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AP Rhetorical Devices

Terms in this set (54)

allegory
representation of an abstract of spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
allusion
a reference to something or someone that is known from history, religion, literature, etc..
ambiguity
more than one meaning; open to more than one interpretation; 2 or more, sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work
anadiplosis
repetition of a word in successive clauses; 2nd starts with end of the previous clause
analogy
comparison made between 2 things to show how they are alike
anaphora
deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect
anecdote
a very brief story; told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something
aphorism
a brief cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life
apostrophe
an arrangement of words expressing a nonexistant person in such a way as if it were present
argument
the main statement of a poem or essay
asyndeton
the omission of a conjunction on purpose
begging of the question
a fallacy in which the premise of an argument presupposes the truth of its conclusion; asked for effect
bombast
high sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people
circumlocution
the use of many words to say something that could be said more clearly & directly by using fewer words
colloquial
use of informal words, phrases, or slang
connotation
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase
diction
a speaker or writers choice of words
didactic
any verse or phrase intended to be instructional
ellipsis
used to omit some parts of a sentence of event
epiphany
the moment in the story where a character achieves realization
epithet
a descriptive word or phrase that is used frequently to characterize a person or thing
euphemism
polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh/impolite
expletive
a gramatical construction that starts with words like "it, here, there" to add emphasis on the word following
flashback
a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of history
foreshadowing
the use of hints and clues that suggest what will happen next
hyperbole
a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement for effect
idiom
a group of words whose figurative meaning is different than its literal meaning
imagery
use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, place, thing or experience
invective
denotes speech of writing that attacks, insults or denounces a person, topic or institution; highly critical language
irony
a discrepancy between appearances and reality
juxtaposition
two or more ideas, people, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or poem to develop comparisons and contrasts; parallel
malapropism
use of an incorrect word in place of a similar surrounding word that results in a nonsensical & humorous expression; misusing words
metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between 2 unlike things without using like or as
metonymy
fig of speech in which a person, place or thing is referred to by something closely related to it
mood
the overall emotion created by a work
onomatopoeia
a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning
oxymoron
combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase
parable
a relatively short story that teaches a moral or lesson about how to lead a good life
paradox
a statement that appears self contradictory but reveals a truth
parallelism
the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structure
personification
nonhuman thing is given human like characteristics
point of view
the angle of considering things, which shows the opinion or feelings of the individuals involved
polysyndeton
using conjunctions or connecting words frequently in a sentence, very close to each other
pun
a play on words based on multiple meanings of a single word
repetition
a unifying property of repeated words, sounds, syllables and other elements that appear in a work
rhetorical question
asked for effect, doesnt require an answer
satire
ridicules the shortcomings of people in attempt to bring about change; makes fun or human weakness
setting
the time and location in which a story takes place
simile
makes an explicit comparison using like or as
symbol
a person, place or thing that has a meaning in itself and also stands for something more than itself
syntax
determines how the chosen words are used to form a sentence
tone
the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work
understatement
a statement that says less than what is meant
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