AP English Language – Rhetorical Terms

These flashcards cover the core rhetorical terms and methods of development required for AP English Language and Composition. Memorize each term and its definition for use in analysis and discussion.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, mythology, or popular culture.

Anaphora

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.

Antithesis

A rhetorical figure in which two ideas are directly opposed or contrasted in a grammatically parallel way.

Appeal to authority

Using the credibility of respected people, institutions, or texts to support ideas or arguments.

Asyndeton

Commas used without a conjunction to separate a series of words (X, Y, Z), emphasizing each part and speeding up the flow.

Cause and effect

A method of development that analyzes causes leading to an effect or effects resulting from a cause.

Chiasmus

Words, sounds, concepts, or structures repeated in reverse order so the two parts mirror each other, often heightening paradox.

Classification and division

A method of development that sorts material or ideas into categories.

Comparison and contrast

A method of development that juxtaposes two things to highlight their similarities and differences.

Connotation

The implied or suggested meaning of a word based on its associations in the reader’s mind.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning that moves from the general to the specific.

Definition (method)

A method of development that analyzes the meaning of a specific word, idea, or term.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word.

Description

A method of development that paints a sensory picture of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels.

Diction

An author’s or speaker’s deliberate choice of words (must be described with an adjective in analysis).

Ethos

An appeal that establishes a writer’s credibility, goodwill, and knowledge, or connects to readers’ ethical beliefs.

Exemplification

A method of development that provides a series of examples.

Exigence

The motivation or situation that prompts a writer or speaker to create a text.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for humor or emphasis.

Image

A word or group of words—figurative or literal—describing a sensory experience.

Imagery

A collection of images that appeal to one or more senses to create a mental picture.

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning that moves from specific observations to general conclusions.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things side by side for emphasis or contrast.

Logos

An appeal based on clear, reasonable ideas and proofs, developed with details the audience can logically follow.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that refers to one thing as another.

Motif

A recurring element—image, symbol, theme, subject, or detail—that unifies an artistic work.

Narration

A method of development that recounts events or tells a story.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that pairs two opposite or contradictory words to create a paradox (e.g., "bittersweet").

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory or nonsensical but may reveal truth.

Parallelism

Arranging words, phrases, or clauses side-by-side in similar form, often using repetition to invite comparison.

Pathos

An appeal that draws on readers’ emotions and interests; the most immediate of the appeals.

Periodic sentence

A sentence that builds toward its main clause or conclusion through a series of related clauses, often separated by semicolons.

Polysyndeton

A sentence that uses a conjunction between every item in a series (X and Y and Z), slowing the flow and stressing each item.

Process analysis

A method of development that explains how something works, how to do something, or how something was done.

Repetition

Using a word or phrase two or more times in close proximity for emphasis or coherence.

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication and persuasion through spoken or written discourse.

Rhetorical question

A question posed for effect, with no answer expected, to prompt thought in the audience.

Simile

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison using like, as, or as if.

Syllogism

The basic structure of deductive reasoning: major premise, minor premise, conclusion.

Syntax

The arrangement—ordering, grouping, placement—of words within a sentence, including sentence length and type.

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject, characters, or audience.

Understatement

Deliberately expressing an idea with less force or emphasis than expected.

Terms used to describe structure, or the way the text looks or is put together

Parallelism, Juxtaposition, Antithesis, Chiasmus, Paradox, Syntax, Periodic sentence, Asyndeton, Polysyndeton

Methods of development

Narration, Description, Comparison and Contrast, Classification and Division, Process analysis, Definitions, Exemplification, Cause and Effect

Terms used for emphasis and unity

Repetition, Anaphora, Motif

Figurative Language

Metaphor, Simile, Image/Imagery