AP Language Rhetorical Devices and Literary Style Terms

style

specific elements that make up a piece of writing

Diction

vocabulary + word choice, the individual types of words used "Jones sarcastic tone is made evident through his playful, ironic diction

Connotation

word's implied meaning (feeling a word gives, "she's feeling blue")

Denotation

direct meaning (she's feeling melancholy)

Repetition

using the same word or phrase multiple times("tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace")

Vocabulary; specific word choice (simple vs. complex/ formal vs. informal)

Jargon

"field specific" vocabulary (scientific, business, etc.)

Vernacular

language of a specific place ("y'all")

Colloquialisms

conversational language, using language that reflects the way people actually speak ("what's up")

Archaic language

using language that is old-fashioned ("i pray you, listen up, folks!"

Syntax

word order, sentence structure, sentence arrangement

Periodic sentence

builds up to main idea at end of sentence (creates suspense or puts emphasis on final point)

Cumulative sentence

starts with a main clause at beginning and more is added, best for description

Hortative sentence

call to action, urges, implores ("let's turn the page")

Imperative sentence

command ("get out there")

Anaphora

repetition of words/phrases at beginning of successive clauses, phrases, lines etc ("i have a dream...I have a dream....I have a dream")

Parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair of series of related words, phrases, clauses ("no pain, no gain!", "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me")

Antithesis

opposition or contrast of ideas/words in a parallel construction sentence ("hatred stirs up strife, but love conquers all")

Antimetabole/ chiasmus

repetition of words in reverse order ("eat to live, not live to eat")

Asyndeton

the omission of conjuctions between phrases (speeds up)

Syndeton (poltsyndeton)

the repetition of conjunctions between words (slows down)

Inversion

inverted word order in a sentence (varation on subject-verb order)"Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset"

Juxtaposition

placement of two disparate things closely together ina text to emphasize their differences, to help make a point. "All is fair in love and war"

Assonance

repeating vowel sounds

Consonance

repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds in neighboring words

Extended metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things that continues through a series of sentences

Epithet

a characterizing word of phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name; a disparaging or abusive word or phrase

Euphemism

the substituion of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend

Allusion

reference to another sources (bible mythology, poem, work of art) "The desire for publicity became her Achilles heel."

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration "The line at the store was a mile long"

Oxymoron

two contradictory words next to each other "Original copy" "jumbo shrimp"

Metonymy

using the name of one thing to represent another thing related to it "The crown" = king or queen; "the white house" = the president

Synechdoche

using one part to represent a whole Nice wheels = nice car Nice thread = nice clothes

Paradox

a statement that seems contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet perhaps is true

Rhetorical questions

posing a question for effect rather than to get an answer "Who wouldn't want to be a billionaire?"

Zeugma

using two different meanings of the same word within a sentence (using a word figuratively and literally in once sentence) "When we bear arms, we bear a burden of responsibility"

rhetorical choices

The ways an author uses rhetorical devices

claim of fact

whether something is true or false "the earth is round"

claim of value

judgement, is something good or bad (morality/justice)

claims of policy

proposes a change or reform, says what should happen

Argument:

"Persuasive discourse, a coherent and considered movement from claim to conclusion" (from Conversations in American Literature)

What's a claim?

An assertion

A proposition

arguable idea

Thesis

argument's main idea (other claims = points)

red herring

a fallacy that introduces an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the main issue.

ad hominem

a fallacy that attacks the person making an argument rather than the argument itself.

faulty analogy

a fallacy that compares two things that are not truly comparable in relevant aspects.

appeal to false authority

a fallacy that relies on the opinion of someone who is not an expert in the subject.

straw man

a fallacy that misrepresents or oversimplifies an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

either/or fallacy

a fallacy that presents only two options when more possibilities exist.

post hoc ergo propter hoc

a fallacy that assumes one event caused another simply because it occurred first.

hasty generalization

a fallacy that draws a broad conclusion from too little or unrepresentative evidence.

circular reasoning

a fallacy in which the argument's conclusion is assumed in its premise.

bandwagon appeal

a fallacy that argues something is true or right because many people believe or do it.

stack the deck

a fallacy that presents only evidence supporting one side while ignoring the opposing evidence.