ap lang summer terms

26-27

Rhetoric

The art of using language effectively to communicate persuade or influence an audience

Inference

A logical conclusion drawn from evidence or clues rather than directly stated information

Style

The distinctive way an author uses language including diction syntax tone and structure

Genre

A category of writing characterized by a particular form style or purpose

Text

Any written spoken or visual work that communicates meaning and can be analyzed

Rhetorical Situation

The circumstances surrounding communication especially the speaker audience purpose context and message

Context

The historical social cultural or personal circumstances surrounding a text

Purpose

The author's reason or goal for creating a text

Subject

The main topic or issue being discussed

Occasion

The specific event or circumstances that prompted the creation of a text

Audience

The person or group the author intends to reach

Persona

The identity or character a speaker presents to the audience

Exigency

The urgent problem issue or event that motivates someone to communicate

Constraints

Factors that limit or influence how a speaker can communicate

To Persuade

To convince an audience to accept an idea belief or course of action

To Inform

To provide facts knowledge or explanations about a subject

To Entertain

To engage amuse or emotionally interest an audience

Description

Uses sensory and specific details to portray a person place object or experience

Narration

Tells a sequence of events or a story

Argument

Presents and supports a claim in order to persuade an audience

Exposition

Explains or provides information about a subject

Example/Illustration

Uses specific examples to explain or support a general idea

Definition

Explains the meaning or characteristics of a term or concept

Comparison

Examines similarities between two or more things

Contrast

Examines differences between two or more things

Analysis

Breaks something into parts to examine how those parts function or relate

Division and Classification

Separates a subject into categories or groups based on shared characteristics

Analogy

Explains one thing by comparing it to another that has similar characteristics

Cause and Effect

Examines why something happened and the consequences that resulted

In Medias Res

Begins a story in the middle of the action rather than at the chronological beginning

Flashback (Analepsis)

Interrupts the present narrative to show an event from the past

Flash-forward (Prolepsis)

Interrupts the present narrative to show or anticipate a future event

Foreshadowing

Provides clues or hints about events that will happen later

Cliffhanger

Ends a section at a moment of suspense or uncertainty to keep the audience interested

Inductive Reasoning

Uses specific examples or observations to reach a broader conclusion

Deductive Reasoning

Begins with a general principle and applies it to a specific case to reach a conclusion

Defend

Supports a position by providing reasoning and evidence

Challenge

Questions or disputes the validity of an argument or position

Qualify

Partially agrees with a claim while adding conditions limitations or exceptions

Argument/Claim

An assertion or position that a writer attempts to prove

Premise

A statement or assumption upon which an argument is based

Syllogism

A deductive argument using two premises to reach a logical conclusion

Refutation

Demonstrates that an opposing argument or claim is incorrect

Rebuttal

A direct response to an opposing argument intended to weaken or disprove it

Counterargument

An argument that opposes the writer's main claim

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect or emphasis rather than to receive an actual answer

Anecdote

A brief story used to illustrate an idea or support an argument

Diction

An author's deliberate choice of words

Logical Fallacy

An error or flaw in reasoning that weakens an argument

Ad Hominem

Attacks the person making an argument instead of addressing the argument itself

Circumlocution

Uses unnecessarily indirect or excessive wording instead of stating something directly

Glittering Generalities

Uses attractive but vague positive words to gain support without meaningful evidence

Bandwagon

Argues that something is correct or desirable because many people believe or do it

False Dilemma

Presents only two possible choices when more alternatives actually exist

Slippery Slope

Claims that one event will inevitably trigger a chain of increasingly extreme consequences

Hasty Generalization

Reaches a broad conclusion based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence

Red Herring

Introduces irrelevant information to distract from the actual issue

Metaphor

A direct comparison between unlike things without using like or as

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well-known person event text myth or idea

Synecdoche

Uses a part of something to represent the whole or the whole to represent a part

Simile

A comparison between unlike things using like or as

Personification

Gives human characteristics to nonhuman things or abstract ideas

Metonymy

Replaces something with the name of something closely associated with it

Apostrophe

Directly addresses an absent person abstract idea or nonhuman object as though it could respond

Symbolism

Uses an object person place or action to represent a larger abstract idea

Cacophony

The use of harsh jarring or unpleasant sounds

Euphony

The use of smooth pleasant or harmonious sounds

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it describes such as buzz or crash

Hyperbaton

Deliberately alters normal word order for emphasis or stylistic effect

Antanaclasis

Repeats the same word while giving it a different meaning each time

Anastrophe

Reverses normal grammatical word order for emphasis

Chiasmus

Reverses grammatical structures or ideas in an ABBA pattern

Anacoluthon

Abruptly breaks or changes the expected grammatical structure of a sentence

Zeugma

Uses one word usually a verb to govern two other words in different senses

Apposition

Places a noun or noun phrase next to another noun to rename or explain it

Parenthesis

Inserts an explanatory or qualifying statement that interrupts the main sentence

Alliteration

Repetition of beginning consonant sounds in nearby words

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the ends of nearby words

Polyptoton

Repeats words derived from the same root in different forms

Anaphora

Repetition at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences

Epistrophe

Repetition at the end of successive clauses or sentences

Anadiplosis

Repeats the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next

Antimetabole

Repeats words in reverse order following an AB to BA pattern

Satire

Uses humor irony or exaggeration to criticize people institutions or society

Irony

A contrast between what is expected or stated and what actually occurs or is meant

Verbal Irony

Says something while intending a meaning different from or opposite to the literal words

Situational Irony

Occurs when what actually happens sharply contrasts with what would normally be expected

Pun

Wordplay based on multiple meanings or similar-sounding words

Antiphrasis

Uses a word or phrase ironically to mean its opposite

Parody

Imitates the style of another work or person for humorous or critical effect

Caricature

Exaggerates recognizable characteristics for comic or critical effect

Hyperbole

Deliberate and extreme exaggeration for emphasis

Litotes

Understatement created by denying the opposite such as not bad to mean good

Oxymoron

Places two apparently contradictory words together such as deafening silence

Antithesis

Places contrasting ideas in parallel grammatical structures

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth

Juxtaposition

Places contrasting things close together to emphasize their differences or relationship

Semantics

The study of meaning in words phrases and language

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience