AP Lang Rhetorical Modes

Rhetorical Modes

Ways of using language that are intended to have an effect on the audience.

Classification (Basic)

Used when you are asked to analyze and explain something, sorts information into meaningful groups. The groupings and your thesis should fit together.

Illustration (Basic)

Use examples that your reader will identify with and understand. Draw your examples from “real life,” “real” culture (literature, art, classical music, and so on), and well-known folklore.

Analogy (Basic)

Used to explain things that are difficult to understand by comparing them with things that are easier to understand, or to compare something abstract with something concrete. Used in explanation, not argumentative writing.

Process Analysis (Complex)

Used to explain either how to do something or how something was done. Sequence should be chronological and fixed (like in a recipe).

Cause and Effect (Complex)

Explains the steps responsible for an outcome. Do NOT confuse related circumstances with this type of relationship.

Definition (Complex)

Define key terms according to what you know of your audience, explaining its background when relevant.

Description (Complex)

Typically used to communicate a scene, a specific place, or a person to the reader. Can make explanatory or argumentative writing less dry. Call on all five senses when possible, and employ figures of speech when appropriate.

Narration (Complex)

A story in which pieces of information are arranged in chronological order. Should establish a clear point of view and include appropriate amounts of direct discourse (dialogue or quotations).

Induction and Deduction (Complex)

Induction is a process in which specific examples are used to reach a general conclusion, while deduction involves the use of a generalization to draw a conclusion about a specific case.
Induction proceeds from the specific to a generalization. Make sure your generalization has sufficient credibility before applying it to specific cases.