad Hominem | In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. | 1 | |
| 2572593995 | Allegory | The underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric. | 2 | |
| 2572593996 | Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another | 3 | |
| 2572593997 | Allusion | A reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, etc. | 4 | |
| 2572593998 | Analogy | Comparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship, such as comparing the work of a heart to that of a pump. | 5 | |
| 2572593999 | Anaphora | Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. | 6 | |
| 2572594000 | Anecdote | A short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point. | 7 | |
| 2572594001 | Annotation | Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data. | 8 | |
| 2572594002 | Antithesis | The presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. | 9 | |
| 2572594003 | Aphorism | A short, often witty statement of a principle or truth about life. | 10 | |
| 2572594004 | Apostrophe | The device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction. | 11 | |
| 2572594005 | Argumentation | Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments. | 12 | |
| 2572594006 | Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds between different constonants. | 13 | |
| 2572594007 | Asyndeton | Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. Takes the form of X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z. | 14 | |
| 2572594008 | Cacaphony | Harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony. | 15 | |
| 2572594009 | Caricature | Descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates or distorts, for comic effect, a person's physical features or other characteristics. |  | 16 |
| 2572594010 | Colloquialism | A word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y'all, ain't) | 17 | |
| 2572594011 | Coherence | Quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle | 18 | |
| 2572594012 | Concrete language | Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities. | 19 | |
| 2572594013 | Connotation | Implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader's mind. | 20 | |
| 2572594014 | Consonance | Repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong | 21 | |
| 2572594015 | Conundrum | A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem |  | 22 |
| 2572594016 | Deduction | The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example | 23 | |
| 2572594017 | Denotation | Literal meaning of a word as defined | 24 | |
| 2572594018 | Description | The picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse | 25 | |
| 2572594019 | Diction | Word choice, an element of style; Diction creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. | 26 | |
| 2572594020 | Didactic | Writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. | 27 | |
| 2572594021 | Discourse | Spoken or written language, including literary works | 28 | |
| 2572594022 | Dissonance | Harsh or grating sounds that do not go together | 29 | |
| 2572594023 | Dramatic Irony | When the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character's perception of a situation and the truth of that situation. | 30 | |
| 2572594024 | Emotional Appeal | When a writer appeals to readers' emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument. | 31 | |
| 2572594025 | Epigraph | The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. | 32 | |
| 2572594026 | Ethical Appeal | When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience's confidence. | 33 | |
| 2572594027 | Euphemism | A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. | 34 | |
| 2572594028 | Euphony | a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony | 35 | |
| 2572594029 | Example | An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant. | 36 | |
| 2572594030 | Explication | The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language. | 37 | |
| 2572594031 | Exposition | the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse | 38 | |
| 2572594032 | Extended Metaphor | a sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. | 39 | |
| 2572594033 | False Analogy | When two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them. | 40 | |
| 2572594034 | Figurative Language | language that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal. | 41 | |
| 2572594035 | Figures of Speech | expressions, such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations. | 42 | |
| 2572594036 | Foreshadowing | the use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs late in the work | 43 | |
| 2572594037 | Freight-Train | Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions. | 44 | |
| 2572594038 | Generalization | When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable | 45 | |
| 2572594039 | Genre | A type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also sub_______, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger _________ | 46 | |
| 2572594040 | Hubris | the excessive pride of ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings of impending doom, eventually causing his or her downfall. | 47 | |
| 2572594041 | Humor | anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person's temperament | 48 | |
| 2572594042 | Hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis (Example: He was so hungry he could have eaten a horse.) | 49 | |
| 2572594043 | Image | A word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense. | 50 | |
| 2572594044 | Imagery | words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in order to create a mental picture | 51 | |
| 2572594045 | Induction | the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization | 52 | |
| 2572594046 | Inference | a conclusion one can draw from the presented details | 53 | |
| 2572594047 | Interior Monologue | writing that records the conversation that occurs inside a character's head | 54 | |
| 2572594048 | Invective | a verbally abusive attack | 55 | |
| 2572594049 | Inversion | reversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase | 56 | |
| 2572594050 | Irony | a situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected. | 57 | |
| 2572594051 | Jargon | The special language of a profession or group. |  | 58 |
| 2572594052 | Logic | The process of reasoning | 59 | |
| 2572594053 | Logical Fallacy | A mistake in reasoning | 60 | |
| 2572594054 | Lyrical | Songlike; Characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination |  | 61 |
| 2572594055 | Metaphor | A figure of speech in which one thing is referred to as another | 62 | |
| 2572594056 | Metonymy | A figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated, such as using "the crown" to refer to a monarch |  | 63 |
| 2572594057 | Mode | The method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written | 64 |
