AP Lang- Rhetorical Devices

Antonomasia

a kind of metonymy in which an epithet or phrase takes the place of a proper name
ex. you-know-who= Voldemort

synaesthesia/synesthesia

device where one sense is described in terms of another (usually a simile)

anadiplosis

repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next. It can be generated in series for the sake of beauty or to give a sense of logical expression

coveat

warning or caution of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations

warrant

a component of an arrangement essay that explains how the evidence provided helps prove the assertions and connects everything back to the thesis

apostrophe

when a speaker directly addresses someone or something isn't present

fallacy

failure in reasoning that renders on argument invalid

paradox

assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it

allegory

rhetorical strategy of extending a metaphor through an entire narrative so that objects, persons, and actions in the text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text

proponent

a person who advocates for a theory, proposal, or idea

epistrophe

repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

pleonasm

the use of redundant words within a phrase to emphasize an idea

retrospection

review or contemplation of past events or situations

satire

uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or riddle to reveal critical attitude toward a person, group, institution. Targets human vices, fallacies, and social conventions. Has 3 layers: serious surface, humorous when figured its satire, and serious when discern underlying point of author

pathos

appeal to emotion; way of convincing the audience of an argument by creating an emotional response

anecdote

short account or narrative of an interest or amusing incident, often intended to illustrate or support some point

epizeuxis

words or phrases are repeating in quick succession for emphasis

persona

"mask". The face, role, or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience

pun

play on words in which homophone is repeated but used in a difference sense

allusion

brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work (real or fictional)

polysyndeton

technique in which conjunctions (and, but, or, etc) are used repeatedly in quick succession, often with no commas, even when the conjunctions could be removed

asyndeton

technique in which conjunctions are omitted between a series of words, phrases, or clauses

objective (adj)

when a person or their judgment is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts

litotes

ironic understatement that expresses a positive sentence using its negative form in order to emphasize an idea or situation, rather than minimizing its importance

metonymy

figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which its related, or of which it is a part

aphorism

a pithy observation that contains a general truth

juxtaposition

2 or more ideas, places, characters, and their actions are placed side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrast

appositive

A noun or noun phrase that follows, defines and provided information about other noun or noun phase

hypohora

speaker poses a question and then askers the question

zeugma

a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses

accumulation

list of words or ideas which embody similar abstract/physical qualities or meanings. These words or ideas are listed together to emphasis and build meaning because of qualities these words share

colloquialism

informal expression that is more often used in casual conversion than informal speech or writing

exigence

an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak

antithesis

Direct opposite

analogy

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

exemplification

Providing examples in service of a point.

logos

an appeal based on logic or reason

amplification

involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize

rhetoric

the art of using language effectively and persuasively

chiasmas

a rhetorical term in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order and in the same or a modified form

kairos

correct time to say or do a particular thing depending on the context

ethos

gives author credibility

parallelism

Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other

footnote/endnote

the use of superscript numbers in the document that correspond to supplemental information

aposiopesis

suddenly stopping in the middle of a speech for emphasis

diatribe (noun)

a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

euphemism

an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

passive voice

the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb

active voice

a type of a clause or sentence in which a subject performs an action and expresses it through its representative verb

antanaclasis

a phrase or word is repeated used, though the meaning of the word changes in each case

tmesis

purposeful placement of a word(s) between the parts of another word, compound, word, or phrase to create emphasis