Chapter 1-4 Rhetorical term AP Lang

Clichés

use figurative language has lost its clarity and its power.

Colloquial language

aligns with a particular region and reflects differences in usage, connotation, and pronunciation, i.e., y’all or diddy (rather than daddy). (Dialect is another term that refers to words, phrases, and pronunciations characteristic of a particular region or group.)

Jargon

is language specific to a field or profession or interest group. For example, in the field of computers, such words as byte, RAM, and CPU are terms exchanged between professionals, and lawyers speak in legalese.

Slang

is the spoken language, which often youth use to experiment with language. As the innovators, youth use slang to interject humor or to exaggerate. Youth might shorten a word or phrase for effect and use in conjunction with taboo topics, such as sex, alcohol, violence. According to one website, the expression “caught in 4k” refers to catching someone red-handed with the receipts to prove it, such as digital evidence.

Vulgar language

is language deficient in taste and refinement; it is coarse and base; we often view this category of language as improper or obscene, even offensive, i.e., profanities, racist or sexist language.

Code-switching

is the practice of speakers shifting between different languages or dialects depending upon their situation” it still promotes the idea that one ‘code’ is more appropriate than another.

Code-meshing

considers all dialectal choices as inherently equal and doesn’t assume one is more ‘standard.

Literal vs. Figurative

When writers want their work to be read as accurate and straightforward – without embellishments— their writing is free from exaggeration as well as metaphors and more. In contrast, the other incorporates metaphors, similes, ironic statements and understatements. For example, the word frugal is more literal than the expression “tight as bark on a tree.”

Denotative vs. Connotative

dictionary words vs more suggestive and conveys an emotional content, i.e., dress vs. gown or obese vs. plump.

Objective vs. Subjective

language that is impersonal, unemotional, and unbiased; vs language that conveys a more emotional and biased sentiment.

Active vs. Passive

sentence will convey action; in such a sentence, the writer will recognize the person who performed the action as the subject of that sentence. In contrast, a will use a verb of being.

Concrete vs. Abstract

is more specific and tangible referencing facts and specific people or places, objects or acts. the other is more conceptual and philosophical. the first refers to ideas, qualities, conditions, categories, and/or relationships. For example, the word “girl” is more concrete than the word “beauty.” The word “flag” is more concrete than the word “patriotism.”

Hyperbole vs. Understatement

Overstated language vs language is wording that misrepresents a trait as less.

Euphemism

used in place of a more common term that the writer or speaker fears might be harsh, unpleasant, or objectionable. For example, we often prefer to say that a loved one has “passed on” or “slipped away in the night” rather than “died” or, even worse, “kicked the bucket.”

Declarative

makes a statement or an assertion "The sky is blue"

Imperative

issues a command “go touch grass“

Exclamatory

makes an interjection or a sudden utterance

Interrogative

sentence asks a question

Rhetorical Question

asks a question in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to seek information or get an answer.

Inverted Syntax

In English, we often adhere to a traditional syntax order, constructing a sentence so that the subject comes before the predicate, which contains a verb and makes a statement about the subject “strong you are“

Parallel Structure

It involves an arrangement of words, phrases, sentences or even paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased.

Allegory

a symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a meaning not explicitly set forth in the usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. For instance, George Orwell’s Animal Farm seems a simple story about a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy; however, it is an allegorical work that alludes to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and its false qualities of class struggle.

Alliteration

This device repeats the initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in “she sells sea shells”). The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense (or mood) of the passage.

Allusion

It is a direct or indirect reference to another work of literature and/or art,

Ambiguity (aka Double Entendre)

The term reveals a basic meaning and complex overtones of that meaning. A simple example is the use of homophones to promote a multiplicity of possible meanings. In Sonnet 135, Shakespeare puns on the word “Will,” invoking its sense as one’s wish, as well as its sense as a nickname for “William”

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar.

Anecdote

It is a brief narrative or a retelling of a story.

Antithesis

This device establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure. is “Neil Armstrong's "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" and Alexander Pope's "To err is human; to forgive divine"“

Apostrophe

It is a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, “Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour

Assonance

It is the repetition of similar vowel sounds in successive or proximate words containing different consonants

Cataloguing

listing. A writer must construct a list to show progression, generation, or commonality. The technique is often used without transitional ideas or phrases for the sake of compactness, dramatic effect, and economy.

Catachresis

Is an extravagant, implied metaphor using words in an alien or unusual way.

Chiasmus

It might be called "reverse parallelism" since the second part of the construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order. showcase a reversal in the structure of successive phrases or clauses, creating an A-B-B-A pattern to emphasize an idea through contrast or balance. Famous examples include John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country

comparative language 

a way of using words to compare two or more things, show differences, or highlight similarities. It includes comparative adjectives and adverbs, such as "older," "more expensive," "less expensive," or "faster," and is used to contrast items or show changes over time

conditional 

language that expresses a condition, often using "if/ then" to indicate a hypothetical scenario or outcome.

consonance 

the repetition of similar consonant sounds in words in close proximity.  Unlike alliteration (with its stylized repetition), the repetition of the consonant is not patterned; the writer uses a consonant or consonant sound at close intervals: “Quickly, KP crammed the cat in the basket on the bike.” 

contrast 

the act of comparing two or more things to highlight their differences.

dehumanisation

the process of depriving a person or group of positive human qualities, often used in propaganda or extreme rhetoric to justify mistreatment.

dialect

a particular form of a language specific to a region or social group, distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

duality

the quality or condition of being dual; the existence of two contrasting aspects within a single entity or concept.

elliptical expression

the omission of one or more words, which, while essential to the grammatical structure of the sentence or line, the reader can easily supply (or infer). "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” – Plato

literary epithet

An adjective that names a key or important characteristic of the subject, as in "laughing happiness," "sneering contempt," "untroubled sleep," "peaceful dawn," and "lifegiving water." “At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth of thieves and murderers . . . .” – George Herbert.  “Blind mouths that scarce themselves know how to hold / A sheep hook . . . .” -- John Milton.

racial epithet

identifies racist terms such as the “N” word or other racially-charged language.

auditory imagery 

the use of language to create vivid sounds or auditory experiences in the reader's mind, often appealing to the sense of hearing.

gustatory imagery 

the use of descriptive language to evoke taste sensations, appealing to the reader's sense of taste.

olfactory imagery 

the use of descriptive language to evoke scent sensations, appealing to the reader's sense of smell.

tactile imagery 

the use of language that evokes physical sensations of touch, appealing to the reader's sense of texture or feeling.

visual imagery 

the use of descriptive language to evoke sight sensations, appealing to the reader's sense of vision.

internal monologue

 this narrative technique exhibits the thoughts passing through the minds of the characters – often the protagonists.

dramatic irony

when facts or events are unknown to a character in a work but is known to the audience or to other characters in the work

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;

verbal irony

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

malapropism

a French phrase meaning “badly for the purpose.” It came into popular usage to describe the silly misuse of words. For example, when Mark Twain has a character (known as the king) misuse words, he wants to convey that the king is an illiterate fraud rather than royalty

metonymy

figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.  For example, a news release that claims “the White House declared” rather than “the President declared”

motif

often defined as an image or an idea that is repeated or carried through an individual work

onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur.

oxymoron

two word paradox, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent silence") or adverb-adjective ("inertly strong") relationship humbly bold, bookful blockhead,

paradox

A statement or expression so surprisingly self-contradictory as to provoke us into seeking another sense or context in which it would be true. Wordsworth's line “The Child is father of the Man” and Shakespeare's “the truest poetry is the most feigning” are notable literary examples. Consider the opening line to Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....”

personification

humanizing things that arent human

register

the level of language (formal, casual) 

general repetition

a rhetorical device involving the repeated use of words or phrases for emphasis in both speech and writing, creating a rhythm or reinforcing a concept.

patterned repetition

a rhetorical strategy that involves the intentional repetition of a specific structure, phrase, or idea throughout a text to create emphasis, cohesion, or a rhythmic effect.

stylized repetition

a rhetorical device that uses deliberate patterns of repetition, often in the form of varying phrasing or structures, to enhance the emotional impact or aesthetic quality of a text.

internal rhyme

a poetic device where a rhyme occurs within a single line of verse or between the middle of words in a line, enhancing the musical quality of the poem.

end rhyme

the last words of two or more lines rhyme with each other, creating a sense of harmony and musicality in the text.

sibilance 

It is consonant sounds that make a hissing sound, such as /s/, /z/, /j/, and /sh/.

simile

makes a comparison between two otherwise unalike objects or ideas by connecting them with the words "like" or "as."

zeugma

A general term describing when one part of speech governs two or more other parts of a sentence. Example: The woman lost her keys and her heart.  

vernacular

the spoken language 

syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

synesthesia

One kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another. Here is a common example: The sight of red ants makes a person itchy.  In literature, refers to the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image.  Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song title, “Taste the Pain,” is an example. 

symbol

anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually something concrete

superlative

<span>an adjective or adverb expressing the highest degree of a quality, often formed by adding "-est" or using "most", such as in "fastest" or "most beautiful".</span>