AP Lang Terms + Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration

“tongue twister”

Allusion

Referencing someone without direct citation

Anaphora

Repetition (at the beginning of clauses)

Hyperbole

Exaggeration (not literal)

Metaphor

Figure of speech (“like” or “as”) and other words such as “and”

Onomatopoeia

Using words to imitate a sound

Analogy

a comparison

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side to compare or contrast them

Jargon

Language specific to a group or culture

Allegory

Using characters and story elements to add to the literal meaning

Anecdote

A short account (narrative)

Ethos

credibility

Pathos

emotion

Logos

logic

Fiction

Word choice

Connotation

emotional associations with a word

Decoration

Literal meaning of a word (dictionary)

Idiom

expression that does not make sense when taken literally

Simile

“like” or “as” → direct comparison

Personification

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human

Foreshadowing

When the author gives hints about the later plot

Imagery

Words that describe a situation, creating a picture in the reader’s head

Irony

When the opposite of what you expect happens

Motif

A recurring idea

Oxymoron

Opposite words combined to create a paradox → “jumbo shrimp”

Paradox

Seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true

Parody

Exaggerated imitation of a serious work

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication

Tone

Writer’s attitude towards the subject

Fallacy

Attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning

As hominem

Attacking personal beliefs instead of a reasonable argument

Hasty generalization

Making a generalization of a group too quickly without proper data