rhetorical terms- final sg

ap english lang fall semester study guide

anecdote

a brief story that focuses on a single episode or event in a person's life and that is used to illustrate a particular point.

In "Straw into Gold," Sandra Cisneros provides an anecdote about the challenge she faced when ordered to make corn tortillas, a task she had never done before. This anecdote illustrates Cisneros's pluck in attempting the seemingly impossible.

antecedent

A noun that is replaced later in a sentence by a pronoun.

Any student who has been absent should find out what work they missed.

allegory

a work with two levels of meaning. a literal one and a symbolic one.

The Lorax, A character defends trees against industrial pollution, a clear allegory for environmentalism.

allusion

an indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work with which the author believes the reader will be familiar.

"He's a modern-day Romeo."- Refers to Shakespeare's passionate lover

Frank used his Herculean
strength to lift the injured man
off the pavement.

ambiguity

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

"Toyota- moving forward"
"Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man" (meaning serious or dead).

analogy

a point by point comparison between two things for the purpose of clarifying the less familiar of the two subjects.

"A nation with atomic armor is like a knight too weighed down to fight"

anaphora

repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, or sentences.

"Blackness
is a title,
is a preoccupation,
is a commitment . . ."

antithesis

an idea in opposition to another

every sweet has its sour; ever evil has it's good

aphorism

a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life.

"A penny saved is a penny earned." —Ben Franklin

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.

"Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour. England has need of thee."

appositive

a noun phrase that follows a noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.

Steve Curtis, center fielder and captain for the Oakland A's, often advocates for animal rights.

cliche

An overused expression that has lost its freshness, force and appeal. A trite, worn out expression that a writer employs thoughtlessly.

"Safe and Sound"
"Get a life"

colloquialism

Informal or conversational language which includes slang and other expressions not used by the culture at large.

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, where Huck says, "I didn't want to go back no more," instead of "I did not want to go back anymore"

conciet

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

"Life is a box of chocolates—you never know what you're gonna get," compares life's varied experiences to the random selection from a chocolate box.

concession

The acknowledgement of a point made by the opposition. (Noun form of to concede.)

"however"
"although"
"while"

connotation

the emotional response evoked by a word, in contrast to its denotation, which is its literal meaning.

kitten-softness, warmth, and playfulness.

denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

kitten- young cat

deduction

The method of reasoning from the general to the specific, also called deductive reasoning. (general to specififc)

All Kingsburg students are egotistical, therefore Sven, a Kingsburg student, must be egotistical.

induction

The method of reasoning from the specific to the general, also called inductive reasoning.

Sven, a Kingsburg student, is egotistical, therefore all Kingsburg students must be egotistical.

diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words is called diction.

I skimmed the doc my realtor dropped off at my house.
vs.
I perused the contractual document my realtor delivered to my domicile.

euphemism

Language that makes an uncomfortable, negative or disturbing subject more appealing.

the call of nature, between jobs, sanitary engineer, differently abled

figurative language

language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meaning of words.

"As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high."

fragment

A phrase that attempts to stand alone as a sentence but has either no subject or no verb (predicate).

Over the mountains.
Although I love pizza

generalization

Stereotyping a subject with descriptions that are commonly held even though exceptions are known to exist.

"All teenagers are lazy"

homily

literally means "sermon." Can also include any serious talk, speech or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

bible verses

hyperbole

the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse"

imagery

The descriptive words and phrases that a writer uses to re-create sensory experiences are called imagery.

The sweetness of honey stayed on my lips that summer, when she was mine and I was hers.

independent clause

A grammatical unit that has both a subject and verb and can stand on its own as a sentence.

He'll be asleep before you know it.

situational irony

a contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen

The home of the town's fire chief burns down

verbal irony

when someone states one thing and means another

Hannibal "the cannibal" phones Judy and says, "I'd like to have you for dinner tonight."

dramatic irony

occurs when readers know more about a situation or a character in a story than the characters do.

In the film Titanic, the main character shouts in joy from the bow of the ship, "I'm on top of the world!"

jargon

the special vocabulary of a trade or profession, often inflated, vague, and meaningless

English teacher speaking to class: "Your epistemological and pedigogical processes have improved this semester."

juxtaposition

The placement of one idea close to another idea for contrasting effect.

He went from hero to zero in one quarter.

sweet and sour

ethos

The persuasive appeal of an argument that relies on the authority or credibility of a trusted or expert source.

"Doctors all over the world recommend this type of treatment."

pathos

Means of persuading someone to do or believe using emotion.

"You need to be home by midnight because bad things happen at night. Creepy things. Things that go 'bump' in the night Evil...things.....................Eviiiiiiil Thiiiiinnnnngs”

logos

Means of persuading someone to do or believe something because it's logical

"You need to be home by midnight because you have a big day tomorrow and you need to get to sleep early."

loose sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by a dependent clause or
phrase.

"I cried for two days when I learned he had died."

periodic sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) follows a dependent clause or phrase.

"When I learned he had died, I cried for two days."

metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things that have something in common.

"our country is . . . the first and greatest parent"

metonymy

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

Moscow announced the success of its recent rocket.

mood/atmosphere

The feeling created by the entirety of a literary or rhetorical work.

onomatopoeia

"name-making." It is the process of creating or using words that imitate sounds.

whisper, kick, gargle, gnash, and clatter.

oxymoron

a special kind of concise paradox that brings together two contradictory terms

"venomous love" or "sweet bitterness."

paradox

a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth.

"war is peace", "freedom is slavery", "wise fool"

parody

writing that imitates either the style or the subject matter of a literary work for the purpose of criticism or humorous effect or for flattering tribute.

SNL skits

parallel structure

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

"of the people, by the people, for the people"

personification

figure of speech in which an object, animal, or idea is given human characteristics.

"the sun smiled down at us"

rhetoric

the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently and persuasively. The art of persuasion.

rhetorical question

a question posed for effect, one that requires no answer.

"I know he's a competent painter, but does he know how to really reach at the soul of an art lover?"

satire

a literary technique in which foolish ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society.

South Park: uses often offensive, humor and exaggeration to tackle controversial and hot-button targets in current events, politics, and culture. 

sentimentality

writing that fails to communicate, that delights in waxing teary over certain subjects.

"My mom has always been there for me. She is my life, my love, my reason for being. We've been through a lot together, but my love for her has never faded...."

style

the distinctive way in which a work of literature is written.

E. E. Cummings's style is decidedly unconventional, breaking rules of capitalization, punctuation, diction, and syntax.

subordinate/dependent clause

A clause that needs an independent clause to complete its meaning.

After the show is over, do you
want to get dinner?

syllogism

a deductive system of logic that presents two premises (one "major" and the second "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. If A =B, and B = C, then A = C.

If I study, I will pass the test. I studied. Therefore, I passed the test.

syntax

The way a writer chooses to join words into phrases, clauses and sentences. Word order.

Normal Person: "Make a perimeter around the survivors."
Yoda: "Around the survivors a perimeter make."

theme

an underlying message that a writer wants the reader to understand.

tone

a writer's attitude toward his or her subject.

Claude McKay's tone in "If We Must Die" is proud, defiant, and urgent.

understatement

a technique of creating emphasis by saying less than Is actually or literally true.

New Orleans knows a thing or two about throwing a party.

voice

The term voice refers to a writer's unique use of language that allows a reader to "hear" a human personality in his or her writing.

"Seriously, the house was creepy! Like, totally haunted. I wouldn't go near it."