AP Language and Composition Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

8687897379	Abstract	refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images ( ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places). The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language. EXAMPLE: sadness or happiness are abstract terms because different images pop into the head and one is unable to define them.	0
8687948423	Ad Hominem	In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man." EXAMPLE: A politician degrading another politician during a political campaign when asked about a specific policy - "Well, I think we need to look at the other candidate's failures regarding this topic."	1
8687965198	Allegory	an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric. EXAMPLE: aerie Queene by Edmund Spenser is a religious or moral allegory where characters represent virtues and vices.	2
8687978405	Alliteration	repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another. EXAMPLE: Mickey Mouse; Donald Duck	3
8687986283	Allusion	a reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, etc. EXAMPLE: Eden	4
8688000771	Analogy	Comparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship, such as comparing the work of a heart to that of a pump. An analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case. EXAMPLE:Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get!	5
8688024099	Anaphora	Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. EXAMPLE: "There was the delight I caught in seeing long straight rows. There was the faint, cool kiss of sensuality. There was the vague sense of the infinite"	6
8688038587	Anecdote	a short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point. EXAMPLE: At the beginning of a speech about fire safety, the speaker tells a short cautionary tale about a serious injury that occurred as a result of not following protocol.	7
8688049530	Annotation	Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data. EXAMPLES: Anxiety Disorder. (2013). NIMH Website. Retrieved from: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml?wvsessionid=wv650bd43245ce405884dd789794894544	8
8688063976	Antithesis	the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. EXAMPLE: "To be or not to be..." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country...."	9
8688072094	Aphorism	a short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life EXAMPLE: "Early bird gets the worm."	10
8688078936	Apostrophe	usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction	11
8688096249	argumentation	writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation	12
8688108607	assonance	repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants EXAMPLES: Hear the mellow wedding bells	13
8688126661	assyndeton	Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. Asyndeton takes the form of X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z.	14
8688134997	cacophony	harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony. EXAMPLE: And being no stranger to the art of war, I have him a description of cannons, culverins, muskets, carabines, pistols, bullets, powder, swords, bayonets, battles, sieges, retreats, attacks, undermines, countermines, bombardments, sea-fights...	15
8688163572	caricature	descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person's appearance or a faced of personality. EXAMPLE: In medieval times, the perfect man was strong, an expert warrior, and skilled at horsemanship. In the movie, King Arthur and his knights often ran away from a fight.	16
8688177542	colloquialism	a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing EXAMPLE: y'all, ain't	17
8688182743	coherence	quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle	18
8688202014	concrete language	Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities. EXAMPLES: The apple was blood-red	19
8688210345	connotation	implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader's mind. EXAMPLE: Wall Street has the positive connotation of wealth due to its history as being extremely important	20
8688225690	consonance	epetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words EXAMPLE: fulfill and ping-pong	21
8688230528	conundrum	a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem EXAMPLE: What is it that leaps and runs and has no feet? A ball	22
8688253040	deduction	he process of moving from a general rule to a specific example EXAMPLE: Since all humans are mortal, and I am a human, then I am mortal.	23
8688265388	denotation	literal meaning of a word as defined EXAMPLE: an apple has the denotation of a red fruit that grows on trees	24
8688272276	description	the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse	25
8688276152	diction	word choice, an element of style; Diction creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.	26
8688281875	didactic	writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. Didactic writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.	27
8688293326	discourse	spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.	28
8688300658	dissonance	harsh or grating sounds that do not go together EXAMPLE: The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel	29
8688311472	dramatic irony	When the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character's perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.	30
8688314902	emotional appeal	When a writer appeals to readers' emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument.	31
8688318261	epigraph	the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. EXAMPLE: Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is "You are all a lost generation" by Gertrude Stein.	32
8688325770	ethical appeal	When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience's confidence.	33
8688329250	euphemism	a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a common euphemism for "he died." Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses "collateral damage" to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.	34
8688335582	euphony	a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony EXAMPLE: Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness	35
8688349566	examples	An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant.	36
8688352580	explication	The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.	37
8688355030	exposition	the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse	38
8688359691	extended metaphor	a sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. The extended metaphor is developed throughout a piece of writing	39
8688364224	false analogy	When two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them.	40
8688366829	figurative language	language that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal.	41
8688369994	figures of speech	expressions, such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations.	42
8688375543	foreshadowing	the use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs late in the work	43
8688379410	freight-train	Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.	44
8688383030	generalization	When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some.	45
8688387450	genre	a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres	46
8688392301	hubris	the excessive pride of ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings of impending doom, eventually causing his or her downfall.	47
8688397543	humor	anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person's temperament	48
8688402357	hyperbole	deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis (Example: He was so hungry he could have eaten a horse.)	49
8689833491	Image	A word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense. An image is always a concrete representation.	50
8689833492	Imagery	words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in order to create a mental picture	51
8689833493	Induction	the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization	52
8689833494	Infrence	a logical intrepretation based on prior knowladge or expierence	53
8689833495	interior monologue	writing that records the conversation that occurs inside a character's head	54
8689833496	invective	Verbally abusive attack	55
8689833497	Inversion	reversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase; it is used effectively in many cases, such as posing a question: "Are you going to the store?" Usually, the element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject.	56
8689833498	Irony	situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected.	57
8689945637	Jargon	The special language of a profession or group. The term jargon usually has pejorative associations, with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders. The writings of the lawyer and the literary critic are both susceptible to jargon.	58
8689945638	Logic	the process of reasoning	59
8689945639	logical fallacy	a mistake in reasoning	60
8689945640	lyrical	Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.	61
8689945641	Metaphor	figure of speech in which one thing is referred to as another; for example, "my love is a fragile flower"	62
8689945642	Metonymy	a figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated, such as using "the crown" to refer to a monarch ; Also, "The pen is mightier than the sword."	63
8689945643	Mode	the method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written	64
8689945644	Mood	similar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work (the feeling of the work; the atmosphere). Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.	65
8689945645	Moral	The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. It can also mean a heavily didactic story.	66
8689945646	Motif	main theme or subject of a work that is elaborated on in the development of the piece; a repeated pattern or idea	67
8689945647	Narration	the telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of discourse	68
8689945648	Negative-Positive	Sentence that begins by stating what is NOT true, then ending by stating what is true	69
8689945649	non sequitur	Latin for "it does not follow." When one statement isn't logically connected to another	70
8690046632	Objectivity	an impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writer's attempt to remove himself or herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story. Hard news journalism is frequently prized for its objectivity, although even fictional stories can be told without a writer rendering personal judgment.	71
8690046633	Onomonopia	The use of words or sounds which resemble the sounds they describe. (ex boom, psst)	72
8690046634	Oversimplification	When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument	73
8690046635	Oxymoron	a figure of speech composed of contradictory words or phrases, such as "wise fool," bitter-sweet," "pretty ugly," "jumbo shrimp," "cold fire"	74
8690046636	Pacing	the movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another	75
8690046637	Parable	a short tale that teaches a moral; similar to but shorter than an allegory	76
8690046638	Paradox	a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude."	77
8690046639	Parallelism	the technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form. Parallel structure may be as simple as listing two or three modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb; it may take the form of two or more of the same type of phrases (prepositional, participial, gerund, appositive) that modify the same noun or verb; it may also take the form of two or more subordinate clauses that modify the same noun or verb. Or, parallel structure may be a complex bend of singe-word, phrase, and clause parallelism all in the same sentence.	78
8690046640	Parody	a work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements. . It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content.	79
8690046641	pathos (n)	the aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade. Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess of pathos.	80
8690046642	Pedantic	a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant	81
8690046643	Personification	The attribution of human qualities to a nonhuman or an inanimate object	82
8690046644	Persuasion	a form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.	83
8690092944	Polysendeton	Sentence which uses and or another conjunction (with no commas) to separate the items in a series. Polysyndeton appear in the form of X and Y and Z, stressing equally each member of a series. It makes the sentence slower and the items more emphatic than in the asyndeton.	84
8690092945	Protagonist	Main character in a story	85
8690092946	red herring fallacy	the use of irrelevant material to divert attention	86
8690092947	reductio ad absurdum	the Latin for "to reduce to the absurd." This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetorical fallacy because it reduces an argument to an either/or choice	87
8690160234	Regionalism	an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot	88
8690160235	Repitition	Repeating a word, phrase, or idea for emphasis or rhythmic effect	89
8690160236	Rhetoric	the art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse; Rhetoric focuses on the interrelationship of invention, arrangement, and style in order to create felicitous and appropriate discourse.	90
8690160237	rhetorical modes	exposition, description, narration, argumentation	91
8690160238	Rhetorical question	one that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience	92
8690160239	Sarcasm	harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony	93
8690160240	Satire	A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. Satire doesn't simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in sarcasm). Satire targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.	94
8690160241	setting (n)	where and when the story takes place	95
8690160242	Simile	a figure of speech that uses like, as, or as if to make a direct comparison between two essentially different objects, actions, or qualities; for example, "The sky looked like an artist's canvas."	96
8690181207	Speaker	the voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona	97
8690181208	Stereotype	a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality; a conventional patter, expression or idea.	98
8690181209	straw man fallacy	When a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Setting up a straw man diverts attention from the real issues.	99
8704453782	style	an author's characteristic manner of expression - his or her diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style	100
8704457435	subjectivity	a personal presentation of evens and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions	101
8704462110	syllogism	A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Example: Major Premise: All tragedies end unhappily. Minor Premise: Hamlet is a tragedy. Conclusion: Therefore, Hamlet ends unhappily.	102
8704467467	symbolism	the use of symbols or anything that is meant to be taken both literally and as representative of a higher and more complex significance	103
8704470901	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using "boards" to mean a stage or "wheels" to mean a car - or "All hands on deck."	104
8704475501	syntactic fluency	Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.	105
8704482675	syntactic permutuation	Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for a reader to follow.	106
8704489111	syntax	the grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax includes length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound).	107
8704494054	theme	the central idea or "message" or a literary work	108
8704498319	thesis	the main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author's assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis.	109
8704500921	tone	the characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience (anger, sarcastic, loving, didactic, emotional, etc.)	110
8704507638	transition	a word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.	111
8704511800	tricolon	Sentence consisting of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses	112
8704517375	understatement	the opposite of hyperbole/exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.	113
8704523296	unity	quality of a piece of writing (also see coherence)	114
8704528514	voice	refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.	115
8704565099	point of view	refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.	116
8704573245	first person narrator	a narrator, referred to as "I," who is a character in the story and relates the actions through his or her own perspective, also revealing his or her own thoughts	117
8704581128	stream of conciousness	like a first person narrator, but instead placing the reader inside the character's head, making the reader privy to the continuous, chaotic flow of disconnected, half-formed thoughts and impressions in the character's mind	118
8704589509	omniscient	third person narrator, referred to as "he," "she," or "they," who is able to see into each character's mind and understands all the action	119
8704593652	limited omniscient	a third person narrator who reports the thoughts of only one character and generally only what that one character sees	120
8704596035	objective	a third person narrator who only reports what would be visible to a camera; thoughts and feelings are only revealed if a character speaks of them	121