Rhetorical Terms (AP LANG)

ethos

the character (ethics) of a person (are they credible or trustworthy?) Maye emphasize shared values between the speaker and audience.

logos

logic or reason; establishing clear, rational ideas.

pathos

appeals to emotion which are usually descriptive and figurative.

tone

the speaker’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

polemic

an argument against an ideas, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion via attacks on a contrary position; criticizing the opposing point of view without meaning or supporting your own.

propaganda

a negative term for writing/images designed to sway opinions rather than present information.

parallel structure

the repition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.

anaphora

the repetition of a word (s) at the beginning of successive clauses.

epistrophe

the repetition o a word(s) at the end of successive clauses.

colloquialism

informal or conversational language

style

the distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figure of speech.

diction

word choice

syntax

sentence structure; arrangement of word

chiasmus

the reversing of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases or sentences; a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect (eg: ab —> ba)

periodic sentence

a sentence that builds toward and ends with the main clause.

cumulative sentence

an independent clause followed by dependent clauses or phrases that supply additional detail.

archaic diction

the use of words common to an earlier time period.

abstract diction

words associated with the intangible such as ideas or emotions.

concrete diction

words for objects or events that are available to the senses.

complex sentences

sentences that contain a least one dependent clause and one independent clause.

declarative sentence

sentence that makes a statement.

pacing

the relative speed or slowness with which a story is told or an idea is presented.

antithesis

parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas.

repetition

repeated phrases, clauses, sentences, or ideas

contrast

indicating and/or explaining differences. On the sentence level, one type of contrast is anthesis. In paragraphs and essays, contrast is generally considered an aspect of comparison.

imagery

vivid use of language that evoked a reader’s senses (sight, smell, taste, such, hearing)

hortative sentence

sentence that urges, advises, and/or calls to action.

alliteration

reputation of the same sound beginning several words in sequence.

allusion

an indirect reference to an outside person, event, or place within a piece of writing

asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.

polysyndeton

repeated use of conjunctions in quick succession between phrases, clauses, or words.

juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts.

counterargument

a viewpoint that opposes the main argument; a concession. Sets up the chance to refute the opposition and can increase both ethos and logos.

rhetorical question

a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered

hypophora

a speaker or writer raises a question and then immediately answers it.

analogy

a comparison between two like or similar things used in explaining difficult concepts