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Rhetorical Devices
AP Language and Composition Rhetorical Devices
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Appeal to authority | The claim that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be right. |
| Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for it of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. |
| Denotation | The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations. |
| Ellipsis | The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author. |
| Euphemism | A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts. |
| Argument | Piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion. |
| Deductive Argument | An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion. The premises is so strong that, if the premises are true, it would be impossible for the conclusion to be false. |
| Inductive Argument | An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth of the conclusion. The premises are intended only to be so strong that, if they are true, then it is unlikely that the conclusion is false. |
| Ethos | Being convinced by the credibility of the author. |
| Pathos | Persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions. |
| Logos | Persuading by the use of reasoning, using true premises and valid arguments. |
| Fallacy | Attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning. Many types of it exist. |
| Ad Hominem | Latin for "against the man". Personally, attacking your opponent's instead of their arguments. |
| Appeal to the bandwagon | The claim, as evidence for an idea, that many people believe it, or used to believe it, or do It. |
| Non Sequitur | A conclusion that does not follow from its premises, an invalid argument. |
| Allusion | An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events with which the reader is supposed to be familiar. |
| Anecdote | A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Often inserted into fictional or non-fiction texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor. |
| Colloquial | Ordinary or familiar type of conversation. It's a common or familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism. |
| Connotation | Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning. |
| Diction | Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning. |
| Didactic | A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. |
| Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. |
| Irony | When the opposite of what you expect to happen does. Can be Verbal, Dramatic, or Situational. |
| Juxtaposition | Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. |
| Mood | The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction). Syntax is often a creator of it since word order, sentence length and strength and complexity also affect pacing. |
| Pacing | The speed or tempo of an author's writing. Writers can use a variety of devices (syntax, polysyndeton, anaphora, meter) |
| Parallelism | (Also known as parallel structure or balanced sentences.) Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns. |
| Anaphora | Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row. |
| Antithesis | Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure. |
| Chiasmus | When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed. |
| Rhetoric | The art of effective communication. |
| Rhetorical Question | Question not asked for information but for effect. |
| Sarcasm | A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded. However, not all satire and irony are sarcastic. It is the bitter, mocking tone that separates it from mere verbal irony or satire. |
| Satire | A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. |
| Syntax/Sentence Variety | Grammatical arrangement of words. |
| Theme | The central idea or message of a work. May be directly stated in nonfiction works, although not necessarily. |
| Thesis | The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. |
| Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle | The relationships, in any piece of writing, between the writer, the audience, and the subject. |
| Aristotle's (or Classical) Appeals | The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade an audience that one's ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. Aristotle divided all means of persuasion (appeals) into three categories - ethos, pathos, and logos. |
| Concession | Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint. Often used to make one's own argument stronger by demonstrating that one is willing to accept what is obviously true and reasonable, even if it is presented by the opposition. |
| Appositive | A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning. |
| Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. |
| Independent Clause | expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. |
| Dependent/Subordinate Clause | cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. |
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