AP Language & Composition Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
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| 8154074686 | rhetoric | The art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse. | 0 | |
| 8154074687 | analogy | A comparison to a directly parallel case, arguing that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the other case. | 1 | |
| 8154074688 | antithesis | A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases or clauses. | 2 | |
| 8154074689 | appeal to authority | A type of logical fallacy in which the writer or speaker seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for the famous. | 3 | |
| 8154074690 | parallelism | Refers to a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence. | 4 | |
| 8154074691 | concession | An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point. | 5 | |
| 8154074692 | qualifying statement | A statement in which the writer has added some information, evidence, or phrase in order to make it less strong or less generalized. | 6 | |
| 8154074693 | generalization | The abstraction of a general idea, principle, or pattern from the observation of particular objects, events, or experiences. | 7 | |
| 8154074694 | anecdote | A brief recounting of a relevant episode. | 8 | |
| 8154074695 | periodic statement | Sentence that has its main clause at the end of the sentence. | 9 | |
| 8154074696 | compound subject | A subject that consists of two or more simple subjects joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) and that have the same predicate. | 10 | |
| 8154074697 | subordinate clause | Also called a dependent clause—will begin with a subordinate conjunction (such as "although" or "if") or a relative pronoun (such as "that" or "who") and will contain both a subject and a verb. This combination of words will not form a complete sentence. It will instead make a reader want additional information to finish the thought. | 11 | |
| 8154074698 | tone | Author's attitude toward subject matter as revealed through style, syntax, diction, figurative language, and organization. | 12 | |
| 8154074699 | ironical statement | The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. | 13 | |
| 8154074700 | syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. | 14 | |
| 8154074701 | ad hominem argument | A type of logical fallacy in which the writer or speaker attacks a person instead of the argument proposed by that individual. | 15 | |
| 8154074702 | antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun | 16 | |
| 8154074703 | connotation | The feelings and attitudes associated with a word. | 17 | |
| 8154074704 | simple sentence | Contains one independent clause (also called a main clause). | 18 | |
| 8154074705 | compound sentence | Contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. | 19 | |
| 8154074706 | imagery | Use of sensory details to create images. | 20 | |
| 8154074707 | digression | The act of departing from the main subject in speech or writing to discuss an apparently unrelated topic. | 21 | |
| 8154074708 | prepositional phrase | A group of words made up of a preposition, its object, and any of the object's modifiers. | 22 | |
| 8154074709 | allusion | A reference, explicit or indirect, to a person, place, or event, or to another literary work or passage. | 23 | |
| 8154074710 | euphemism | The use of a word or phrase that is less expressive or direct but considered less offensive than another. | 24 | |
| 8154074711 | oxymoron | A figure of speech in which two contradictory words are placed side-by-side for effect. | 25 | |
| 8154074712 | personification | A kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics | 26 | |
| 8154074713 | apostrophe | A form of personification in which the absent, or dead, are spoken to as if present, and the inanimate, as if animate. | 27 | |
| 8154074714 | idiomatic diction | An expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. Also used to describe language that is peculiar to an individual. | 28 | |
| 8154074715 | colloquialism | Ordinary, everyday speech and language. | 29 | |
| 8154074716 | allegory | A fiction or nonfiction narrative, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities, moral values, or concepts. | 30 | |
| 8154074717 | epithet | A short, poetic nickname--often in the form of an adjective or adjectival phrase--attached to a normal name (also called "tag"). | 31 | |
| 8154074718 | double entendre | Term used to indicate a word or phrase that is deliberately ambiguous, especially when one of the meanings is risqué or improper. | 32 | |
| 8154074719 | monologue | A long speech by one person; a dramatic speech by one actor. | 33 | |
| 8154074720 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work | 34 | |
| 8154074721 | paradox | Occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth. | 35 | |
| 8154074722 | rhetorical question | A question that requires no answer. It is used to draw attention to a point and is generally stronger than a direct statement. | 36 | |
| 8154074723 | assertion/claim | A statement that is debatable, as opposed to fact. It expresses a specific position on some doubtful or controversial issue that the arguer wants the audience to accept. | 37 | |
| 8154074724 | understatement | Deliberately expresses an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact | 38 | |
| 8154074725 | false dilemma | a type of logical fallacy that involves a situation in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there is at least one additional option. | 39 | |
| 8154074726 | begging the question | A type of logical fallacy in which the premises include the claim that the conclusion is true or (directly or indirectly) assume that the conclusion is true. | 40 | |
| 8154074727 | truism | An undoubted or self-evident truth. The 'everyday wisdom' of the common man. | 41 | |
| 8154074728 | syntax | The way in which sentences are structured | 42 | |
| 8154074729 | symbol | An object, place, setting, prop, event or person (which may also retain its own literal meaning) that represents or stands for some idea or event. | 43 | |
| 8154074730 | appeal to pathos | A quality in a literary work which arouses profound feelings of compassion or sorrow. | 44 | |
| 8154074731 | onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. | 45 | |
| 8154074732 | alliteration | The repetition of the same consonant sound, especially at the beginning of words. | 46 | |
| 8154074733 | juxtaposition | A poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, often creating an effect of surprise and wit. | 47 | |
| 8154074734 | concrete diction | Specific words that describe physical qualities or conditionsSpecific words that describe physical qualities or conditions | 48 | |
| 8154074735 | abstract diction | Language that denotes ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible-impenetrable, incredible, inscrutable, inconceivable, unfathomable | 49 | |
| 8154074736 | diatribe | A violently bitter verbal attack. | 50 | |
| 8154074737 | hyperbole | A bold overstatement or extravagant expression of fact, used for serious or comic effect. | 51 | |
| 8154074738 | figurative language | Language that is symbolic or metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally. | 52 | |
| 8154074739 | ambiguity | Use of language where the meaning is unclear or has two or more possible interpretations or meanings. | 53 | |
| 8154074740 | ellipsis | The deliberate omission of a word or words that are readily implied by the context; it creates an elegant or daring economy of words. | 54 | |
| 8154074741 | epiphany | Literally, "a manifestation." A sudden radiance and revelation while observing a commonplace object. | 55 | |
| 8154074742 | synecdoche | A form of metaphor where a part of something is used to signify the whole. | 56 | |
| 8154074743 | metonymy | A figure of speech where the term for one thing is applied for another with which it has become closely associated in experience. | 57 | |
| 8154074744 | asyndeton | The deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses. | 58 | |
| 8154074745 | polysyndeton | The deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis - to highlight quantity or mass of detail or to create a flowing, continuous sentence pattern. | 59 |
