Rhetorical Terms Glossary - AP English Language and Composition

Vocabulary flashcards covering key rhetorical terms from Weeks 1–5 lecture notes.

Allegory

The device of using characters and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction beyond the literal meaning; often conveys moral truth. Example: Animal Farm.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words; can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, provide musical rhythm.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something commonly known (event, book, myth, place, work of art); can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical.

Ambiguity

The presence of two or more meanings in a word, phrase, sentence, or passage, intentional or unintentional.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them; used to explain unfamiliar ideas by relating them to familiar ones.

Anaphora

Repetition of the same expression at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.

Anecdote

A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event, often from the life of a person.

Antecedent

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

Antithesis

A figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure.

Aphorism

A terse statement of a general truth or moral principle; if authorship is unknown, it is a folk proverb.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction; often to express emotion.

Asyndeton

Omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses to create a concise, rapid, or emphatic effect.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entire literary work, set by the setting and the author’s choices; can foreshadow events.

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant sounds deliberately used in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech in which two adjacent phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax but reversed in order (criss-cross).

Clause

A grammatical unit containing a subject and a verb; independent (can stand alone) vs. dependent (cannot stand alone).

Coherence

A principle by which the parts of a composition are arranged so the overall meaning is clear and logical.

Colloquial/Colloquialism

The use of slang or informal language in speech or writing; not usually appropriate for formal writing.

Conceit

A fanciful, extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects; reveals cleverness.

Connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word—the ideas, emotions, or attitudes it suggests.

Deduction

Reasoning from a general rule to a specific example.

Denotation

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

Diacope

Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase (e.g., We will do it, I tell you; We give thanks to Thee, O God, we give thanks).

Diction

Choice of words; the writer’s style as reflected in word choice (formal vs informal, ornate vs plain).

Didactic

Works whose primary aim is teaching or instructing, especially moral or ethical principles.

Enumeratio

Figure of amplification that lists parts, causes, effects, or details (a detailed list).

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Expletive

A single word or short phrase used to lend emphasis, often interrupting normal syntax (e.g., indeed, in fact, of course).

Euphemism

A milder or more acceptable substitute for a harsh or offensive term; can soften or be humorous.

Explication

The art of interpreting or closely analyzing a text, focusing on figurative language and meaning.

Exposition

In essays, the purpose is to explain; in drama, the introductory material that sets tone, setting, and characters.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at length, appearing frequently throughout a work.

Figurative language

Language that communicates ideas through figures of speech rather than literal meaning.

Figure of speech

A device that produces figurative language (e.g., apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor).

Genre

The major category of a literary work (prose, poetry, drama) with subdivisions; AP exams often emphasize autobiography, criticism, essays, etc.

Homily

Literally a sermon; more broadly, any serious talk or moralizing lecture.

Hyperbole

Deliberate, obvious exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect.

Hypophora

Asking one or more questions and then answering them, often at length, by the same speaker.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses; can symbolize abstractions and evoke mood.

Induction

Reasoning from specific cases to a general conclusion.

Inference

A reasonable conclusion drawn from information presented; not directly stated in the text.

Invective

A violent, emotionally charged denunciation using strong, abusive language.

Irony

A contrast between what is stated and what is meant; three main types are verbal, situational, and dramatic.

Jargon

Specialized language of a profession or group, often considered obscure to outsiders.

Juxtaposition

Placing two or more ideas, images, or actions side by side for comparison or contrast.

Litotes

A form of understatement achieved by negating the opposite (e.g., 'not uncommon').

Loose sentence

A sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by subordinate details; often informal.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes an implied comparison between two unlike things."

Metonymy

A figure of speech where the name of one object is replaced with something closely related to it (e.g., 'the White House' for the Presidency).

Mood

Two meanings: grammatical mood (indicative, imperative, subjunctive) and literary mood (the prevailing atmosphere or feeling).

Polysyndeton

Figure of addition that uses a deliberate series of conjunctions (FANBOYS) where they are not normally found.

Parody

A work that imitates another for comic effect or ridicule, often requiring knowledge of the original.

Pedantic

Characterized by an overly scholarly or bookish tone.

Periodic sentence

A sentence whose central meaning comes at the end, preceded by a phrase that cannot stand alone.

Personification

A figure of speech that gives human attributes to nonhuman things.

Point of view

The perspective from which a story is told (first person, third person omniscient, third person limited); author’s attitude is often analyzed in essays.

Predicate adjective

An adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies the subject (a subject complement).

Predicate nominative

A noun or noun phrase that follows a linking verb and renames the subject (subject complement).

Prose

One of the major literary divisions; written or spoken language without the formal structure of poetry; length of lines is not dictated.

Repetition

The duplication of any element of language (sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence) for emphasis or rhythm.

Rhetoric

The study of effective, persuasive writing and speaking; the art of using language to influence an audience.

Rhetorical modes

The four primary types of writing: exposition, argumentation, description, and narration.

Rhetorical Question (erotesis)

A question posed for effect that is not intended to be answered by the speaker; the answer is obvious.

Sarcasm

Bitter, caustic language intended to hurt or ridicle; often involves irony.

Satire

A work that uses humor, irony, and other devices to critique human vice or folly and provoke reform.

Semantics

The branch of linguistics studying meaning, connotations, and relationships of words.

Style

The sum of an author's choices in diction, syntax, figurative language, and other devices; also the classification of authors by comparable characteristics.

Subordinate clause

A dependent clause that cannot stand alone and depends on a main clause, usually introduced by subordinating conjunctions.

Syllogism

A deductive argument using two premises (major and minor) that lead to a conclusion; validity depends on the premises.

Tricolon

A sentence consisting of three parallel parts of equal length.

Symbol/Symbolism

An object that represents something else beyond itself; natural, conventional, or literary symbols.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part stands for the whole or the whole for a part (or other related relationships).

Syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences; contrasts with diction.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work; often unstated in fiction.

Thesis

In expository writing, a statement that directly expresses the author’s opinion or purpose.

Tone

The author's attitude toward subject or audience; closely related to mood.

Transition

A word or phrase linking ideas and signaling shifts in thought or progression.

Understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact; the opposite of hyperbole; can be humorous or emphatic.

Zeugma

A figure of speech where a single word governs or modifies two or more words, though the word grammatically fits with only one.

Undertone

An attitude hidden beneath the surface tone of a piece; subtle implication.

Wit

Intellectually clever language that surprises or delights; concise and perceptive.