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AP Language Rhetorical Terms Glossary Flashcards

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4747474556Abstractrefers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images ( ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places). The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language.0
4747474557Allegoryan 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 satiric.1
4747474558Anecdotea short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point.2
4747474559Annotation AntithesisExplanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.3
4747474560Aphorisma short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life: "Early bird gets the worm."4
4747474561Apostropheusually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction5
4747474562Antithesisthe presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. "To be or not to be..." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country...."6
4747474563Argumentationwriting that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation7
4747474564Cacophony; Dissonanceharsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.8
4747474565Caricaturedescriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person's appearance or a facet of personality.9
4747474566Colloquialisma word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y'all, ain't)10
4747474567Coherence; Unityquality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle11
4747474568Concrete LanguageLanguage that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.12
4747474569Connotationimplied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader's mind.13
4747474570Consonancerepetition 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- pong14
4747474571Conundruma riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem15
4747474572Deductionthe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example16
4747474573Denotationliteral meaning of a word as defined17
4747474574Descriptionthe picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse18
4747474575Dictionword 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. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.19
4747474576Didacticwriting whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. Didactic writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.20
4747474577Discoursespoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.21
4747474578Emotional Appeal; PathosWhen a writer appeals to readers' emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument.22
4747474579Epigraphthe use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is "You are all a lost generation" by Gertrude Stein.23
4747474580Ethical Appeal; EthosWhen 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.24
4747474581Euphemisma more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a common euphemism for "he died." Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses "collateral damage" to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.25
4747474582Euphonya succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony26
4747474583ExampleAn 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.27
4747474584ExplicationThe art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.28
4747474585Expositionthe 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 discourse29
4747474586GeneralizationWhen a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some.30
4747474587Genrea type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres31
4747474588Humoranything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person's temperament deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis (Example: He was so hungry he could have eaten a horse.)32
4747474589HyperboleA word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense. An image is always a concrete representation.33
4747474590Imagea word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by sense. Always a concrete representation34
4747474591Imagerywords or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in order to create a mental picture35
4747474592InductionThe process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization36
4747474593Inferencea conclusion one can draw from the presented details a37
4747474594Invectiveverbally abusive attack38
4747474595Inversionreversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase; it is used effectively in many cases, such as posing a question: "Are you going to the store?" Usually, the element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject.39
4747474596JargonThe special language of a profession or group. The term jargon usually has pejorative Associations with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders. The writings of the lawyer and the literary critic are both susceptible to jargon.40
4747474597Logical Appeal; LogosWhen a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and reasons. The process of reasoning41
4747474598LyricalSonglike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.42
4747474599Modethe method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written43
4747474600Moodsimilar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work (the feeling of the work; the atmosphere). Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.44
4747474601Narrationthe telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of discourse45
4747474602Objectivityan impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writer's attempt to remove himself or herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story. Hard news journalism is frequently prized for its objectivity, although even fictional stories can be told without a writer rendering personal judgment.46
4747474603OversimplificationWhen a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument47
4747474604Oxymorona figure of speech composed of contradictory words or phrases, such as "wise fool," bitter-sweet, "pretty ugly," "jumbo shrimp," "cold fire" Pacing the movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another Parable a short tale that teaches a moral; similar to but shorter than an allegory48
4747474605Paradoxa statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude."49
4747474606Parallelismthe technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form.50
4747474607Parodya work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content.51
4747474608Pathetic Appeal; PathosWhen a writer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions. The aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade. Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess of pathos.52
4747474609Pedantica term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant53
4747474610Persuasiona form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.54
4747474611Regionalisman element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot55
4747474612RepetitionWord or phrase used two or more times in close proximity56
4747474613Rhetorical modesexposition, description, narration, argumentation57
4747474614Rhetorical Questionone that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience.58
4747474615Sarcasmharsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony59
4747474616SatireA work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. Satire doesn't simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in sarcasm). Satire targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.60
4747474617Speakerthe voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona61
4747474618Stereotypea 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 idea.62
4747474619Stylean author's characteristic manner of expression - his or her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style63
4747474620Subjectivitya personal presentation of evens and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions64
4747474621SyllogismA form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Example:65
4747474622Synecdochea figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using "boards" to mean a stage or "wheels" to mean a car - or "All hands on deck."66
4747474623Syntactic FluencyAbility to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.67
4747474624Syntactic PermutationSentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for a reader to follow.68
4747474625Syntaxthe grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax includes length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound).69
4747474626Themethe central idea or "message" or a literary work70
4747474627Thesisthe main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author's assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis.71
4747474628Tonethe characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience (anger, sarcastic, loving, didactic, emotional, etc.)72
4747474629Transitiona word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.73
4747474630Understatementthe opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.74
4747474631Voicerefers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.75

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