AP American Literature Semester 2 Vocabulary
About this set
Created by:
jaermiller on May 25, 2011
Description:
rhetorical terms for dally's class
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
75 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Syntax | grammatical organization of words in a sentence |
| Synthesis | combining parts into a whole |
| Theme | unifying idea that is recurrent through a literary work |
| understatement | opposite of exaggeration |
| cacophony | displeasing sound |
| imagery | ability to form mental images |
| inference | reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion based on evidence |
| irony | what might be expected and what actually happens |
| symploce | repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and at the end of successive clauses |
| symbol | something visible that represents something else |
| syllogism | deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises |
| balance | be in equilibrium |
| rhetorical question | a question not meant to have a n answer |
| reductio ad absurdum | disproof by showing that the consequences of the proposition are absurd |
| procatalepsis | anticipating an objection and answering it |
| polysyndeton | using several conjunctions in close succession |
| personification | giving human qualities to an object |
| pathos | ejecting pity or sorrow from the audience |
| parody | mocking of an original work |
| parataxis | writing successive independent clauses with coordination conjunctions or no conjunctions |
| parallelism | repetition of similar grammatical patterns |
| parable | a story that teaches a lesson |
| oxymornon | conjoining contradictory terms |
| onomatopoeia | repetition of sounds |
| motif | design that consists of recurring shapes or colors |
| metonymy | substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself |
| hypophora | raising a question then proceeding to answer it |
| hyperbole | extreme exaggeration |
| hyperbaton | arrangement of words in an unusual order |
| exemplum | example, model |
| euphony | any agreeable sound |
| euphemism | inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive |
| eponym | name derived from the name of a person (EX:city of Alexandria) |
| epithet | defamatory or abusive word or phrase |
| allegory | expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances |
| ad hominem | attack on a person rather than the subject |
| abstract | concept or idea not associated with any specific instance |
| argument | fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true |
| apostrophe | address to an absent or imaginary person |
| aporia | expression of doubt by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think |
| antithesis | a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced |
| antecedent | a preceding occurrence or cause or event |
| antanagoge | placing a good point or benefit next to a fault, criticism, or problem, in order to reduce the impact or significance of the negative point |
| anecdote | short account of an incident |
| anaphora | repetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of a successive clauses |
| logical fallacy | a mistake in reasoning |
| setting | where the story takes place |
| attitude | position or arrangement of the body and its limbs |
| asyndeton | construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions |
| sententia | opinion |
| sarcasm/satire | witty language used to convey insults or scorn |
| analogy | drawing comparisons in order to show a similar in some respect |
| anadipolsis | repetition of the final words of a sentence or line at the beginning of the next |
| amplification | clarifying detail |
| allusion | reference or indirect mention |
| alliteration | repetition of sounds of the beginning of consecutive words |
| epistrophe | repetition of the ends of two or more successive sentences or verses |
| epigraph | quote at the beginning of a sentence |
| enumeration | act of counting |
| distinctio | explicit reference to a particular meaning of a word |
| didactic | instructive |
| diction | word choice |
| denotation | most specific meaning of a word or expression |
| connotation | idea that is implied or suggested |
| conflict | hostile meeting of opposing forces |
| conduplicato | repetition of key words in a sentence |
| allegory | expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe a subject by suggestive resemblances |
| colloquial | common language |
| climax | decisive moment in a novel or play |
| induction | using detailed facts to make general principles |
| litotes | understatement for rhetorical effect |
| chiasmus | inversion in the second of two parallel phrases |
| zeugma | use of a word to govern two or more words though it is only appropriate to one noun |
| metabasis | brief summary of what has been said and what will follow |
| synecdoche | substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.