Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

Flashcards for AP English Language and Composition review.

Allegory

Using character/story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. Often deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in two or more neighboring words. It can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Used to lend authority to an idea or create a memorable phrase.

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. Used to explain something unfamiliar by associating it with something more familiar or to make writing more vivid.

Anaphora

The repetition of the same expression (word or words) at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. Used to create a memorable powerful effect and reinforce an idea.

Anecdote

A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. Used to provide a concrete example or to humanize an abstract concept.

Antecedent

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

Antithesis

Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure. Creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction. Used to give vent to or display intense emotion.

Asyndeton

Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. Can give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account.

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 foreshadows events.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. Can be independent (main) or dependent (subordinate).

Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Gives a work a conversational, familiar tone.

Coherence

A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. Displays intellectual cleverness through an unusual comparison.

Connotation

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

Denotation

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