Rhetorical Devices that were presented on the 2014-2015 AP test
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| 2935724150 | allusion | A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. | 0 | |
| 2935724151 | amplification | A rhetoric device used to emphasize a point. Draw out, elongate, long descriptions. | 1 | |
| 2935724152 | analogy | A comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification. | 2 | |
| 2935724153 | anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences. | 3 | |
| 2935724154 | antanagoge | Placing a good point or benefit next to a fault criticism, or problem in order to reduce the impact or significance of the negative point. | 4 | |
| 2935724155 | antithesis | A figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas; a balancing of one term against another for emphasis. | 5 | |
| 2935724156 | aporia | Expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do. | 6 | |
| 2935724157 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 7 | |
| 2935724158 | asyndeton | Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words, speeds up flow of sentence. X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z. | 8 | |
| 2935724159 | chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.") | 9 | |
| 2935724160 | climax | That point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest; usually the point at which the conflict is resolved | 10 | |
| 2935724161 | conduplicatio | resembles anadiplosis in the repetition of a preceding word, but it repeats a key word (not just the last word) from a preceding phrase, clause, or sentence, at the beginning of the next. | 11 | |
| 2935724162 | distinctio | Proving that the speaker has special knowledge or experience that sets them above the audience. | 12 | |
| 2935738318 | elevated diction | formal or lofty speech | 13 | |
| 2935724163 | enumeratio | A catalog or list; when a writer makes a long series of ideas in sentence form on a specific topic as if to make a grocery list | 14 | |
| 2935724164 | epistrophe | A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: "I believe we should fight for justice. You believe we should fight for justice. How can we not, then, fight for justice?" | 15 | |
| 2935724165 | epithet | A term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives ("swift-footed Achilles") that become an almost formulaic part of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of given epithets ("The Rocket"). | 16 | |
| 2935724166 | eponym | A person for whom something is or is thought to be named. | 17 | |
| 2935724167 | exemplum | A brief story used to make a point in an argument or to illustrate a moral truth. | 18 | |
| 2935724168 | hyperbaton | An inversion of normal word order. A generic term for a variety of figures involving transposition | 19 | |
| 2935724169 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor | 20 | |
| 2935724170 | hypophora | Consists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length | 21 | |
| 2935724171 | litotes | A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. | 22 | |
| 2935724172 | metabasis | consists of a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow. It might be called a linking, running, or transitional summary, whose function is to keep the discussion ordered and clear in its progress | 23 | |
| 2935724173 | metaphor | A figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity. | 24 | |
| 2935724174 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it | 25 | |
| 2935724175 | parallelism (parallel structure) | Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other | 26 | |
| 2935724176 | parataxis | Writing successive independent clauses, with coordinating conjunctions, or no conjunctions | 27 | |
| 2935724177 | parenthesis | An insertion of material that interrupts the typical flow of a sentence. | 28 | |
| 2935724178 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 29 | |
| 2935733920 | periodic sentence | The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. (Example: After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport.) | 30 | |
| 2935724179 | polysyndenton | The deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis - to highlight quantity or mass of detail, or to create a flowing, continuous sentence pattern | 31 | |
| 2935724180 | procatalepsis | by anticipating an objection and answering it, permits an argument to continue moving forward while taking into account points or reasons opposing either the train of thought or its final conclusions. | 32 | |
| 2935724181 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer | 33 | |
| 2935741567 | sensory images/details | Words and phrases that create vivid sensory images for the reader that may be visual or appeal to the other four senses of smell, hearing, taste, touch | 34 | |
| 2935724182 | sententia | Quoting a maxim or wise saying to apply a general truth to the situation; concluding or summing foregoing material by offering a single, pithy statement of general wisdom | 35 | |
| 2935724183 | simile | A direct comparison made between two unlike things, using a word of comparison such as like, as, than, such as, or resembles. | 36 | |
| 2935724184 | symploce | combining anaphora and epistrophe, so that one word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and another word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences | 37 | |
| 2935724185 | synecdoche | . a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. "All hands on deck" is an example. | 38 | |
| 2935724186 | understatement | A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker says less than what he or she means; the opposite of exaggeration. | 39 | |
| 2935724187 | zeugma | A general term describing when one part of speech (most often the main verb, but sometimes a noun) governs two or more other parts of a sentence (often in a series). | 40 |
