AP Language and Composition Rhetoric Vocabulary - Understanding Rhetoric Flashcards
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| 7361867088 | Ab Ovo (Literacy) | A Latin phrase coined in Horace's Ars Poeticae meaning "from the egg" which describes a story that begins its narration from the beginning of the events and proceeds in a chronological order to the end. OPPOSITE of EN MEDIAS RES. SEE PACING. | 0 | |
| 7361867089 | Active Voice (Grammatical) | A syntactical term for a sentence where the subject of that sentence is the door of the action. OPPOSITE of PASSIVE VOICE. | 1 | |
| 7361867090 | Abstract (Rhetorical) | Not related to the concrete properties of an object; pertaining to ideas, concepts or qualities. Related to issues of DICTION. OPPOSITE of CONCRETE | 2 | |
| 7361867091 | Acronym (Rhetorical) | A word formed from the initial syllables or letters of a sequence of words. | 3 | |
| 7361867092 | Adjective (Grammatical) | Words that modify nouns. They can appear in sentences in two ways (Before or after noun). | 4 | |
| 7361867093 | Adjective Clause (Grammatical) | A clause (A group of words containing a noun-verb pair) that describes a noun and functions adjectivally in a sentence. Adjective clauses are almost always signaled by a relative pronoun (who, whom, which, that, where, and when). | 5 | |
| 7361867094 | Adverb (Grammatical) | A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence. | 6 | |
| 7361867095 | Allegory (Literary) | A system of interconnected symbols that work to represent ideas or concepts not redily apparent in the primary narrative. | 7 | |
| 7361867096 | Alliteration (Rhetorical) | The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. This is done to focus or draw the reader's ear to certain words, phrases, or lines. | 8 | |
| 7361867097 | Allusion (Literary) | A passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible, mythology, or literature. An allusion is a way to create a resonance in the reader or mood in the story by employing a subtle reference. | 9 | |
| 7361867098 | Ambiguity (Rhetorical) | The use of language when multiple meanings are possible. This can be a result of one of two things (Insufficient attention to other denotations/connotations or is intentional to bring multiple meanings to the same word). | 10 | |
| 7361867099 | Amblysia (Rhetorical) | Modified language that is used in preparation for tragic or alarming news. | 11 | |
| 7361867100 | Analogy (Rhetorical) | A mod of thought where the speaker compares two unlike things. Analogies can be used in two ways (To explain something more simply or make something abstract more concrete). | 12 | |
| 7361867101 | Anachronism (Literary) | The use of historically inaccurate details in a text usually used to highlight qualities of timelessness. | 13 | |
| 7361867102 | Anacoluthon (Rhetorical) | A sentence that begins in one way, pauses, and ends in another; an incomplete or broken-off thought. | 14 | |
| 7361867103 | Anadiplosis (Rhetorical) | The repetition (or close repetition) of the final word of a clause at the beginning of the following clause for emphasis. | 15 | |
| 7361867104 | Anagram (Rhetorical) | Letters of a word or phrase that can be rearranged to make a new word or phrase. These are most often found in titles of works to embed hidden meaning. | 16 | |
| 7361867105 | Anaphora (Rhetorical) | The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. This is used as an emphasizing device. | 17 | |
| 7361867106 | Anastrophe (Rhetorical) | The inversion of normal word order in a sentence. | 18 | |
| 7361867107 | Anecdote (Rhetorical) | A short story of recounting of events used in either fiction or non-fiction. Provides specific focus and personal flavor to a written piece. | 19 | |
| 7361867108 | Antagonist (Literary) | The character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character. OPPOSITE of PROTAGONIST. | 20 | |
| 7361867109 | Antecedent (Grammatical) | The word that a pronoun replaces in a sentence or series of sentences. | 21 | |
| 7361867110 | Antithesis (Rhetorical) | An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses. | 22 | |
| 7361867111 | Aphorism (Rhetorical) | A concise statement that illustrates a deep truth or widely held belief. | 23 | |
| 7361867112 | Apocope (Rhetorical) | The deliberate removal of a letter or letters from the end of a word. | 24 | |
| 7361867113 | Aposiopesis (Rhetorical) | A breaking off of speech, usually because of rising emotion or excitement. SEE ANACOLUTHON. | 25 | |
| 7361867114 | Apostrophe (Rhetorical) | A form of personification where an abstract idea, dead person, thing, or place is addressed directly as if they were able to understand. SEE PERSONIFICATION, METAPHOR. | 26 | |
| 7361867115 | Appositive (Grammatical) | A modifier that is built from a noun. An appositive is a word or phrase that follows as noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity. Are usually set off by commas. | 27 | |
| 7361867116 | Archaism (Rhetorical) | A form of speech or writing that is outdated, obsolete, or no longer current. Can be purposefully used to allude to or evoke associations to older traditions in writing, thought, or practice. Can also be used purposefully. | 28 | |
| 7361867117 | Archetype (Literary) | A theme, symbol, or stock character that holds a familiar place in a culture's consciousness. | 29 | |
| 7361867118 | Argumentum ad (Argumentative) | A Latin phrase meaning "appeal to" which distinguishes the different objects to which an author can appeal in persuasive writing. When used in isolation, or without support from other persuasive tactics, the author may encounter LOGICAL FALLACIES. The major categories are to the stick, to the wallet, to the man, to ignorance, and to the people. | 30 | |
| 7361867119 | Assonance (Rhetorical) | A type of internal rhyming in which identical or similar vowel sounds are repeated. Like alliteration and consonance, this is done to focus or draw the reader's ear to certain words, phrases, or lines. SEE CONSONANCE; ALLITERATION. | 31 | |
| 7361867120 | Assumption (Rhetorical) | A belief or principle, stated or implied, that is taken for granted. SEE WARRANT. | 32 | |
| 7361867121 | Asyndeton (Rhetorical) | When coordinating conjunctions (such, as, and, or, but) that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence. OPPOSITE of POLYSYNDETON. | 33 | |
| 7361867122 | Atmosphere (Literary) | A compound term that encompasses the tone (the author's attitude towards a subject) and mood (the audience's attitude towards a subject). | 34 | |
| 7361867123 | Audience (Rhetorical) | The intended readership for a piece of writing or speech. Writers need to consider their audience when composing. An audience can be either broad or narrow. | 35 | |
| 7366736485 | Bombast (Rhetorical) | Inflated or pretentious language | 36 | |
| 7367263844 | Cacophony (Rhetorical) | An author's choice of words, usually alliterative, used to create harsh, discordant, and grating sounds when read aloud. | 37 | |
| 7367302067 | Caricature (Literary) | An author's exaggeration or distortion of certain traits/characteristics of an individual. | 38 | |
| 7367318450 | Cause and Effect (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | Cause and effect analysis is one of the types of exposition. A cause and effect analysis answers the question of why? It explains reasons for an occurrence or the consequences of an action. | 39 | |
| 7367340772 | Chiasmus (Rhetorical) | The reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses. | 40 | |
| 7367354310 | Circumlocution (Rhetorical) | Unnecessary wordiness; the use of many words when a few will be satisfactory for the rhetorical purpose. | 41 | |
| 7367365182 | Claim (Argumentative) | The thesis or proposition put forth in an argument. | 42 | |
| 7367372508 | Clause (Grammatical) | A statement that consists of a subject and a predicate. There are two types of clauses, dependent and independent. | 43 | |
| 7367379307 | Clichè (Literary) | An expression that has become ineffective through overuse. | 44 | |
| 7367401934 | Colloquialism (Rhetorical) | An informal expression that is conversational in nature and usually reflects the culture or an area or group; vernacular. | 45 | |
| 7367421435 | Colon (Grammatical) | The colon (:) is a form of punctuation typically used to introduce lists in a sentence. Colons should not interrupt independent clauses. | 46 | |
| 7367436726 | Comparison and Contrast (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | One of the types of exposition. In comparison and contrast, the writer points our the similarities and differences between two or more subjects in the same class or category. The function of any comparison and contrast is to reach some conclusion about the items being compared and contrasted. | 47 | |
| 7367456827 | Complex Sentence (Grammatical) | At least one dependent clause and one independent clause joined together into a single sentence. | 48 | |
| 7367465092 | Compound Sentence (Grammatical) | Two or more independent clauses that are joined together into a single sentence. Independent clauses can be joined by a semicolon or a comma and coordinating conjunction. | 49 | |
| 7367494329 | Coordinating Conjunction (Grammatical) | Words that provide a loose link among items that are equal in rank: "and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so" | 50 | |
| 7367516685 | Concrete (Rhetorical) | A highly specific, particular, or visceral detail that is rooted in empirical experience. | 51 | |
| 7367549517 | Connotation/Denotation (Rhetorical) | Both connotation and denotation refer to the meanings of words. Good writers are sensitive to both the denotations and the connotations of words and they use these meanings to advantage in their writing. | 52 | |
| 7367566939 | Consonance (Rhetorical) | The repetition of two or more consonant sounds located within a series of words. | 53 | |
| 7367578252 | Deduction (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | The process of reasoning from a general claim to the specific cases. This form of reasoning moves from the general to the specific. | 54 | |
| 7367591164 | Dependent Clause (Grammatical) | A clause that connot stand alone as a sentence; it requires an independent clause to give it meaning. | 55 | |
| 7367604145 | Description (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | One of the rhetorical modes. Descriptions can be either objective or subjective | 56 | |
| 7367611284 | Dialogue (Rhetorical) | Spoken words, either real or imagined, that is recorded in a piece of writing. | 57 | |
| 7367630562 | Diction (Rhetorical) | An author's choice of words which is closely linked to the text's tone. | 58 | |
| 7367641647 | Didactic (Literary) | A quality of fiction or non-fiction that illustrates an attempt to teach a moral or lesson. | 59 | |
| 7367649370 | Digression (Rhetorical) | A movement away from the main focus. This can be intentional or unintentional. | 60 | |
| 7367657725 | Direct Object (Grammatical) | An object required by a verb to complete an independent thought. | 61 | |
| 7367663393 | Dysphemism (Rhetorical) | A harsh sounding expression that substitutes for a lighter, more pleasant idea. | 62 | |
| 7399161270 | Ellipses (Grammatical) | Three successive periods (...) that indicates the intentional omission of words in a thought or quotation | 63 | |
| 7399170458 | Elliptical Construction (Rhetorical) | A sentence that contains a deliberate omission of words for rhetorical effect. | 64 | |
| 7399175984 | Emphasis (Rhetorical) | The placement of important ideas and words within sentences and longer units of writing so that they have the greatest impact. In general, the end has the most impact and the beginning nearly as much; the middle has the least | 65 | |
| 7399188940 | Epistle (Literary) | A work of poetry or prose that is presented as a series of letters. | 66 | |
| 7399200713 | Epistrophe (Rhetorical) | A figure of speech where successive phrases or clauses all end with the same word | 67 | |
| 7399207530 | Epithet (Rhetorical) | A word or phrase which is attached to a character in order to describe them in a work of literature or non-fiction. | 68 | |
| 7399223402 | Eponymous (Literary) | a character in a work whose name is same as the title. | 69 | |
| 7399226519 | Ethos (Rhetorical) | The characteristic spirit or ideal that informs a work. "" also refers more generally to ethics, or values of the arguer: honestly, trustworthiness, and morals. | 70 | |
| 7399240813 | Euphemism (Rhetorical) | A mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea. "" are often used to soften the impact of what is being discussed, and can be effective when dealing with sensitive issues, but they can sometimes be misleading. | 71 | |
| 7399265994 | Evidence (Argumentative) | The data on which a judgement or argument is based or by which proof or probability is established. | 72 | |
| 7472369206 | Figures of Speech (Rhetorical) | Comparisons that highlight the similarities between things that are basically dissimilar. | 73 | |
| 7472717299 | Figurative Language (Rhetorical) | An umbrella term for all uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison, but often refers to language that appeals to sensory experience | 74 | |
| 7473963259 | Foreshadowing (Literary) | A purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative. | 75 | |
| 7473963260 | Gobbledygook (Rhetorical) | A mode of speech where the language is completely unintelligible, either because of extreme JARGON or because the words are gibberish. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sounds a turkey makes. | 76 | |
| 7473963261 | Harangue (Rhetorical) | An emotionally based speech meant to spur an audience into action. | 77 | |
| 7473963262 | Hyperbole (Rhetorical) | A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis, usually for comical effect. It relies on exaggeration rather than literal representation. Opposite of understatement. | 78 | |
| 7473963263 | Hyphaersis (Rhetorical) | The omission of a letter from a word, usually to condense the amount of syllables. | 79 | |
| 7473963264 | Hypostatization (Rhetorical) | A form of personification in which an abstract concept takes on living qualities. | 80 | |
| 7473963265 | Idiom (Rhetorical) | A word or phrase that is used habitually. They are difficult to understand for non-native speakers who may be confused by the denotation of the phrase. | 81 | |
| 7473963266 | Imagery (Rhetorical) | A mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations, but there can be auditory and sensory components to this as well. Nearly all writing depends on this to be effective and interesting. | 82 | |
| 7473963267 | Independent Clause (Grammatical) | A clause that can stand alone as a sentence; it can be paired with dependent clauses, but does not require them for meaning. | 83 | |
| 7473963268 | Induction (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | The logical process that arrives at conclusions based off of the experience of specific cases/scenarios. This form of reasoning moves from the particular to the general. | 84 | |
| 7473963269 | Inference (Rhetorical) | The process of arriving at a conclusion based on a hint, clue, or implication. | 85 | |
| 7473963270 | Irony (Literary) | A mode of expression in which the intended outcome is substituted with the reverse of what is expected. This is done for humor or ridicule purposes. | 86 | |
| 7473963271 | Juxtaposition (Rhetorical) | When two contrasting things - ideas, words or sentence elements - are placed next to each other for comparison. | 87 | |
| 7473963272 | Litote (Rhetorical) | A form of understatement in which the opposite is used to achieve emphasis. | 88 | |
| 7473963273 | Logos (Rhetorical) | The use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument. In rhetorical writing, authors often attempt to persuade readers by appealing to their sense of this term, or reason often using data, evidence, or factual information. | 89 | |
| 7473963274 | Loose Syntax (Rhetorical) | A sentence in which the main clause is presented first followed by a series of dependent clauses. The most important information is frontloaded and the descriptive information follows. | 90 | |
| 7473963275 | Malapropism (Rhetorical) | The substitution of a word for a word with a similar sound in which the resulting phrase makes no sense and often creates a comic effect. | 91 | |
| 7473963276 | Metaphor (Literary) | A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly, usually for emphasis or dramatic effect. Can come in a variety of forms. | 92 | |
| 7473963277 | Mood (Literary) | The audience's attitude or feelings towards a subject. | 93 | |
| 7473963278 | Narration (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | One of the four basic types of prose. To narrate is to tell a story, to tell what happened. Although it is is most often used in fiction, it is also important in nonfiction, either by itself or in conjunction with other types of prose. | 94 | |
| 7473963279 | Neologism (Rhetorical) | A newly invented or coined word which can be altogether new, an addition to a previous word, or an existing word which has been given new meaning. | 95 | |
| 7473963280 | Objective/Subjective (Rhetorical) | One type being factual and impersonal, whereas the other being called a impressionistic style of writing, relying heavily on personal interpretation. | 96 | |
| 7473963281 | Onomatopoeia (Rhetorical) | A word that captures the essence of what it describes or stands for. | 97 | |
| 7473963282 | Oxymoron (Rhetorical) | Two contradictory words in one expression. | 98 | |
| 7550071322 | Pacing (Rhetorical) | The speed of a story's action, dialogue, or narration. | 99 | |
| 7550076926 | Panoramic Method (Literary) | Drawn from the film/photography technique of a wide angle shot, this term refers to an omniscient, or all knowing, narrator in a work of fiction or non-fiction | 100 | |
| 7550123606 | Paradox (Rhetorical) | A seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth. | 101 | |
| 7550144671 | Paragraph (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | The single most important unit of thought in an essay, is a series of closely related sentences. | 102 | |
| 7550156430 | Parallelism (Rhetorical) | A technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures, (phrases, clauses, sentences) in a series in order to develop an argument or emphasize an idea. | 103 | |
| 7550172152 | Parody (Rhetorical) | An imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject. | 104 | |
| 7550183099 | Participle (Grammatical) | Expressions built from verbs that can function as a verb, an adjective, or a noun. | 105 | |
| 7550192060 | Passive Voice (Grammatical) | A syntactical term for a sentence where the subject or the sentence is the receiver of the action. | 106 | |
| 7550197488 | Pathos (Rhetorical) | A sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work. | 107 | |
| 7550203730 | Periodic Syntax (Rhetorical) | A sentence that delays the unfolding of the sentence's most important news until the very end, creating a sense of suspense that demands the reader's attention, sometimes to that very last word | 108 | |
| 7550223001 | Person (Literary) | A grammatical term that describes the relationship of a writer or speaker to an audience by examining the pronouns that are used. | 109 | |
| 7550228943 | Persona (Rhetorical) | The character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text | 110 | |
| 7550238593 | Personification (Rhetorical) | A figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities | 111 | |
| 7550245103 | Pleonasm (Rhetorical) | A redundant use of words | 112 | |
| 7550250138 | Point of View (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization) | The perspective from which a story is told. | 113 | |
| 7550255017 | Polysyndeton (Rhetorical) | When coordinating conjunctions (such, as, and, or, but) that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are intentionally overused. | 114 | |
| 7550270359 | Preposition (Grammatical) | A word that indicates a relationship between words or ideas | 115 | |
| 7578923070 | Process Analysis (Rhetorical Mode) | A type of exposition | 116 | |
| 7578930044 | Pun (Rhetorical) | A play on words. | 117 | |
| 7578930817 | Purpose (Rhetorical Mode) | Purpose is what the writer wants to accomplish in a particular piece of writing. | 118 | |
| 7628750685 | Repetition | the reuse of the same word or phrase for emphasis or rhetorical effect | 119 | |
| 7628750686 | rhetorical question | a question that is asked for the sake of argument | 120 | |
| 7628750687 | rhetorical strategy | the way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose | 121 | |
| 7628750688 | sarcasm | a form of verbal irony in which apparent compliments are bitter or nasty | 122 | |
| 7628750689 | satire | a mode of expression that ridiculed or mocks ideas, persons, events, or doctrines in order to make fun of human foibles or weaknesses | 123 | |
| 7628750690 | sic | a notation made during the transcription process to indicate that an apparent error was made in the source document, not in the transference. the notation usually appears brackets or parenthesis | 124 | |
| 7628750691 | semicolon | a form of punctuation typically used to join independent clauses | 125 | |
| 7628750692 | sequence | the order in which a writer presents information | 126 | |
| 7628750693 | simile | a figure of speech that compares the words, "like" or "as" | 127 | |
| 7628750694 | slang | the unconventional, very informal language of particular sub-groups of a culture | 128 | |
| 7628750695 | speaker | the narrator of a story, person, or drama | 129 | |
| 7628750696 | specific words | words that name individual objects, qualities, or actions within a class or group | 130 | |
| 7628750697 | general words | groups or classes of objects, qualities, or actions | 131 | |
| 7628750698 | strategy | a means by which a writer achieves his or her purpose. | 132 | |
| 7628750699 | stream of consciousness | a narrative technique which is meant to mirror the continuous, and often times disjointed and disconnected, flow of information through a speaker's mind with little or no regard for traditional narrative coherence | 133 | |
| 7628750700 | style | the manner in which an author uses and arranges words, phrases, and ideas to express his or her ideas | 134 | |
| 7628750701 | Syllogism | an argument that utilizes deductive reasoning and consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion | 135 | |
| 7628750702 | symbol | a person, place, or thing that evokes ideas and associations that are not literally part of the original object | 136 | |
| 7628750703 | Syntax | the way words are arranged in a sentence | 137 | |
| 7628750704 | Technical language | the special vocabulary of a trade or profession | 138 | |
| 7628750705 | theme | the central idea, usually an abstract, upon which a written piece, fiction or non-fiction, is built. | 139 | |
| 7628750706 | thesis | a statement of the main idea of an essay. It can sometimes be implied rather than directly statement | 140 | |
| 7628750707 | tone | the author's attitude towards a subject or scenario | 141 | |
| 7628750708 | transitions | words that bring unity and coherence to a piece of writing by drawing connections between paragraphed ideas | 142 | |
| 7628750709 | Understatement | When an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves | 143 | |
| 7628750710 | Vernacular | an informal expression that is controversial in nature and usually reflects the culture or an area or group | 144 | |
| 7628750711 | voice | how the speaker of a literary work presents himself or herself to the reader | 145 | |
| 7628750712 | zeugma | a figure of speech in which the same word is applied to two other words in the same sentence with a different name | 146 |
