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AP Language Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

Rhetorical Terms and Definitions for Mrs. Martenson's AP Language and Composition Class.

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7040783485AllegoryThe device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.0
7040783486AlliterationThe repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Although the term is not used in the multiple choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and/or supply a musical sound.1
7040783487AllusionA direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical (like referring to Hitler), literary (like referring to Kurtz in Heart of Darkness), religious (like referring to Noah and the flood), or mythical 9like referring to Atlas). There are, of course, many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion.2
7040783488AmbiguityThe Multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, or a word, phrase, sentence or passage.3
7040783489AnadiplosisThe repetition of a key word, especially the last one, at the beginning of the next sentence or clause. For example, "He gave his life; life was all he could give."4
7040783490AnalogyA similarity or comparison between tow different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging.5
7040783491AnapesticA foot in poetry with two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.6
7040783492AnaphoraThe rhetorical device of repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences for emphasis and rhythm.7
7040783493AnathemaA thing or person accursed or damned; a thing or person greatly detested; a formal curse or condemnation excommunicating a person from a church or damning something; any strong curse.8
7040783494AntecedentThe word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long complex sentence or in a group of sentences.9
7040783495AnticlimaxUsing a sequence of ideas that abruptly diminish in dignity or importance at the end of a sentence, generally for satirical effect.10
7040783496AntimetaboleRepeating words in reverse order for surprise and emphasis. Same as Chiasmus.11
7040783497AntithesisA contrast or opposition of thoughts, usually in two phrases, clauses, or sentences. For example, You are going; I am staying. The exact opposite (Joy is the antithesis of sorrow).12
7040783498AphorismA terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb). An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author's point.13
7040783499ApostropheA figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee.14
7040783500ArchetypeThe original pattern, or model from which all other things of the same kind of thing are made; a perfect example of a type or group.15
7040783501AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words; e.g., the words "cry and "side" have the same vowel sound and so are said to be in assonance.16
7040783502AsyndetonThe practice of leaving out the usual conjunctions between coordinate sentence elements. For example: smile, shake hands, part.17
7040783503AtmosphereThe emotional mood created by the entirety of the literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events.18
7040783504AttitudeThe position or posture assumed in connection with an action, feeling, mood. For example, to kneel in an attitude of prayer. Also a manner of acting, feeling or thinking that shows one's disposition, opinion or mental set, etc.19
7040783505Balanced SentenceIn a balanced sentence, the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness in structure, meaning, or length: e.g., He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.20
7040783506BathosAn abrupt change from the lofty to the ordinary or trivial in writing or speech; anticlimax.21
7040783507Blank VerseBlank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. An iamb is a poetic foot consisting of one weak stress followed by one strong stress. A pentameter line is a line of five poetic feet.22
7040783508CacophonyHarsh sounding, jarring sound; dissonance.23
7040783509CaesuraA pause or break in the middle of a line of poetry24
7040783510ChiasmusSimilar to antimetabole, but reversing the grammatical elements rather than just words, for emphasis.25
7040783511ClauseA grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. Examine this sample sentence: "Because I practiced hard, my AP scores were high." In this sentence, the independent clause is "my AP scores were high," and the dependent clause is "Because I practiced hard."26
7040783512ClicheAn overused, worn-out, hackneyed expression that used to be fresh but is no more. "Blushing bride" and "clinging vine" are clichés used to describe people.27
7040783513ClimaxArranging words, clauses, or sentences in the order of their importance, the least forcible coming first and the others rising in poser until the last.28
7040783514ColloquialThe use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local and regional dialects.29
7040783515Complex SentenceA complex sentence contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses: e.g., You said that you would tell the truth.30
7040783516Compound SentenceA compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, or) or by a semicolon: e.g., The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang no encores.31
7040783517Compound-Complex SentenceA compound-complex sentence contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses: e.g., The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores.32
7040783518ConceitA fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison made.33
7040783519ConnotationThe nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes.34
7040783520ConsonanceThe repetition of a constant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect: e.g., And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds. The "d" sound is in consonance. The "s" sound is also in consonance.35
7040783521Cumulative sentenceAn independent clause followed by a series of subordinate constructions that gather details about a person, place, event, or idea36
7040783522DactylicA foot in poetry with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.37
7040783523Declarative SentenceA sentence that makes a statement: e.g., The king is sick.38
7040783524DenotationThe strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.39
7040783525DeviceA plan. Something used to gain an artistic effect.40
7040783526DictionRelated to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices etc., creates the author's style.41
7040783527DidacticFrom the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.42
7040783528DimeterA verse written in two-foot lines.43
7040783529DirgeA funeral hymn; a slow, sad song, poem, or musical composition expressing grief or mourning.44
7040783530ElegyA poem or song of lament and praise for the dead.45
7040783531EllipsisThe omission of a word or words necessary for complete grammatical construction but understood in the context. For example, "if possible" for "if it is possible." Also an intentional omission of words or letters or an abrupt change of thought, lapse of time, incomplete statement, etc.46
7040783532EnjambmentIn poetry, the running on of a sentence from one line or couplet to the next with little or no pause.47
7040783533EpanalepsisOpening and closing a sentence with the same word or praise for surprise and emphasis. For example, Buster is deeply concerned to promote the health and well being of Buster.48
7040783534EpicA long narrative poem in a dignified style about the deeds of a tradition or historical hero or heroes.49
7040783535EpigramA short poem with a witty or satirical point; any terse, witty, pointed statement, often antithetical. For example: "Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes."50
7040783536EpistlesAn epistle, or literary letter, is a formal composition written in the form of a letter addressed to a distant person or group of people. Unlike common personal letters, which tend to be conversational and private compositions, epistles are carefully-crafted works of literature, intended for a general audience.51
7040783537EpitaghAn inscription on a tomb or gravestone in memory of the person buried there; short composition in prose or verse, written in attribute to a person.52
7040783538EuphemismForm the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example of euphemism.53
7040783539EuphonyThe quality of having a pleasant sound; pleasant combination of agreeable sounds.54
7040783540Extended ParallelismThe repetition of words or grammatical elements to achieve cumulative force and rhythm. For example, in a single sentence: I photographed the living things of the Mojave Desert: cactus flowers in yellow bloom , an indigo bush with dark blue flowers, kangaroo rats hopping frantically over the sand, a vulture circling overhead, a rattlesnake basking in the sun.55
7040783541Extended MetaphorA metaphor developed at great length , occurring frequently in or throughout a work.56
7040783542FableA brief history, usually with animal characters, that teaches a lesson or moral.57
7040783543Figurative LanguageA device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include, for example, apostrophe, hyperbole. Irony, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia etc.58
7040783544GenreKinds of types of literature. For example, poetry, drama, novel, short story, nonfiction, etc.59
7040783545HomilyA solemn, moralizing talk or writing; a sermon ( especially a long, boring one.)60
7040783546Hortative SentenceA sentence meant to encourage61
7040783547HyperboleAn overstatement or exaggerated way of saying something. Example: "This book weighs a ton." In literature, hyperbole is classified a s a figure of speech.62
7040783548IambicA foot in poetry with one unstressed syllable, followed by one stressed syllable.63
7040783549ImageryAnything in a literary work that calls up sensations of sight, taste, smell, touch, heat, pressure. In the expression, "My heart is like a singing bird", both the singing bird and the heart are images64
7040783550Infer/InferenceTo conclude or decide from something known or assumed; derive by reasoning.65
7040783551InvectiveA violent verbal attack; strong criticism, curses; an abusive term.66
7040783552Inverted order of a sentenceThis involves constructing a sentence so the predicate comes before the subject: e.g., In California grow oranges. This is a device in which normal sentence patterns are reversed to create an emphatic or rhythmic effect.67
7040783553Imperative sentenceA sentence that commands68
7040783554IronyGeneral, irony is an implied contrast. In verbal irony the contrast is between what is said and what is intended, as when one says in disgust, "That's just great." In dramatic irony, a character in a play, short story, or novel expects one outcome of a situation that the audience knows will end a different way. In situational irony the opposite or something very different happens than what is expected.69
7040783555Juxtapositiona poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit: e.g., "The apparition of these face sin the crowd;/petals on a wet, black bough."70
7040783556LanguageThe entire body of words used in a text, not simply bits of isolated diction; for example: an invitation to a graduation might use formal language, where as a biology text would use scientific and clinical language.71
7040783557Literal/ FigurativeLiteral is based on the actual words in the ordinary meaning. Figurative gives a more symbolic meaning or representing one concept in terms of another that may be thought of as analogous within sense of reference. In the words "screaming headlines," screaming is a figurative use. Litotes- Understatement employed for the purpose of enhancing the effect of the ideas expressed. Contains a negative.72
7040783558LitotesIronical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary73
7040783559Loose Sentencea loose sentence makes sense if brought to a close before the actual ending: e.g., We reached Edmonton/ that morning/ after a turbulent flight/ and some exciting experiences74
7040783560LyricA melodic poem that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker. Unlike a narrative poem, a lyric focuses on a single, united effect. Types of lyrics include elegy, the ode, and the sonnet. Among contemporary American poets, the lyrics is the most common poetic form.75
7040783561MetaphorA comparison, like a simile but usually implied and without a comparative word such as like or as. Example: "My heart is a singing bird"; "He wolfed his food"76
7040783562MetonymyThe use of the name of one thing for that of another associated with or suggested by it. For example "the White House" of the "President."77
7040783563Mock Heroicburlesquing or mocking heroic manner, action, or character.78
7040783564MonometerA verse written in one-foot lines.79
7040783565MoodThe atmosphere of the literary work. In verbs, an expression of the manner in which the action is done. The three moods in English are indicative, the most common, which states the action is an actual fact ("Tony hit the ball"), imperative, stating a command ("Tony, hit the ball!"). A third mood, the subjunctive, is now rare in English. It is used to express a wish or a conditional statement: "If I were you...", "It is required that the applicant be under twenty-one."80
7040783566MotifA main theme or subject.81
7040783567MythA fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or heroes or the causes of natural phenomena. Some myths are a kind of primitive science, explaining how and why natural phenomena came about. Other myths express the central values of the people who created them.82
7040783568NarrativeThe telling of any story, or the story itself, the plot.83
7040783569Natural order of a sentenceThis involves constructing a sentence so the subject comes before the predicate: e.g., Oranges grow in California.84
7040783570NovelA fictional prose narrative, usually long enough to be published in a book by itself.85
7040783571OnomatopoeiaThe use of words that sound like what they mean. Buzz, clang, and hiss are onomatopoeia.86
7040783572OxymoronA figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined; for example: thunderous silence, sweet sorrow and jumbo shrimp are oxymorons.87
7040783573ParableA parable is a brief story, usually with human characters, that teaches a moral lesson. The most famous parables are those told by Christ in the Bible.88
7040783574Paradoxa statement that seems contradictory, unbelievable, or absurd but that may actually be true in fact.89
7040783575Parellelismrefers to a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence. It involves an arrangement of words, phrase, sentences, and paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased: e.g., He was walking, running, and jumping for joy. I learned to swim, to play tennis, and to ride a horse.90
7040783576ParodyA literary that imitates and makes fun of another type of work, or specific author.91
7040783577PedanticAn unnecessary display of scholarship lacking in judgment or sense of proportion.92
7040783578PentameterA verse written in five-foot lines.93
7040783579Periodic SentenceA periodic sentence makes sense only hen the end of the sentence is reached. E.g., that morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton.94
7040783580PersonificationThe treatment of an object or an abstract idea as if it were a person, as in Tennyson's "Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white," and Shakespeare's "Time's cruel hand."95
7040783581Point of ViewIn fiction, point of view is the person or intelligence the writer creates to tell the story to the reader. The point of view may be that of a character in the story or of an outside observer who is not part of the action.96
7040783582ProseThe ordinary form of written or spoken language, without rhyme or meter; speech or writing that is not poetry.97
7040783583ProsodyThe science or art of versification, including the study of metrical structure, rhyme, stanza forms, etc.98
7040783584Punplay on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings. Puns can have serious as well as humorous uses: e.g., When Mercutio is bleeding to death in Romeo and Juliet, he says to his friends, "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me grave man."99
7040783585RepetitionA device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and create emphasis: e.g., "...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall perish form the earth"100
7040783586RhetoricThe skill of using spoken or written communication effectively. It is the art of guiding the reader or listener to agreement with the writer or speaker. Spoken rhetoric is called oratory.101
7040783587Rhetorical ModesNarrative, descriptive, expository & argumentative.102
7040783588Rhetorical Questiona question that expects no answer. It is used to draw attention as a point and is generally stronger than the direct statement: e.g., "If Mr. Ferchoff is always fair, as you have said, why did he refuse to listen to Mr. Baldwing's arguments?"103
7040783589Rhyme SchemeA rhyme scheme is a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem. To describe rhyme scheme, one uses a letter of the alphabet to represent each rhyming sound in a poem or stanza.104
7040783590RomanceA story that presents a remote or imaginative incidents rather than ordinary, commonplace experiences. Although the events in a romance are improbable or impossible, the characters still reflect "truth of heart."105
7040783591SarcasmA taunting, sneering, cutting or caustic remark; gibe or jeer.106
7040783592SatireA literary work that ridicules various aspects of human behavior. Its purpose is often to correct certain faults, but underneath the surface it is sometimes pure personal attack. Gulliver's Travels and Animal Farm and both satires.107
7040783593SchemeFigures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters, and sounds108
7040783594SemanticsThe nature, structure, development and changes of the meanings of speech forms with contextual meaning.109
7040783595Sentence Inversionany sentence in which the normal word order is reversed, with the verb coming before the subject or the complete subject and predicate coming after another clause.110
7040783596Sentence StructureHow a speaker or author constructs a sentence affects what the audience understands. The inverted order of an interrogative sentence cues the reader or listener to a question and creates a tension between speaker and listener. Similarly short sentences ar e often emphatic, passionate or flippant, whereas longer sentences suggest the writer's thoughtful response.111
7040783597ShiftA change of feelings by the speaker from the beginning to the end, paying particular attention to the conclusion of the literature. (Progression)112
7040783598SimileThe comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of words like or as. It is a definitely stated comparison in which the poet says one thing is like another; e,g,, The warrior fought like a lion.113
7040783599Simple Sentencea simple sentence contains one subject and one verb: e.g., The singer bowed to her adoring audience.114
7040783600SoliloquyLines in a drama in which a character reveals his thoughts to the audience, but not to the other characters, by speaking as if to himself.115
7040783601Sonneta fourteen-line lyric poem focused on a single theme. Sonnets have many variations, but are usually written in iambic pentameter, following one or two traditional patterns. The Petrarchan, or Italian, or the Shakespearean, or English.116
7040783602Split order of a sentenceThis divides the predicate into two parts with the subject coming in the middle: e.g., In California oranges grow117
7040783603Stream of ConscioiusnessA narrative technique that presents thoughts as if they were coming directly from a character's mind. Instead of being arranged in chronological order, the events of the story are presented from the character's point of view, mixed in character's feelings and memories just as they might spontaneously occur in the mind of a real person.118
7040783604Stylea group of different aspects of writing that have to do with the writer's way of saying something. Diction, sentence structure, figurative language, and various sound patterns all enter into style.119
7040783605SyllogismAn argument or form of reasoning in which two statements or premises are made and a logical conclusion drawn form them. Example: All mammals are warm blooded. Whales are mammals. Therefore whales are warm blooded.120
7040783606Symbol/SymbolismA thing or action that is made to mean more than itself. A rose, for instance, is used to symbolize love. Writers of ten use symbols to express ideas that are too complicated, too elusive, or too deep for words.121
7040783607SynecdocheA from of a metaphor, In synecdoche , a part of something is used to signify the whole: e.g., All hands on deck. Also, the reverse, whereby the whole can represent a part, is synecdoche: e.g., Canada played the United States in the Olympic hockey finals. Another form of synecdoche involves the container representing the thing be contained: e.g., The pot is boiling. In one last form of synecdoche, the material from which an objects is made stands for the object itself: e.g., The quarterback tossed the pigskin. In metonymy, the name of one thing is applied to another thing with which is closely associated: e.g., I love Shakespeare.122
7040783608Synesthetic ImageryDetail that moves from the simulation of one sense to a response by another sense, as a certain odor induces the visualization of a certain color. Here the act of reading, a visual stimulus, produces sound. e.g., "the cinnamon beat of the music," "yellow cocktail music," "the sparkling odor of jonquils," etc.123
7040783609SyntaxAt its simplest level, syntax consists of sentence structure and word order, but analysis of style and meaning never relies on one concept alone. Syntax should not be studied in isolation, but rather it should be examined in conjunction with other stylistic techniques that work together to develop meaning.124
7040783610TetrameterA verse written in four lines.125
7040783611ThemeWhat the author is saying bout the subjects in his work.126
7040783612ToneThe writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject and the audience.127
7040783613TragedyA serious play typically dealing with the problems of a central character, leading to an unhappy or disastrous ending brought on as in ancient drama, by fate and a tragic flaw in this character, or, in modern drama, usually by moral weakness, psychological maladjustment, or social pressures.128
7040783614TrimeterA verse written in three-foot lines.129
7040783615Triteis applied to something, especially a n expression or idea which through repeated use or application has lost its origin freshness.130
7040783616TropeA figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression131
7040783617TrochaicA foot in poetry with one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.132
7040783618Understatement (meiosis)The opposite of hyperbole. It is a king of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is: e.g., I could probably manage to survive on a salary of two million dollars a year.133
7040783619VernacularUsing the native language of a country or place; commonly spoken by the people of a particular country or place.134
7040783620VignetteA short, delicate literary sketch.135
7040783621ZeugmaFigure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses136
7040783622Rhetorical Strategiesmethods of development137
7040783623Argument and persuasionstating opinions and proposals138
7040783624Cause and Effectasking why139
7040783625Classificationsorting into kinds140
7040783626Definitiontracing boundaries141
11265534524begging the questionOften called circular reasoning, occurs when the believability of the evidence depends on the believability of the claim.142
11265554741ad 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."143
11265556995ad populumThis fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do."144
11265605234Red HerringA fallacy that introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion145
11265606835Complex Question FallacyA fallacy of form where a question is crafted to exclude any possible legitimate response - also known as a "loaded question." Something unstated is being assumed which causes a fallacy.146
11265611687Enthymemean argument in which one premise is not explicitly stated147
11265613430Enthymeme example"He is a US citizen, so he is entitled to due process." (There is an unstated assumption that US citizens are entitled to due process.)148
11265633926ThesisFocus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.149
11265635961AntithesisDirect opposite150
11265635962Synthesiscombining parts into a whole151
11265637721Synthesis EssaySimilar to argument essay, but uses given sources to argue a point152

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