AP English III - Rhetorical Terms and Glossary Quiz 2

Cacophony or Dissonance

refers to harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; it is the opposite of euphony.

Caricature

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerated a specific feature of a person’s appearance or facet of personality.

Colloquialism

a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal wiring but that is often inappropriate in formal writing.

Concrete Language

a language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities

Connotation

the implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind

Consonance

the repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong.

Conundrum

a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem

Deduction

the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word as defined

Dependent/subordinate clause

a group of words that contains a subject and verb, but does not express a complete thought. A _____ is not a sentence

Diction

word choice, an element of style; ____ creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.

Dilemma

a conflict whose resolution requires one of two choices, both of which are unfavorable or disagreeable.

Discourse

spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified models of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion

Emotional Appeal/Pathos

occurs when a winter appeals to readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in the argument

Epigraph

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Ernest Hemingway begins “The Sun Also Rises” with two epigraphs

Epiphany

the experience of a sudden or striking realization

Epistrophe

the repetition of a concluding word or word endings at the end of successive clauses

Ethos

Occurs when a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.

Euphemism

A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. “He went to his final reward” is a common euphemism for “he died.” Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.

Euphony

a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony.

Example

An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant.

Exposition

The immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot.