24-25 Rhetorical Terms Overview

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.

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

The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.

aphorism

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

apostrophe

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

caricature

A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect.

colloquial/colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.

conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy.

connotation

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.

denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word.

diction

The writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

extended metaphor

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

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language.

homily

A serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

imagery

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

irony/ironic

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant.

litotes

A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite.

metaphor

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

metonymy

A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

onomatopoeia

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

oxymoron

A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory but contains some degree of truth.

parallelism

The grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.

anaphora

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

parody

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

personification

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

point of view

The perspective from which a story is told.

repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language.

sarcasm

Bitter, caustic language meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.

satire

A work that targets human vices and follies for reform or ridicule.

symbol/symbolism

Anything that represents itself and stands for something else.

synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole.

syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

theme

The central idea or message of a work.

thesis

The sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion or position.

tone

The author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both.

understatement

The ironic minimalizing of fact, presenting something as less significant than it is.

wit

Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.

verbal irony

when the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) meaning  

situational irony

when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and  readers think ought to happen is not what does happen  

dramatic irony

when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work. 

What’s the antecedent of it?

“But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never  absolutely novel to the meanest of minds; it exists eternally, by way of germ of latent principle, in the lowest as  in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted.”  

all truth

conventional symbols

those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols, such as a flag or an eagle; or group symbols, such as a skull and crossbones for pirates or the scale of justice for lawyers).  

natural symbols

objects and occurrences from nature to symbolize ideas commonly associated with them (dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning, a rose symbolizing love, a tree symbolizing knowledge).  

literary symbols

sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are more generally recognized. However, a work’s symbols may be more complicated, as is the jungle in Heart of Darkness.  On the AP exam, try to determine what abstraction an object is a symbol for and to what extent it is successful in representing that abstraction.