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AP Rhetorical Terms
AP English Rhetorical Terms by Prerna Verghese English 4 AP
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images ex ideas..qualities ...specifics things etc |
| Ad Hominem | In a argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. ex. 1. You may argue that god doesn't exist but you are a fat idiot. 2. You claim that Mr. Aims is innocent but why should i believe you, you're a moron after all. |
| Allegory | An extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events and setting represent abstract qualities and in which writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story. ex. lord of flies |
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonants sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another. ex Alice's aunt ate apples and acorns around august |
| Allusion | A reference to well known person, place or thing from literature, history, etc ex. "John was not his brother's keeper" Alludes to Cain and Abel |
| Analogy | Comparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action. ex Life is a box of chocolate you never know what you will get |
| Anaphora | Repetition of a word, phrase or clause at the beginning of two or more sentence in a row easy way to remember is: a one a and two a and three a and a four a (anaphora) ex. "I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation. |
| Anecdote | A short, simple narrative of an incident often used for humorous effect or to make a point. |
| Antithesis | The presentation of two contrasting images. Ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause or paragraphs. Ex. "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country" |
| Aphorism | A short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life. Ex Early bird gets the worm |
| Apostrophe | Usually in poetry but sometimes in prose, the device of calling out to an imaginary dead or absent person. 1. Romeo, romeo! where art thou romeo? |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as neigh/fade ex. Hear the mellow wedding bells ~Edgar Allan Poe |
| Abstract | Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images ex ideas..qualities ...specifics things etc |
| Ad Hominem | In a argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. ex. 1. You may argue that god doesn't exist but you are a fat idiot. 2. You claim that Mr. Aims is innocent but why should i believe you, you're a moron after all. |
| Allegory | An extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events and setting represent abstract qualities and in which writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story. ex. lord of flies |
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonants sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another. ex Alice's aunt ate apples and acorns around august |
| Allusion | A reference to well known person, place or thing from literature, history, etc ex. "John was not his brother's keeper" Alludes to Cain and Abel |
| Analogy | Comparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action. ex Life is a box of chocolate you never know what you will get |
| Anaphora | Repetition of a word, phrase or clause at the beginning of two or more sentence in a row easy way to remember is: a one a and two a and three a and a four a (anaphora) ex. It was the best of times..it was worst of times." |
| Anecdote | A short, simple narrative of an incident often used for humorous effect or to make a point. |
| Antithesis | The presentation of two contrasting images. Ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause or paragraphs. Ex. "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country" |
| Aphorism | A short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life. Ex Early bird gets the worm |
| Apostrophe | Usually in poetry but sometimes in prose, the device of calling out to an imaginary dead or absent person. 1. Romeo, romeo! where art thou romeo? |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as neigh/fade ex. Hear the mellow wedding bells ~Edgar Allan Poe |
| Asyndeton | Commas used (with no conjunctions) Ex. The evening whispered perfume, the twilight warmed his eyes, the dancing melted her inhibitions, the second burrito grande spoiled his moment |
| Cacophony | Harsh, awkward sounding words Ex. "Twas brilling, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were borogroves, and the mome raths outgrabe |
| Caricature | Descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates one's apperance |
| Colloquialism | A word or phrase that includes a slang ex Ain't, Wanna, Gonna etc |
| Chiasmus | two corresponding parts arranged not in parallels (a-b, a-b) but in inverted (a-b,b-a) ex. Don't let a fool kiss you, dont let a kiss fool you. |
| Connotation | Implied or suggested meaning of the a word because of its association in the readers mind ex.-"And on a day we meet to walk the line ..And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go." ~Mending wall by Robert Frost |
| Consonance | Repetition of identical consonants sounds with in two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best. ex Litter and Batter |
| Conundrum | A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun, it may also be a paradox ex. What came first a chicken or an egg? |
| Deduction | The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example. Ex. All white people are atheist Jane is white Jane is Atheist |
| Denotation | Literal meaning of a word as defined |
| Description | The picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observations. |
| Diction | Choice of words |
| Didactic | Writing whose purpose is to teach or instruct. Ex. How to books |
| Discourse | Spoken language includes literary works the 4 traditionally classified as Exposition, Description, narration and persuasion |
| Dissonance | Harsh sounding words |
| Emotion Appeal | When a writer appeals to readers emotions ex. Those really sad pet commercials that ignite a feeling of remorse in the viewer |
| Epigraph | The use of a quotations at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme ex. Lawyers I suppose, were children once ~ To kill a mocking bird |
| Euphemism | A more acceptable and usually more plesant way of saying something tgat might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. Ex I am not a rebel, i am a freedom fighter, or instead of he died you could say he passed away |
| Euphony | A succession of harmonious sounds |
| Extended Metaphor | A sustained comparison often refereed to as a conceit. |
| False Analogy | When two case are not sufficiently parallel ex. Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head in order to make them work so must employees |
| Figurative Language | Language that contains figures of speech such as similes and metaphors etc |
| Figure of speech | |
| Deduction | The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example. Ex. All white people are atheist Jane is white Jane is Atheist |
| Denotation | Literal meaning of a word as defined |
| Description | The picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observations. |
| Diction | Choice of words |
| Didactic | Writing whose purpose is to teach or instruct. Ex. How to books |
| Discourse | Spoken language includes literary works the 4 traditionally classified as Exposition, Description, narration and persuasion |
| Dissonance | Harsh sounding words |
| Emotion Appeal | When a writer appeals to readers emotions ex. Those really sad pet commercials that ignite a feeling of remorse in the viewer |
| Epigraph | The use of a quotations at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme ex. Lawyers I suppose, were children once ~ To kill a mocking bird |
| Euphemism | A more acceptable and usually more plesant way of saying something tgat might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. Ex I am not a rebel, i am a freedom fighter, or instead of he died you could say he passed away |
| Euphony | A succession of harmonious sounds |
| Extended Metaphor | A sustained comparison often refereed to as a conceit. |
| False Analogy | When two case are not sufficiently parallel ex. Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head in order to make them work so must employees |
| Figurative Language | Language that contains figures of speech such as similes and metaphors etc |
| Figure of speech | expressions such as similes, metaphors, and personification etc |
| Foreshadowing | The use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs late in the work. Ex "The soothsayer tells Caesar to beware the ides of March in Julius Caesar" |
| Freight Train | Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent causesSeeing that expanse of green grass, smelling the popcorn and the hotdogs cooking, walking past excited children clutching baseball gloves and wearing their team's hat, hearing the ball smac |
| Generalization | When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Ex All Parents are mean and unfair |
| Hubris | The excessive pride of ambition that leads to a tragic hero's downfall perfect Ex wud be : Oedipus rex and his pride & hamlet & Odysseus etc |
| Humor | Anything that causes laugher or amusement |
| Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor ex i was so hungry i could give my first born for a slice of pizza |
| Imagery | words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more. Ex "a large oak case, with squares cut out near the top, resembling coach windows.In fact, it formed a little closet, and the ledge of the window, which it enclosed.. |
| Induction | the process moves from given series of specifics to a generalization Sam is Christian Sam is Asian All Asians are Christians |
| Invective | Verbal abusive attack exgirl one: YOU SON OF A BOWL FULL OF JELLY!! bill: what the fruit cake? girl one: you think i wouldn't find your little stocking stuffer, frost bite? girl two: who are you calling a frost bite, you coal licker? girl one: frosting y |
| Inversion | Reversing the customary (Subject first, then verb, then complement) ex. "Yet know i how the heather looks" ~Emily Dickenson |
| Irony | A situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected Ex. In cask of amontillado Fortanato means one with fortune yet he is unfortunate |
| Jargon | The special language of a profession or group Ex. Computer languages: BTW= BY THE WAY, TTYL= TALK TO YOU LATER |
| Logic | Process of reasoning. Ex = I am cold..so i need a coat |
| Logical Fallacy | A mistake in reasoning Ex = Oh! Its dark outside..so i need sunglasses |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech in which one thing is referred to as another; Ex. "The creature was the boys" ~Lord of Flies "The sun in west was a droplet of burning gold that lid never the sill of the world" ~ Lord of flies |
| Metonymy | A figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person or idea represent something which it is associated. Ex "Friends, Roman, countrymen lend me your ears" (Give me your Attention) ~Julius Caesar |
| Mood | Similar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work. |
| Motif | Main theme or subject of a work that is elaborated on in the development of the piece. Ex "Green light in Great Gatsby", "The future in death of a salesman" |
| Negative-Positive | Sentence that begins by stating what is NOT true, then ends by stating what is true Ex "Its the end of the world, no its just high school" |
| Non-sequitur | Latin for "it does not follow" Ex. "I need some ice cream, lets go buy some bleach" & "Awwee today is your anniversary, Happy Birthday" |
| Onomatopoeia | The use of words that sounds like what they mean such as: Boom, Slam |
| Oversimplification | When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument Ex. If we want to end substance abuse, lets send every drug user to prison for life |
| Oxymoron | A figure of speech composed of contracdicting words or phrase Ex. I find no peace, all my war is done, i fear and hope, i burn and freeze like ice and i flee above and the wind ~ Thomas Wyatt |
| Parabale | A short tale that teaches a moral Ex. Parable of parodical son ..from the bible etc |
| Paradox | a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning. Ex If a person says about himself that he always lies, is that that the truth or a lie |
| Oxymoron | A figure of speech composed of contracdicting words or phrase Ex. I find no peace, all my war is done, i fear and hope, i burn and freeze like ice and i flee above and the wind ~ Thomas Wyatt |
| Parabale | A short tale that teaches a moral Ex. Parable of parodical son ..from the bible etc |
| Paradox | a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning. Ex If a person says about himself that he always lies, is that that the truth or a lie |
| parallelism | The technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form. |
| Parody | A work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements it can be mocking or gently humorous. Ex The movie Vampire sucks, Scary movies ec |
| Pathos | The aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade. |
| Pedantic | Term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing it is scholarly and academic and often difficult and distant |
| Personification | The attribute of human qualities to a nonhuman or an inanimate object. Ex "Stones have been known to move and trees to speak" ~Macbeth |
| Stream of Consciousness | Like 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 impression in the character's mind |
| Omniscient | Third person narrator referred to as "he".."she" who is able to see into each characters' mind and understand all the action |
| Polysyndeton | Sentence which uses and or another conjunction to separate items in series. Ex "We have ships and men and money and stores and women and shoes and coins and jewels and ..etc |
| Protagonist | The main character of literary work |
| Red Herring | When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from real issue ExSarah: Do these jeans make me look fat? BF: I love that blue sweater you wore last week |
| Reductio ad Absurdum | The latin for to reduce to the absurd this is a technique useful in creating comic effect and is also an argumentive technique. e Ex. Give me death or give me liberty |
| Regionalism | An element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locate using the locale and its influences. Ex Mark Twain;s Adventures of huckleberry finn |
| Repetition | Word or Phrase used two or more things in close proximity. eX. A time to rend, and a time to sew etc ~Bible |
| Rhetorical Question | One that does not expect and explicit answer. Ex He is stupid isn't he? Who let the dog out? |
| Sarcasm | Harsh, Caustic personal remarks Ex "Life will not break your heart, it will crush it" Henry Rollins |
| Satire | A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behaviour by portraying it in an extreme way. ex Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World and George Orwell's Animal Farm. |
| Simile | A figure of speech that uses like or as to make a direct comparison ex. blind as a bat, bold as a lion |
| Stereotype | A character represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular group Ex. Gothica, burnouts etc |
| Straw Man | When a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. |
| Style | An author;s characteristic manner of expression his or her diction, syntax ..imagere et |
| Syllogism | A form of reasoning in which two statemenst are made and a conluusion is drawn from them. EX. ALL MEN ARE MORTAL SOCRATES IS A MAN SOCRATES IS MORTAL |
| Symbolism | The use of symbols or anythings that is meant to be taken bothe literally and as represnative of a highere and more complex significance. ex. Lord of flies contains symbolism |
| synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using boards to means a stage or wheels to mean car |
| syntactic fluency | Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately, complex and/or simple and varied in length |
| Syntactic Permutation | Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often difficult for a reader to follow. |
| Theme | The central idea or "message" or a literary work Ex. Fate and Ignorance in Oedipus Rex |
| Translation | A word of phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence paragraph to paragraph Ex. Further , Furthermore, moreover |
| Tricolon | Sentence consisting of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses. Ex. Tell me and i forget; Teach me and I remember; Involve me and I remember. ~Benjamin Franklin |
| Understatement | The opposite of exaggeration. It is technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended. Ex Saying "Its just a scratch" when there is a huge dent. or Saying "We had a little rain" when the neighborhood is flooded. |
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