AP Lang Rhetorical Devices List

Asyndeton
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Terms in this set (21)
Asyndeton
Omitting the use of a conjunction between different clauses. (Ex: "She sat, stared out the window, waited" "There was a couch, a TV, a window, a carpet in the room")
Polysyndeton
The use of excessive conjunctions in a sentence. (Ex: "He was tall and blond and racist" "She wanted a unicorn or a horse or any animal really")
Logos
Logical appeal. (Ex: "Owen can't join the basketball team because he is short" "Jack got a good grade on the test because he studied")
Pathos
Emotional appeal. (Ex: "Little girls are working twelve hour shifts in factories while you sleep")
Ethos
Ethical appeal. (Ex: "This foot cream has been backed by dermatologists")
Synecdoche
When a part of an object is used to represent the whole. (Ex: "The ship's captain commands over 200 sails")
Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds. (Ex: "The preposterous plight of the purple potty people")
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration. (Ex: "That's out of this world")
Simile
A comparison using "like" or "as". (Ex: Owen looks like a goblin")
Paradox
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. (Ex: "If Owen knows one thing, it's that he knows nothing.")
OnomatopoeiaThe use of word's that imitate sounds. (Ex: "slam" "crash" "buzz" "zip")ConsonanceRepetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity. (Ex: "bed" and "bad")EpistropheThe repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences. (Opposite of anaphora) (Ex: "He walked. She walked. They walked")OxymoronConjoining contradictory terms. (Ex: "deafening silence" "Awfully good" "Tall Owen")DictionA writer's or speaker's choice of words. (There are many subtypes. Just saying "diction" doesn't cut it)AnaphoraThe repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. (Ex: "He stood up. He looks like a goblin. He is Owen.")MetonymySubstituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it. (Ex: The King -> The Crown Owen -> Goblin)MetaphorA comparison without using like or as. (Ex: Owen is a goblin)AssonanceRepetition of vowel sounds. (Ex: "Owen claps his hands and stamps his feet")Euphemisma mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. (Ex: "Owen is vertically challenged" "My dog passed away")Parallelismsimilarity of structure in a pair or series of clauses. (Ex: "Give Owen a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach Owen to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.")