English Rhetorical Terms - Set 1

ad hominem argument

From the Latin meaning “to or against the man”, this is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect.

allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.

• eg. an author may try to personify characters as an abstraction like hope or freedom

alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

• eg. “she sells sea shells”

allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

• Can be historical, literary, religious, or mythical.

ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

• An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating with it, or pointing out its similarity to, something familiar.

• Can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, and engaging.

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

• AP Lang exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences.

aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general proof or moral principal.

• Can be a memorable summation of the author’s point

antithesis

A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure.

• Resulting parallelism serves to emphasize opposition of ideas

apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.

• The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.

atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described.

• Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events. See mood.

caricature

A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect.

• Sometimes caricature can be so exaggerated that it becomes a grotesque imitation or misrepresentation.

chiasmus

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism. It is a rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each another through a reversal of terms.

• The purpose is usually to make a larger point or to provide balance or order.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

• An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.

• A dependent, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

colloquialism

Slang or informality in speech or writing.

• Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.

conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

• A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.

connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.

• Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. See denotation.

denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. See connotation.

diction

Writer’s word choice, especially with regards to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

didactic

From the Greek, "didactic" literally means "instructive."

• Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

euphemism

From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

• The euphemism may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness, or to add humor or ironic understatement.

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things.

• ex. apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, etc.

generic conventions

This term describes traditions for each genre.

• These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate between an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing.

• On the AP Language and Composition Exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention.

genre

The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.