AP Lang/Comp Rhetorical Terms

Pun

A play on words created by using one word to suggest two different meanings in context.

Figurative Language

Communication that does not use a word's strict or realistic meaning.

Double Entendre

A word or phrase open to two interpretations, one often risqué.

Onomatopoeia

Naming a thing or action by imitating natural sounds.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often using "like" or "as."

Metaphor

A figure of speech making a non-literal comparison between two unlike things.

Analogy

A comparison between two things for explanation or clarification.

Conceit

A fanciful expression or elaborate metaphor in writing or speech.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman entities or abstract qualities.

Zeugma

Using one word to modify two others in different ways.

Allegory

A story or work of art with a hidden meaning or moral message.

Fable

A short story that teaches a lesson or conveys a moral.

Metonymy

Using a linked term to stand in for an object or concept.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part represents the whole or vice versa.

Apposition

A grammatical construction where two noun phrases are placed side by side.

Epithet

An adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a characteristic quality.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Understatement

Presenting something as smaller or less important than it is.

Litotes

An ironic understatement expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary.

Euphemism

A mild expression substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt.

Paradox

A seemingly absurd statement that may prove to be true upon investigation.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech with apparently contradictory terms in conjunction.

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or text.

Rhetoric of Parallelism

Coordinated ideas arranged in balanced phrases or sentences.

Rhetoric of Ellipsis

The omission of words that must be supplied for understanding.

Rhetoric of Antithesis

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence.

Polysyndeton

The repeated use of coordinating conjunctions to connect items.

Anaphora

The use of a word to replace a word used earlier to avoid repetition.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of a preceding clause at the beginning of the next.

Isocolon

Successive phrases or clauses with equal length and structure.

Chiasmus

Repetition of words or concepts in reverse order.

Exclamation

A sudden cry or remark expressing surprise, anger, or pain.

Parenthesis

An inserted word or clause that is grammatically complete without it.

Apostrophe

A mark indicating omission or addressing an absent person or thing.

Style

The way an author writes or tells a story.

Diction

The linguistic choices a writer makes to convey an idea or story.

Syntax

Word order, tense, and sentence structure.

Organization/Structure

The method of organizing written material.

Narrative Structure/Narration

The way a story is organized and presented.

Detail

Factual information that helps the reader understand better.

Theme

A universal idea or message explored in literature.

Tone

The writer's attitude toward the subject matter and audience.

Mood/Attitude

The overall atmosphere or feeling of a piece of writing.

Humor

A literary tool that induces laughter or amusement.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the characters do not.

Verbal Irony

Saying the opposite of what one means.

Situational Irony

When the opposite of what is expected happens.

Sarcasm

The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.

Satire

Ridiculing or critiquing a person or belief system through storytelling.

Language Literal Meaning

Used to mean exactly what is written.

Language Metaphorical/Figurative Meaning

Words used to convey complex meanings.

Language Formal

Defined by formal grammar rules.

Language Informal

Casual and spontaneous communication.

Language Colloquial

The style used for casual communication.

Language Connotative

Suggesting different associations than literal meaning.

Language Denotative

The main meaning without additional feelings or ideas.

Language Abstract

Referring to intangible qualities or concepts.

Language Concrete

Tangible characteristics in the real world