AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Language: Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6579566613parallelismsimilarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses0
6579566614isocolonscheme of parallel structure that occurs when the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure but also in length1
6579566615antithesisthe juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure2
6579566616anastropheinversion of the natural or usual word order3
6579566617parenthesisinsertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal syntactical flow of the sentence4
6579566618appositionplacing side by side two coordinate elements, the second of which serves as an explanation or modification of the first. In grammar, this is the *appositive* or verbal cluster5
6579566619ellipsisdeliberate omission of a word or words that are readily implied by the context6
6579566620asyndetondeliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses7
6579566621polysyndetondeliberate use of many conjunctions8
6579566622apostrophethe direct address of a person or an abstract quality, whether present or not9
6579566623alliterationrepetition of initial or medial consonants in two or more adjacent words10
6579566624assonancethe repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words11
6579566625anaphorarepetition of the same word or groups of words at the beginnings of successive clauses12
6579566626epistropherepetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses13
6579566627epanalepsisrepetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause14
6579566628anadiplosisrepetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause15
6579566629climaxarrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance16
6579566630antimetabolerepetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order17
6579566631chiasmusreversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses18
6579566632polyptotonrepetition of words derived from the same root19
6579566633metaphor*implied* comparison between two things of unlike nature20
6579566634simile*explicit* comparison between two things of unlike nature21
6820410528senteniaquotation, maxim, aphorism, or wise saying22
6820412686synecdochefigure of speech in which a part stands for the whole23
6820415944metonymysubstitution of some attributive or suggestive word for what is actually meant24
6820422799antanaclasisrepetition of a word in two different senses25
6820425814paronomasiause of words alike in sound but different in meaning26
6820444067syllepsisuse of a word understood differently in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies or governs27
6820446288anthimeriathe substitution of one part of speech for another28
6820451710periphrasis (autonomasia)substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name or of a proper name for a quality associated with the name29
6820460472personification (prosopesis)investing abstractions or inanimate objects with human qualities30
6820464773hyperbolethe use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect31
6820470959litotesdeliberate use of understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in "not bad at all."32
6820477889onomatopoeiause of words whose sound echoes the sense33
6820483275rhetorical questionasking a question, not for the purpose of eliciting an answer but for the purpose of asserting or denying something obliquely34
6820489386ironyuse of a word in such a way as to convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning of the word35
6820497472oxymoronthe yoking of two terms which are ordinarily contradictory36
6820500545paradoxan apparently contradictory statement that nevertheless contains a measure of truth37
6820506413zuegmaunexpected items in a sentence are connected by one shared word, usually in which one verb governs several words, or clauses, each in a different sense38

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!