AP Lang Devices

Diction

The specific word choice an author uses to create meaning or tone.

Example:

“The brutal dictator crushed the rebellion.”

Words like “brutal” and “crushed” create a harsh tone.

Syntax

The arrangement and structure of sentences.

Example:

“Run. Hide. Survive.”

Short sentences create urgency and tension.

Tone

The general character or attitude of a piece of writing, conveyed through the author's choice of words and style. Tone helps to set the mood and can influence the reader's perception of the content.
Example:

“Of course that was a brilliant decision,” he said sarcastically.

Tone = sarcastic.

Ethos

An appeal to credibility or trustworthiness.

Example:

“As a scientist who has studied climate change for 20 years…”

The speaker builds credibility.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion.

Example:

“Thousands of innocent children go hungry every night.”

Creates sympathy and sadness.

Logos

An appeal to logic, evidence, or reasoning.

Example:

“Research shows that graduation rates increased by 25%.”

Uses facts/statistics.

Anecdote

A short personal story used to illustrate a point.

Example:
A speaker tells a story about struggling financially to discuss poverty.

Creates connection and realism.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Example:

“The icy wind stung his face as dark clouds covered the sky.”

Appeals to touch and sight.

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis.

Example:

“We will fight. We will endure. We will succeed.”

Emphasizes determination.

Parallelism

Repeating similar grammatical structure.

Example:

“She likes swimming, biking, and running.”

Creates rhythm and balance.

Juxtaposition

Placing contrasting ideas side by side.

Example:

“The joyful wedding took place beside a graveyard.”

Contrasts happiness and death.

Symbolism

Using an object or image to represent a deeper meaning.

Example:

A rose symbolizes love.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

Example:

“Time is a thief.”

Time is compared to a thief.

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.

Example:

“The wind whispered through the trees.”

The wind is given a human action.

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as.”

Example:

“Her smile was as bright as the sun.”

Alliteration

The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in nearby words

Example:

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”

The repeated “p” sound creates rhythm and emphasis.

Rhetorical Question

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

Example:

“How much longer can we ignore climate change?”

The speaker already knows the audience is supposed to reflect on the issue.

Introduction Synthesis

Provide context in a few sentences then address controversies on topic then thesis that takes a position on topic

Step 1 Synthesis

Explain the main idea of paragraph

Example:

Very strongly attributed to the integration of work and life is the difficulty of detaching from work.

Step 2 Synthesis

Evidence from source (use at least one source per paragraph)

Example:
We see this key drawback of work-life blending evidenced in (Source A), where the divorced father of two, Sam, who also manages an IT group, explains how he feels, “stretched thin,” describing how when at work he worries about his family and when he is “with [his family] on the weekends,” Sam is “online taking care of loose ends at work or trying to connect with leads for funding my start-up.”

Step 3 Synthesis

Tie evidence back to claim/thesis

Example:
Sam’s case shows the limitations of work-life blending

Step 4 Synthesis

Use “because” or “as” after to connect steps 3 and 5

Step 5 Synthesis

Explain the evidence used

Example:

by failing to create a separation in his personal and professional life,

Step 6 Synthesis

Explain the tie using the explanation of the evidence

Example:
Sam fails to detach himself from his work, unfortunately, being engorged in a state of ‘endless work’.

Step 7 Synthesis

Use the word “consequently” to express a result, then use “if” or “since”

Example:

Consequently, since

Step 8 Synthesis

Assumption based on evidence

Example:

Sam faces constant involvement in his work due to lack of separation, he also encounters constant interruptions in both his work and his personal life

Step 9 Synthesis

Explain assumption in regards to claim/thesis

Example:

that deter his focus away from his task at hand, those being where Sam is unable to maintain complete focus on his job by being simultaneously involved with his family and where he is also unable to maintain complete focus on his family by being simultaneously involved with his work.

Step 10 Synthesis

Address counterargument (not necessary but extra time sophistication point) (also can count as evidence #2)

Example:

And while proponents of work-life blending claim that this integration comes with the benefit that we can “stop feeling guilty” about taking up work “during our vacations … or … at night,” and similarly, “not feel guilty about” family time “during work time” (Source C), this is clearly not the case as if it were, Sam would most certainly not describe his life as “out of control,” being “constantly distracted” by the glorious work-life blending (Source A).

Step 11 Synthesis

Use “Therefore” as a connector

Example:

Therefore, due to the fact that

Step 12 Synthesis

Make another assumption based on evidence

Example:

Sam’s own integration of work and life via work-life blending has led to difficulties in him being free from his work and caused him to face constant disturbances in not only his professional life but also his personal life, to the point where he finds it difficult to have enough time to spend with his two daughters,

Step 13 Synthesis

Final explanation of assumption/ tie to thesis

Example:

it can be reasonably concluded that while contended, the value of work-life blending is minimal at most.

Conclusion Synthesis

Summarize points made throughout essay then restate thesis

Introduction Rhetorical

• In (his/her) [genre of work] “title of work” (date), [name of author], [phrase describing author], (asserts/argues/suggests/implies/claims that) [author’s major assertion/argument/thesis].

• [Author] (develops/supports) (his/her) (argument/message) through the use of [rhetorical choice #1, #2, and #3 in chronological order]

• (he/she/author last name) writes to [author’s purpose] in order to [what purpose aims to achieve]

• [Author] writes for an audience of [state author’s intended audience] as shown with (his/her) [what makes this the intended audience], and [author] ultimately moves this audience to [what is the audience supposed to do/act like after experiencing the text]

Topic Sentence Rhetorical

• BP1: [Author] begins (with/by) [rhetorical choice 1], highlighting [purpose/effect of rhetorical choice in relation to your thesis/what prompt asks/author’s message]

• BP2: Building off the strategy, [author last name] used to begin with, (he/she) [connect last sentence of previous paragraph to first paragraph of this paragraph and show how strategies build upon each other]

• BP3: Concluding the argument, [author] [connect last sentence of previous paragraph to first paragraph of this paragraph and show how strategies build upon each other]

Evidence 1 Rhetorical

• Introduce evidence using context

• Quote example

• Your claim about the evidence (What the evidence does related to the passage)

• Commentary

  • Explain the effect of evidence #1 in relation to either credibility (ethos), passion or emotion (pathos), or logic (logos)

    • While doing this, tie the specific use of the strategy in to your claim and the theme/main idea of the work

Evidence 2 Rhetorical

• Advance your idea by providing more evidence

• Format: [Tie in previous evidence and its effect] [start talking about second piece of evidence, continuing your claim about the strategy named in the topic sentence] [textual evidence]

• Commentary

  • Explain the effect of evidence #2 (should be the same strategy as evidence #1) in relation to either credibility (ethos), passion or emotion (pathos), or logic (logos)

    • While doing this, tie the specific use of the strategy in to your claim and the theme/main idea of the work

Closing Sentence Rhetorical

Explain how your examples of the specific rhetorical device connect and are effective in conveying your thesis and the theme of the work

Conclusion Rhetorical

• Rephrase thesis statement

  • Comes first in conclusion

  • Briefly analyze how author has achieved their purpose (through using certain rhetorical strategies)

  • Add sophistication and dig deeper than your thesis you used in your intro

• Highlight main ideas made during your analysis

  • Short explanation of the main points discussed

    • Why main points are important

    • How they link to your thesis

    • Importance of the rhetorical strategies used

      • If strategies were effective in conveying author’s message

  • Closing thought

    • Close out the main purpose of the text being analyzed

      • Be thoughtful and use powerful clencher

Introduction Argumentative

• Hook

  • Powerful, eye-catching hook about the topic to grab reader’s attention

• Background information

  • Provide context/background on the topic

  • Explain why the topic is important

  • Who cares about the topic or why should people care

• Thesis

  • State your main point of view on topic (agree, disagree, qualify)

  • List 2-3 reasons why you choose this

Body Paragraphs Argumentative

• Topic sentence

  • Claim that supports a part of your thesis

  • Will be the main topic of this paragraph

• Evidence

  • List evidence that supports the topic sentence/claim

  • CHORES:

    • Current Events

    • History

    • Outside Knowledge

      • Sports, pop culture, music, etc.

    • Reading

    • Experiences

    • Science

  • Commentary: Explain specific evidence used and how it relates to your thesis

    • (Explain evidence) [proves/supports/confirms/highlights/exemplifies/qualifies/refutes/disproves/shows the limitations of/suggests/implies] [insert idea based on claim] because (explain how evidence relates to claim by stating assumptions)

    • Consequently (if/since) (assumption related to evidence that can be linked to claim) (explain outcome of assumption in regards to claim)

    • Therefore, (since/due to the fact that) (another assumption related to previous evidence that can be linked to claim) (explain outcome of assumption, tie back to thesis)

  • Transition in next body paragraph by connecting an idea from the past body paragraph to an idea you plan to use in this paragraph

Refute Argumentative

3. Refutation

• Acknowledgement

  • Respectfully acknowledge evidence/standpoints that are different from your argument (opposing arguments)

    • Do this by explaining their argument

  • Refutation

    • Refute the stance of the opposing arguments using (however/although)

      • Go on to disprove their argument (why this argument isn’t rational)

      • Show why your position is more correct than the opposing idea using more evidence and commentary

Conclusion Argumentative

Conclusion

• Restate thesis in a more sophisticated and expanded light

  • Review your major points made in your essay and their relation to your thesis and topic of essay

• Emphasize the importance of the topic again

• Call to action

  • Leave the audience with something by moving them to take action on the topic