AP English Rhetorical Devices

44404017	Abstract Language	describes ideas and qualities, rather than observable or specific things
44404018	Ad Hominem	attack on one's opponent, rather than the opponent's argument
44404019	Allegory	symbolic story that has a second meaning beneath the surface one
44404020	Alliteration	repetition of initial consonant sounds in words
44404021	Allusion	indirect reference to famous events or characters from history, literature, or mythology
44404022	Ambiguity	event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way; intentional vagueness
44404023	Anachronism	placement of an event, person, thing out of its proper place in time
44404024	Anaphora	repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row
44404025	Antithesis	juxtaposition of two contrasting ideas
44404026	Ethos	appeals to the audience's sense of morals or principles
44404027	Logos	appeals to the audience's sense of logic and reasoning
44404028	Pathos	appeals to the audience's emotions
44404029	Apostrophe	address to the dead as though they were living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if present
44404030	Argumentation	exploring a problem by examining all sides of it; persuasion through reason
44404031	Archetype	stereotype of literature
44404032	Assonance	repetition of similar vowel sounds
44404033	Assumption	when details are not stated but must be inferred by the reader
44404034	Asyndeton	series of words separated by commas without conjunctions
44404035	Balance	construction in which both halves of the sentence have the same length and importance
44404036	Catharsis	cleansing release of unhealthy emotions
44404037	Causal Relationship	one thing results from another
44404038	Chiasmus	arrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern XY-YX
44404039	Cliche	expression so often used its freshness and originality have worn off
44404040	Comic Relief	humor in the serious action of a tragedy; enriches the quality of the work
44404041	Concrete Language	describes specific, observable things rather than ideas or qualities
44404042	Connotation	emotions associated with a word
44404043	Consonance	repetition of consonant sounds; not limited to the first letter of words
44404044	Conventional	following traditional techniques of writing
44404045	Cumulative	sentence that begins with the main idea and expands on that idea with a series of details
44404046	Denotation	dictionary definition of a word
44404047	Formal Diction	used in serious books and lofty discourse
44404048	Informal Diction	found in relaxed but polite and cultivated conversation
44404049	Colloquial Diction	everyday usage that may contain terms accepted in a group but not universally acceptable
44404050	Slang	newly coined words that are not yet a part of formal usage
44413287	Didactic	literature designed to teach or instruct
44413288	Digression	temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing
44413289	Elegy	formal poem lamenting the death of a particular person
44413290	Elliptical	deliberate omission of words implied by context
44413291	Empathy	reader understands closely what the character is feeling
44413292	Enthymeme	syllogism (logical argument) in which the major premise is unstated but meant to be understood
44413293	Epithet	adjective used to point out a characteristic of a person or thing
44413294	Euphemism	mild word used to substitute an unpleasant or offensive word
44413295	Foreshadowing	method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is to come
44413296	Figurative Language	words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes
44413297	Freight Train	sentence consisting of three or more short independent clauses joined by conjunctions
44413298	Generalization	basing a claim upon an isolated example or asserting that a claim is true rather than probable
44413299	Genre	major category into which a literary work fits
44413300	Grotesque	bizarre, incongruous, ugly, unnatural, or abnormal
44413301	Hyperbole	overstatement or exaggeration of facts
44413302	Idiom	use of words or grammatical construction peculiar to a given language, or an expression that cannot be translated literally into a second language
44413303	Imagery	use of language to represent sense experience
44413304	Auditory Imagery	use of language to represent an experience pertaining to sound
44413305	Gustatory Imagery	use of language to represent an experience pertaining to taste
44413306	Kinesthetic Imagery	use of language to represent an experience pertaining to the movement of muscles, tendons, or joints
44413307	Olfactory Imagery	use of language to represent an experience pertaining to smell
44413308	Tactile Imagery	use of language to represent an experience pertaining to touch
44413309	Visual Imagery	use of language to represent an experience pertaining to sight
44413310	Inversion	word order that places a modifier or verb before the subject
44413311	Situational Irony	contrast between what is normally expected and what actually occurs
44413312	Dramatic Irony	reader or audience knows more about the events of a story than the character in the story
44413313	Verbal Irony	what is said is the opposite of what is meant
44413314	Juxtaposition	placement of two things side by side for the purposes of examination
44413315	Litote	understatement that purposefully represents something as much less significant as it is, achieving an ironic effect
44413316	Loose Sentence	main clause comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units
44413317	Metaphor	comparison without using "like" or "as"
44413318	Metonymy	designation of one thing with something closely associated with it
44413319	Mood	atmosphere or feeling created by a literary work
44429657	Motif	frequently recurring character, incident, or concept in a work of literature
44429658	Negative-Positive	sentence that begins by stating what is not true and then ending by stating what is true
44429659	Onomatopoeia	word whose sound suggests its meaning
44429660	Oxymoron	paradox that combines terms normally seen as opposites
44429661	Parallelism	similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
44429662	Paradox	statement that appears contradictory yet expresses a truth when viewed from another angle
44429663	Parody	comic imitation of another work often for ridicule
44429664	Pedantic	scholarly, academic writing that borders on lecturing
44429665	Parenthesis	insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal flow of the sentence
44429666	Periodic Sentence	main clause comes last, preceded by dependent grammatical units
44429667	Polysyndeton	sentence that uses "and" or another conjunction (with no commas) to separate items in a series; X and Y and Z
44429668	Personification	attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract concepts
44429669	Pun	play on words that utilizes a word's multiple meanings
44429670	Realism	faithful representation of reality to make a story more believable
44429671	Red Herring	when an author raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue
44429672	Rhetoric	art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse
44429673	Rhetorical Criticism	analyses the techniques employed in a literary work to impose the author's view on the reader
44429674	Sarcasm	verbal irony that uses insincere praise to express bitter and caustic disapproval
44429675	Satire	used to arouse laughter at targets such as people or groups to expose human folly
44429676	Simile	comparison using "like" or "as"
44429677	Stream of Consciousness	writing technique that uses frequent illogical and incoherent digressions to reproduce the raw flow of consciousness
44429678	Structure	organization or arrangement of various elements in a work
44429679	Narrative Structure	chronological organization used to convey a story
44429680	Dramatic Structure	organization used in plays that consists of a series of scenes, each of which is presented in vivid detail
44429681	Discursive Structure	organization used in an argument or essay
44429682	Style	arrangement of words in a manner that expresses the author's individuality and his or her intent
44429683	Rhetorical Question	question used to emphasize a point; no answer is expected
44429684	Syllepsis	grammatical construction in which one word relates to two words in very different ways
44429685	Syllogism	format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion
44429686	Symbol	character, object, or event in literature that represents something larger than itself
44429687	Synecdoche	figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole
44429688	Synesthesia	one sensory experience is described in terms of another sensory experience
44429689	Syntax	manner in which words are joined to make phrases, clauses, and sentences
44429690	Theme	main idea that the author expresses in a literary work
44429691	Thesis	claim or proposition that a writer must strive to prove effectively and thoroughly
44429692	Tone	attitude of the speaker of a work of literature expresses to the reader through language
44429693	Voice	total "sound" or "feel" of a writer's style that is present behind characters, narrators, and personae of literature
44429694	Wit	intellectual humor that suggests the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks
44429695	Zeugma	writer uses one word to govern several successive words or clauses