AP English Language: Rhetorical Terms List 3

abstract

Words that describe ideas, feelings, or qualities that cannot be seen or touched

ad populem argument

A faulty argument that says something is true or right because many people believe it.

allegory

a story, picture, or piece of art that uses characters and events to represent a hidden or deeper meaning, usually a moral, political, or real-world lesson

anaphora

repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of several sentences of clauses

aphorism

A short, memorable statement that expresses a general truth or life lesson

apostrophe

speaking directly to someone or something that is absent, imaginary, or not human

audience

The group of people a writer as speaker is trying to reach

attitude

The writer’s feelings or opinions about the subject

claim

The main point or argument a writer wants to prove

clichè

An overused phrase or expressions that has lost its originality

comparison/contrast

A type of writing that explains how two things are alike and different

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one more dependent clause

concrete

Words that describe things that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted

evidence

Facts, examples, statistics, or quotations used to support a claim

genre

A category or type of literature or writing

inversion

Reversing the order of words in a sentence to create emphasis or special effect

loose sentence

A sentence that states the main idea first, then adds extra details

metonymy

Replacing the name of something with a related word or phrase

periodic sentence

A sentence that saves the main idea until the end for emphasis

process analysis

Writing that explains the steps of how something is done or how something works

rhetorical questions

A question asked to make a point rather than to get an answer

synecdoche

Using a part of something to represent the whole, or the whole to represent a part

syntax

The way words and sentences are arranged to create meaning

transition

A word or phrase that connects ideas and helps writing flow smoothly

unity

When every sentence in a paragraph or essay support the same main idea