AP English Language and Composition Exam Terms

Flashcards for reviewing key vocabulary from lecture notes on Rhetorical Devices.

Ad hominem argument

From the Latin meaning 'to or against the man,' this is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect.

Allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Antithesis

A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described.

Caricature

A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism. It is a rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each other through a reversal of terms.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

Colloquialism

Slang or informality in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give work a conversational, familiar tone.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.

Connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes.

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.

Diction

Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

Didactic

From the Greek, 'didactic' literally means 'instructive.' Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

Euphemism

From the Greek for 'good speech,' euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things.

Generic conventions

This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate between an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing.

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.

Homily

This term literally means 'sermon,' but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible.

Imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.

Inference/Infer

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.

Invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.

Irony/Ironic

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true.

Juxtaposition

Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Loose sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.

Metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.

Metonymy

A term from the Greek meaning 'changed label' or 'substitute name,' metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

Mood

The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood.

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.

Oxymoron

From the Greek for 'pointedly foolish,' an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

Paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

Parallelism

Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning 'beside one another.' It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

Pedantic

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.

Periodic sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone.

Personification

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.

Point of view

In literature, the perspective from which a story is told.

Predicate adjectives

One type of subject complement—an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb.

Predicate nominative

A second type of subject complement—a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject.

Prose

One of the major divisions of genre, 'prose' refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms, because they are written in ordinary language and most closely resemble everyday speech.

Repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

Rhetoric

From the Greek for 'orator,' this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

Rhetorical Appeal

The persuasive device by which a writer tries to sway the audience's attention and response to any given work. Three rhetorical appeals were defined by Aristotle: Logos, Ethos and Pathos.

Rhetorical Modes

This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing.

Rhetorical question

A question that is asked merely for effect and does not expect a reply. The answer is assumed.

Sarcasm

From the Greek meaning 'to tear flesh,' sarcasm involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.

Satire

A work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform or ridicule.

Simile

An explicit comparison, normally using 'like,' 'as,' or 'if.'

Style

The consideration of style has two purposes: An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes and classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors.

Subject complement

The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it.

Subordinate clause

Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought.

Syllogism

From the Greek for 'reckoning together,' a syllogism (or syllogistic reasoning) is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises—the first one called 'major' and the second 'minor'—that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.

Symbol

Generally, anything that represents or stands for something else. Usually, a symbol is something concrete—such as an object, action, character, or scene—that represents something more abstract.

Syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate the two by thinking of syntax referring to groups of words, while diction refers to individual words.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually, theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing.

Thesis

In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition.

Tone

Similar to mood, tone is the author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both.

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another.

Understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.

Wit

In rhetoric, wit is intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks.

Attitude

A writer's intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject of the writing.

Concrete detail

Strictly defined, 'concrete' refers to nouns that name physical objects. the directions may read something like this: 'Provide concrete details that will convince the reader.'

Descriptive details

When an essay uses this phrase, look for the writer's sensory description. Descriptive detail appealing to the visual sense is usually the most predominant, but don't overlook other sensory details.

Devices

The figures of speech, syntax, diction, and other stylistic elements that collectively produce a particular artistic effect.

Language

When you're asked to 'analyze the language,' concentrate on how the elements of language combine to form a whole—how diction, syntax, figurative language, and sentence structure create a cumulative effect.

Narrative devices

This term describes the tools of the storyteller (also used in nonfiction), such as ordering events so that they build to a climactic moment or withholding information until a crucial or appropriate moment when revealing it creates a desired effect.

Narrative technique

The style of telling the 'story,' even if the passage is nonfiction. Concentrate on the order of events and on their detail in evaluating a writer's technique.

Persuasive devices

When asked to analyze an author's persuasive devices, look for the words in the passage that have strong connotations – words that intensify the emotional effect.

Persuasive essay

When asked to write a persuasive essay, you should present a coherent argument in which the evidence builds to a logical and relevant conclusion.

Resources of language

This phrase refers to all the devices of language available to a writer, such as diction, syntax, sentence structure, and figures of speech.

Rhetorical features

This phrase refers to how a passage is constructed. If asked to consider rhetorical structure, look at the passage's organization and how the writer combines images, details, or arguments to serve his or her purpose.

Sentence structure

When an essay question asks you to analyze sentence structure, look at the type of sentences the author uses.

Stylistic devices

An essay prompt that mentions stylistic devices is asking you to note and analyze all of the elements in language that contribute to style--such as diction, syntax, tone, attitude, figures of speech, connotations, and repetition.