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AP Language Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

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8174405598abstractrefers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places). The opposite is concrete language0
8174405599ad hominemIn an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man."1
8174405600allegoryan extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric2
8174408327alliterationthe practice of beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound3
8174408328allusiona reference to mythological, literary, or historical person, place, or thing in order to develop a comparison4
8174410514analogyComparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship5
8174410515anaphorathe repetition of the same word of group of words at the beginning of successive clauses6
8174410516anecdotea short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point7
8174413476antithesisa direct juxtaposition of structurally parallel words, phrases, or clauses for the purpose of contrast8
8174413477aphorisma short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life9
8174416002apostrophea form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate, as if animate10
8174416003assonancerepetition of accented vowel sounds between different consonants in a series of words11
8174423085asyndetona deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses12
8186047158cacophonyharsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose13
8186047159caricaturedescriptive writing that greatly exaggerates specific features, most often of a person's appearance or a facet of personality14
8186047160chiasmusA sentence arrangement in which the arrangement of ideas in the second phrase or clause is a reversal of the first (using the different words).15
8186050399colloquialisma word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing16
8186050400conceitan extended metaphor; it is developed throughout a piece of writing17
8186053958concreterefers to language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities18
8186053959concessionused in argument as the acknowledgement of a point made by one's opponent.19
8186053960connotationimplied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader's mind20
8186054022consonancerepetition of a consonant sound within a series of words for a harmonious effect21
8186056669counterargumenta response to a point of the opposition22
8186056670denotationliteral meaning of a word as defined23
8186056671diatribea bitter attack or criticism24
8186059554dictionword choice intended to convey a certain effect25
8186059555didactic writingwriting whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. This is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns26
8186062402dissonanceharsh or grating sounds that do not go together27
8186649990emotional appealWhen a writer appeals to readers' emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument28
8186649991epigraphthe use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme29
8186649992ethical appealWhen a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on his/her credibility/reliability, past experiences, level of education, etc30
8186649993euphemisma more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable31
8186653334euphonya succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose32
8186653335exigenceThe situation (reason) that has prompted an author, speaker, etc. to produce a piece of rhetoric33
8186657179extended metaphoran extended, sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit34
8186781197false analogyWhen two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them35
8186784143figurative languagelanguage that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal36
8186784144foreshadowingthe use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future actions37
8186784145freight-trainSentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions to make a long sequential statement38
8186806039generalizationWhen a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable39
8186806040genrea type of literary work40
8187893295homilya "sermon"; informally it can include serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice41
8187893296hyperboledeliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration42
8187893297hypophorawhen a writer poses a question and immediately follows the question with an answer43
8187897286imagerywords or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the senses44
8187897287inferencea conclusion one can draw from the presented details45
8187897288interior monologuewriting that records the conversation that occurs inside a character's head46
8187907686invectivea verbally abusive attack47
8188355472verbal ironywhen a speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite48
8188355473situational ironywhen a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect49
8188357897dramatic ironywhen a character or speaker says or does something that has different meanings from what he/she thinks it means, though the audience and other characters understand the full implications of the speech or actions50
8188357898jargonThe special language of a profession or group51
8188357899juxtapositionNormally unassociated words or phrases are placed next to one another, often creating an effect of surprise, dramatic enhancement, or wit52
8188357900logical fallacya mistake in reasoning53
8188360601loose sentenceSentence makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending54
8196611671metaphora comparison of two unlike things not using "like" or "as"55
8196611672metonymya figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated56
8196611673modethe method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written57
8196611674moodsimilar to tone, this is the atmosphere or dominant emotion in a literary work58
8196613839motifmain theme or subject of a work that is elaborated on in the development of the piece; a repeated pattern or idea59
8196613840negative-positiveSentence that begins by stating what is NOT true, then ending by stating what is true60
8196616702non-sequiturLatin for "it does not follow." When one statement isn't logically connected to another61
8196686568objectivityan impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writer's attempt to remove himself or herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story62
8196690619onomatopoeiaimitative harmony that is the use of words that mimic the sounds they describe in order to reflect on the overall mood in a work63
8196690620oversimplificationWhen a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument64
8196692102oxymorona form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single, unusual expression65
8196692103parablea short tale that teaches a moral; similar to but shorter than an allegory66
8196692104paradoxwhen the elements of a statement contradict each other; although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth67
8196692105parallelisma similarity in the way parts of a sentence or sentences are put together; this allows the author to reveal that the ideas are of equal importance68
8196694657parodya work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements69
8196694658pedantica term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant70
8196696431periodic sentencemakes sense fully only when the end of the sentence is reached71
8196696432personificationa kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics72
8196698789first person narratora narrator, referred to as "I," who is a character in the story and relates the actions through his or her own perspective, also revealing his or her own thoughts73
8196698790point of viewthe perspective from which a narrative is told74
8196701499omniscient point of viewthird person narrator, referred to as "he," "she," or "they," who is able to see into each character's mind and understands all the action75
8196701500limited omniscient point of viewa third person narrator who reports the thoughts of only one character and generally only what that one character sees76
8196703323polysyndetonthe deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis to highlight quantity of mass of detail or to create a flowing, continuous pattern77
8196703324protagonistthe central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem78
8196703325red herringWhen a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue79
8196706160reductio ad absurdumthe Latin for "to reduce to the absurd." This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetorical fallacy because it reduces an argument to an either/or choice80
8196706161repetitiona device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and to create emphasis81
8196706162rhetoricthe art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse; this focuses on what is said and how it is crafted together82
8196707728rhetorical fragmenta sentence fragment used deliberately for a persuasive purpose or to create a desired effect83
8196709203rhetorical questiona question that requires no answer because the answer is implied. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience84
8196799654sarcasmthe use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it85
8196799655satireA work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way86
8196799656similea comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words "like" or "as"87
8196801427speakerthe voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona88
8196801428stereotypea character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality; a conventional patter, expression or idea89
8196801429straw manWhen a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Setting this up diverts attention from the real issues90
8196803417stream of consciousnessa perspective in which the reader in placed inside the character's head, making the reader privy to the continuous, chaotic flow of disconnected, half-formed thoughts and impressions in the character's mind91
8196803418stylea writer's characteristic manner of crafting language - his or her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to this92
8196803440subjectivitya personal presentation of evens and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions93
8196807079syllogismA form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. The format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion94
8196807080symbolany object, person, place, or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value95
8196809147synecdochea form of metaphor; a part of something is used to signify the whole96
8196809148syntactic fluencyAbility to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length97
8196811113syntaxthe arrangement of words and the order of grammatical elements in a sentence98
8196811114telegraphic sentenceshort dramatic sentences, usually used in succession99
8196811115themethe central idea or "message" or a literary work100
8196813087tonethe writer's or speaker's attitude toward a subject, character, or audience, and it is conveyed through the author's choice of words and detail101
8196815808understatementthe opposite of exaggeration/hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is102

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