AP Language Rhetorical Terms: List 2 Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 9652135525 | ad hominem argument | Attacks the integrity or character of an opponent rather than the merits of an issue. It's also known as "mud slinging." | 0 | |
| 9652135526 | analogy | A comparison that attempts to explain one idea or thing by likening it to another. It is useful if handled properly, but it can be a source of confusion if the compared items are basically unalike. | 1 | |
| 9652135527 | anecdote | A brief narrative offered in a text to capture the audience's attention or to support a generalization or claim. | 2 | |
| 9652135528 | appeal to ethos | One of the three strategies for persuading audiences-appeal to ethics. | 3 | |
| 9652135529 | appeal to logos | One of the three strategies for persuading audiences-appeal to logic. | 4 | |
| 9652135530 | appeal to pathos | One of the three strategies for persuading audiences-appeal to emotion or feelings rather than to strict reason; a legitimate ploy in an argument as long as it is not excessively or exclusively used | 5 | |
| 9652135531 | begging the question | A form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. The initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place. | 6 | |
| 9652135532 | causal (cause-and-effect) relationship | The relationship expressing, "if X is the cause, then Y is the effect," or "If Y is the effect, then X caused it". | 7 | |
| 9652135533 | colloquialism | A word or expression acceptable in informal usage but inappropriate in formal discourse. A given word may have a standard as well as an informal meaning. | 8 | |
| 9652135534 | conclusion | The final paragraph or paragraphs that sum up an essay and bring it to a close. | 9 | |
| 9652135535 | connotation | The implication of emotional overtones of a word rather than its literal meaning. For example, "lion" used in the literal sense denotes a beast. To say "he had the heart of a lion", is to use the implied meaning of lion. | 10 | |
| 9652135536 | emphasis | A rhetorical principle that requires stress to be given to important elements in an essay at the expense of less important elements. In a sentence, words may be stressed by placing them at the beginning or end or by italicizing them. In a paragraph, ideas may be stressed by repetition or by the accumulation of specific detail. | 11 | |
| 9652135537 | essay | A short prose discussion of a single topic. They are classified as informal (personal, revelatory, humorous and somewhat loosely structured) or formal ( aphoristic, structured, and serious). | 12 | |
| 9652135538 | euphemism | From the Greek word for "good speech", they are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. They may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. | 13 | |
| 9652135539 | example | An instance that is representative of an idea or claim or that otherwise illustrates it. This mode of development is used in essays that make a claim and then prove it by citing similar and supporting cases. | 14 | |
| 9652135540 | generalization | A statement that asserts some broad truth based upon a knowledge of specific cases. They are the end products of inductive reasoning, where a basic truth may be inferred about a class after experience with a representative number of its members. | 15 | |
| 9652135541 | logical fallacy | Errors in reasoning used by speakers or writers, sometimes in order to dupe their audiences. Most are based on insufficient evidence ("all redheads are passionate lovers") or irrelevant information ("Don't let him do the surgery, he cheats on his wife") or faulty logic ("If you don't quit smoking, you'll die of lung cancer") | 16 | |
| 9652135542 | objective and subjective writing | Two different attitudes toward description. In the first, the author tries to present the material fairly and without bias. In the second, the author stresses personal responses and interpretations. | 17 | |
| 9652135543 | red herring | A side issue introduced into an argument in order to distract from the main argument. It is a common device of politicians: "Abortion may be a woman's individual right, but have you considered the danger of the many germ-infested abortion clinics?". The side issue of dirty clinics clouds the ethical issue. | 18 | |
| 9652135544 | sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh", it involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are intended to ridicule. When well done, it can be witty and insightful, when poorly done, it's simply cruel. | 19 | |
| 9652135545 | satire | Often an attack on a person. Also the use of wit and humor in order to ridicule society's weaknesses so as to correct them. In literature, two types have been recognized: Horatian which is gentle and smiling, and Juvenalian which is sharp and biting. | 20 | |
| 9652135546 | subordination | Expressing in a dependent clause, phrase, or single word any idea that is not significant enough to be expressed in a main clause or an independent sentence. --Lacking: "John wrote his research paper on Thomas Jefferson; he was interested in this great statesman." --With: "Because John was interested in Thomas Jefferson, he wrote his research paper on this great statesman." | 21 | |
| 9652135547 | tone | The reflection of the writer's attitude toward subject and audience. Can be irony, sarcasm, anger, humor, satire, hyperbole, or understatement. | 22 | |
| 9652135548 | understatement | A way of deliberately representing something as less than it is in order to stress its magnitude. Also called litotes. An example is the following line from Oscar Wilde's play, "The Important of Being Earnest": "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness." | 23 | |
| 9652135549 | voice | The presence or sound of self, chosen by the author. Most good writing sounds like someone delivering a message. It will be affected by the audience and occasion for writing. The aim in a good student writing is to sound natural. It is closely related to style. | 24 |
