AP Lang Rhetorical Terms & Claims: Definitions, Examples, and Analysis

Irony

The discrepancy between appearance and reality.

Oxymoron

A self-contradictory combination of words.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked solely to produce an effect and not to get an answer.

Allegory

A narrative in which characters, actions, and settings represent abstract ideas beyond the literal meaning of the story.

Syllogism

A logical argument with a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.

Metonymy

Substituting a word with another term closely associated with it.

Claim of Value

A claim involving opinions, attitudes, or subjective evaluation.

Claim of Policy

A claim advocating that a specific action should or should not be taken.

Claim of Value / Judgement

Claims involving opinions, attitudes, and subjective evaluations of things.

Claim of Definition

A claim explaining what something means or what something is made up of.