AP Language Literary and Rhetorical Terms

imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

diction

Word choice.

syntax

Sentence structure.

metaphor

Comparison not using like or as.

simile

Comparison using like or as.

apostrophe

An address.

allusion

Reference to something outside the text.

hyperbole

Exaggeration.

irony

Stating or portraying the opposite of the author's true feeling.

understatement

Presentation of something as being smaller or less important than it actually is.

paradox

Seeming contradiction.

epithet

Name-calling.

euphemism

Using a more polite term for a coarse or unpleasant term.

oxymoron

A figure of speech that juxtaposes apparently contradictory elements.

antithesis

Contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences.

rhetorical question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

inversion

The syntactic reversal of the normal order of the words and phrases in a sentence.

anadiplosis

A technique whereby the concluding word of a sentence or clause becomes the first word of the next sentence or clause.

epanalepsis

Opening and closing a sentence with the same word or phrase for surprise and emphasis.

antimetabole

Repeating words in reverse order for surprise and emphasis.

chiasmus

Reverses grammatical elements rather than just words for emphasis.

ellipsis

Omission of one or more words for conciseness and drama.

asyndeton

Omission of conjunction before the last item in a series.

anaphora

Repetition of the initial word or phrase in a series of clauses or phrases for emphasis and rhythm.

Extended parallelism

Repetition of words or grammatical elements to achieve cumulative force and rhythm.

Periodic sentence

One in which the writer builds suspense by beginning with subordinate elements and postponing the main clause.

Cumulative or loose sentence

One in which the subordinate elements come at the end to call attention to them.

Interrupted sentence

One in which the subordinate elements come in the middle, often set off by dashes.

Balanced sentence

One in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale.