AP English rhetorical Devices
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indigo3456 on September 6, 2012
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41 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Allegory- | narrative form in which characters and actions have meanings outside themselves; characters are usually personifications of abstract qualities |
| ambiguity - | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. |
| analogy - | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. |
| antithesis - | the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite. |
| Anaphora - | Figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases; repetition of the initial word(s) over successive phrases or clauses. |
| Asyndeton- | The practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. |
| atmosphere - | The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to this. Frequently this foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood. |
| colloquial/colloquialism - | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. these expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. |
| Contradiction- | A direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency |
| connotation - | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. |
| Didactic- | Intended for teaching or to teach a moral lesson |
| Epitaph- | A piece of writing in praise of a deceased person |
| euphemism - | is a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example of this. |
| Eulogy- | A speech or writing in praise of a person or thing; an oration in honor of a deceased person |
| extended metaphor - | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. |
| figurative language - | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. |
| Foil- | A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast |
| genre - | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. On the AP language exam, expect the majority of the passages to be from the following ________: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. There may be fiction or poetry. |
| hyperbole - | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. |
| Hypophora - | Figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). |
| imagery - | Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. involves any or all of the five senses |
| inference/infer - | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. |
| metaphor - | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. |
| mood - | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect this. Mood is similar to tone and atmosphere. |
| Motif- | Recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event |
| narrative - | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. |
| Nostalgia- | Desire to return in thought or fact to a former time |
| onomatopoeia - | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur |
| Oxymoron- | A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in "jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence." |
| paradox - | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. |
| Parallelism- | Recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences equal in importance. It also adds balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence. |
| parody - | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author's expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.) |
| personification - | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions |
| prose - | one of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. |
| Pun - | the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning. |
| repetition - | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. |
| rhetoric - | This term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. |
| Rhetorical Question - | Figure which asks a question, not for the purpose of further discussion, but to assert or deny an answer implicitly; a question whose answer is obvious or implied. |
| rhetorical modes - | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common are: exposition, argument/persuasive, description, and narrative. |
| satire - | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, this term is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. |
| syntax - | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. |
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