AP Language Rhetorical Terms

Flashcards for vocabulary review.

Allusion

A reference to some famous literary work, historical figure, or event.

Argumentation

The art of influencing an audience by reasoning and evidence, and sometimes emotion.

Coherence

Clarity and logical consistency; a writing style where all parts are logically fused into a single whole.

Description

A rhetorical mode used to depict a scene, person, thing, or idea.

Diction

Word choice and vocabulary in writing, determined by audience and occasion.

Exposition

Writing whose chief aim is to explain.

Figurative Language

Language that evokes sensory images.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

Image/Imagery

A phrase or expression that evokes a picture or describes a scene.

Irony

The use of language in such a way that apparent meaning contrasts sharply with the real meaning.

Metaphor

A figurative image that implies the similarity between things otherwise dissimilar.

Mood

The pervading impression made on the feelings of the reader.

Narration

An account of events as they happen, organized chronologically.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are used together.

Pacing

The speed at which a piece of writing moves along, influenced by syntax.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but contains a degree of truth.

Parallelism

Coherent writing requiring coordinating elements to have the same grammatical form.

Parody

A work that imitates the style or content of another for comic effect and/or ridicule.

Personification

Attributing human qualities to objects, abstractions, or animals.

Point of View

The perspective from which a piece of writing is developed.

Rhetoric

The art of using persuasive language; analyzing language choices for meaningful and effective text.

Rhetorical Modes

The conventions and purposes of the major kinds of writing.

Simile

A figure of speech that implies similarity using 'like,' 'as,' or 'so'.

Slanting

Selecting facts, words, or emphasis to achieve a preconceived intent.

Style

The way a writer writes, encompassing diction, sentence patterns, and detail selection.

Ad Hominem Argument

An argument that attacks the character of an opponent rather than the issue's merits.

Analogy

A comparison that attempts to explain one idea by likening it to another.

Anecdote

A brief narrative offered in illustration of a claim.

Appeal to Ethos

An appeal to ethics.

Appeal to Logos

Appeal to logic.

Appeal to Pathos

An appeal to emotion; using feelings rather than strict reason.

Begging the Question

Constructing an argument on an assumption the audience doesn't accept.

Causal Relationship

The relationship where one thing causes another.

Colloquialism

Informal language acceptable in casual usage, but not in formal discourse.

Conclusion

The final paragraphs summing up and concluding an essay.

Connotation

The emotional or implied meaning of a word, rather than its literal meaning.

Emphasis

Stress given to important elements in an essay.

Essay

A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author.

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

Example

A representative instance of an idea or claim.

Generalization

A broad statement based on specific cases.

Logical Fallacy

Errors in reasoning, sometimes used to deceive.

Objective and Subjective Writing

Presenting material without bias versus stressing personal responses.

Red Herring

Diverting attention from the main argument by introducing a side issue.

Sarcasm

The use of irony or derision, usually with intent to hurt or ridicule.

Satire

The use of humor to criticize human flaws and weaknesses so as to correct them.

Subordination

Expressing a less significant idea in a dependent clause.

Tone

The reflection of a writer's attitudes in the writing.

Understatement

Deliberately representing something as less than it is to stress its magnitude.

Voice

The presence or sound of self chosen by the author.

Abstract

Words or phrases denoting ideas and qualities that exist but cannot be seen.

Ad Populem Argument

An argument that appeals to the prejudices of a group.

Allegory

Using characters and story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction.

Anaphora

The repetition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship expressing a general truth.

Apostrophe

Directly addressing an absent person or personified abstraction.

Attitude

The writer's disposition toward the subject.

Audience

The group for whom a work is intended.

Claim

The ultimate conclusion, generalization, or point of an argument.

Cliché

A stale image or expression.

Comparison/Contrast

A rhetorical mode used to match two items for similarities and differences.

Complex Sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

Concrete

Words denoting objects or conditions evident to the senses.

Evidence

The logical bases or supports for an assertion or idea.

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits.

Inversion

The reversal of the normal order of words in a sentence for emphasis.

Loose Sentence

A sentence with the main idea first followed by dependent units.

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one object for that of another closely associated with it.

Periodic Sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.

Process Analysis

Explaining how a sequence of steps produces an effect.

Rhetorical Question

A question posed with no expectation of receiving an answer.

Synecdoche

A part of something used to refer to the whole.

Syntax

The order of words in a sentence and their relationships to each other.

Transition

Words, phrases, or sentences that indicate connections between ideas.

Unity

Having all parts contribute to the overall effect.