Terms : Hide Images
| 9579810015 | ad hominem | The character attack. Logicians and the argument averse consider it a bad thing, but in rhetoric it's a necessity. | 0 | |
| 9579815802 | anadiplosis | A figure that builds one thought on top of another by taking the last word of a clause and using it to being the next clause. | 1 | |
| 9579819620 | anaphora | A figure that repeats the first word in successive clauses or phrases. It works best in an emotional address before a crowd. | 2 | |
| 9579829403 | antithesis | the figure of contrasting ideas | 3 | |
| 9579831226 | aporia | doubt or ignorance - real or feigned - used as a rhetorical device | 4 | |
| 9579834850 | begging the question | Logicians know this as the fallacy of circular argument. ("Bob says I'm trustworthy, and I can assure you that he tells the truth") | 5 | |
| 9579840365 | chiasmus | The crisscross figure ("Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country") | 6 | |
| 9579848662 | equivocation | The language mask. It appears to say one thing while meaning the opposite. | 7 | |
| 9579853170 | hypophora | A figure that asks a rhetorical question and then immediately answers it. It allows you to anticipate the audience's skepticism and nip it in the bud. | 8 | |
| 9579857525 | litotes | The figure of ironic understatement, usually negative ("We are not amused", "it's not totally hideous") | 9 | |
| 9579876551 | metonymy | Takes a characteristic (red hair) and makes it stand for the whole (red) or White House for the government | 10 | |
| 9579892616 | non sequitur | figure of irrelevance, a point that doesn't follow it's predecessor. ("You know what your problem is? Whoa, did you see that car?") | 11 | |
| 9579900232 | onomatopoeia | the noisemaker. This figure imitates a sound to name the sound ("Kaboom") | 12 | |
| 9579904805 | paradox | the contrary figure, an impossible pair (only he who knows nothing knows everything) | 13 | |
| 9579910948 | polysyndeton | a figure that links clauses with a repeated conjunction | 14 | |
| 9579917792 | post hoc | logical fallacy. A is followed by B; therefore A must be caused by B (My crowing makes the sun come up) | 15 | |
| 9579924096 | red herring | the fallacy of distraction | 16 | |
| 9579926216 | rhetoric | the art of persuasion (it is an art!) | 17 | |
| 9579931521 | slippery slope | the fallacy of dire consequences. It assumes that one choice will lead to cascading series of bad choices | 18 | |
| 9581004540 | straw man | fallacious logic - instead of dealing with the actual issue, it attacks a weaker version of the argument | 19 | |
| 9581007770 | synecdoche | swaps a member for the whole group, or a part of the whole thing. A "belonging trope," along with metonymy. | 20 | |
| 9581017034 | satire | the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. | 21 | |
| 9581039176 | allusion | an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. | 22 | |
| 9581039177 | juxtaposition | a literary device wherein the author places a person, concept, place, idea or theme parallel to another. The purpose of comparing two directly or indirectly related entities close together in literature is to highlight the contrast between the two and compare them. | 23 | |
| 9581060203 | anecdote | means a short verbal accounting of a funny, amusing, interesting event or incident. The story is usually a reminiscence from the teller's life but at best is a related story of fact, as opposed to a contrived work of fiction | 24 | |
| 9581072026 | oxymoron | a significant literary device as it allows the author to use contradictory, contrasting concepts placed together in a manner that actually ends up making sense in a strange, and slightly complex manner | 25 | |
| 9581074761 | aphorism | a concise statement that is made in a matter of fact tone to state a principle or an opinion that is generally understood to be a universal truth. These are often adages, wise sayings and maxims aimed at imparting sense and wisdom. | 26 | |
| 9581082068 | analogy | a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. By using this device we can convey a new idea by using the blueprint of an old one as a basis for understanding | 27 | |
| 9581083884 | personification/anthropomorphism | the practice of attaching human traits and characteristics with inanimate objects, phenomena and animals. | 28 | |
| 9581085965 | asyndeton | a practice in literature whereby the author purposely leaves out conjunctions in the sentence, while maintaining the grammatical accuracy of the phrase. | 29 | |
| 9581089208 | assonance | repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase. In this regard ________________ can be understood to be a kind of alliteration. What sets it apart from alliterations is that it is the repetition of only vowel sounds. | 30 | |
| 9581101014 | alliteration | a literary device where words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group. Whether it is the consonant sound or a specific vowel group, the _____________________ involves creating a repetition of similar sounds in the sentence. | 31 | |
| 9581106601 | epistrophe | the repetition of phrases or words at the ends of the clauses or sentences | 32 | |
| 9581114616 | rhetorical question | a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. | 33 | |
| 9581117691 | consonance | repetition of sounds in quick succession produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. | 34 | |
| 9581124915 | amplification | a literary practice wherein the writer embellishes the sentence by adding more information to it in order to increase its worth and understandability. | 35 | |
| 9581126041 | syntax | refers to the actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in the writing. | 36 | |
| 9581131108 | euphemism | the literary practice of using a comparatively milder or less abrasive form of a negative description instead of its original, unsympathetic form. This device is used when writing about matters such as sex, violence, death, crimes and things "embarrassing". | 37 | |
| 9581131109 | epithet | a literary device that is used as a descriptive device. It is usually used to add to a person or place's regular name and attribute some special quality to the same (i.e. Alexander the Great) | 38 | |
| 9581138972 | hyperbole | wherein the author uses specific words and phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic crux of the statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. The purpose of this device is to create a larger-than-life effect and overly stress a specific point. | 39 | |
| 9581146030 | metaphor | refers to a meaning or identity ascribed to one subject by way of another. One subject is implied to be another so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits. | 40 | |
| 9581153987 | malapropism | in literature refers to the practice of misusing words by substituting words with similar sounding words that have different, often unconnected meanings, and thus creating a situation of confusion, misunderstanding and amusement. This device is used to convey that the speaker or character is flustered, bothered, unaware or confused and as a result cannot employ proper diction. For example, in the play Much Ado About Nothing, noted playwright William Shakespeare's character Dogberry says, "Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons." Instead, what the character means to say is ""Our watch, sir, have indeed apprehended two suspicious persons." | 41 | |
| 9581173966 | loose or cumulative sentence | type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases. | 42 | |
| 9581176590 | periodic sentence | has the main clause or predicate at the end. This is used for emphasis and can be persuasive by putting reasons for something at the beginning before the final point is made. It can also create suspense or interest for the reader. | 43 | |
| 9581178060 | short sentence | sentence structure left purposely short in order to create tension, haste or urgency, | 44 | |
| 9581184417 | apostrophe | a literary device in which speaker or author speaks directly to someone who is not present or is dead, or speaks to an inanimate object. | 45 | |
| 9581189181 | parody | an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. | 46 | |
| 9581190555 | anachronism | a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists. Shakespeare referencing clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism since clocks did not exist during the Roman era | 47 | |
| 9581203943 | sententia | are brief moral sayings, such as proverbs, adages, aphorisms, or maxims, taken from ancient or popular or other sources, often quoted without context | 48 | |
| 9581211072 | colloquialism | a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation. | 49 | |
| 9581218963 | distinctio | Figure of explication in which an introductory reference to a word's meaning is made (e.g., "by x I mean", "which is to say that", "that is") followed by a further elaboration of that word's meaning; explicit definition of or elaboration upon the meaning or meanings of a particular word or set of words. (e.g. It is really important to study these AP Lang and Comp terms, and by study I mean actively review and quiz yourself on the definitions, not just haphazardly flip through them once and then call it a day). | 50 | |
| 9581226717 | exemplum | an example or model, especially a moralizing or illustrative story. | 51 | |
| 9581235387 | zeugma | a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses (e.g., John and his license expired last week ) | 52 | |
| 9581239353 | inductive reasoning | proceeds from specific premises to a general conclusion. | 53 | |
| 9581255957 | deductive reasoning | proceeds from general premises to a specific conclusion. | 54 | |
| 9581276879 | jargon | special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand. |  | 55 |
| 9581287598 | antimetabole | It is a literary term or device that involves repeating a phrase in reverse order. For example: "You like it; it likes you." "Fair is foul and foul is fair." | 56 | |
| 9581291130 | verbal irony | the opposite of what is meant is said | 57 | |
| 9581292749 | dramatic irony | the audience knows the outcome but the character(s) do not | 58 | |
| 9581294821 | situational irony | the outcome is opposite of what is expected | 59 | |
| 9581303920 | procatalepsis | a figure of speech in which the speaker raises an objection to their own argument and then immediately answers it. By doing so, they hope to strengthen their argument by dealing with possible counter-arguments before their audience can raise them. | 60 |
