AP Lang Literary and Rhetorical Devices

Active Voice

Active Voice

subject of the sentence performs the action - direct and preferred style of writing (ex. Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house)

Passive voice

subject receives the action (ex. The car, which crashed into the house, was driven by Anthony)

Allusion

a direct or indirect reference to something presumably commonly known - a literary text, religion, place, work of art, songs, historical events

Anecdote

a short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting event

Classicism

art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world - sticks to traditional themes and structures (Grapes of Wrath, A Raisin in the Sun)

Diction

word choice, particularly as an element of style to effect meaning

Colloquial

ordinary or familiar expression, acceptable in informal usage but inappropriate in formal discourse (ex. She is sick with a bug)

Connotation

the associative (not literal) meaning suggested by a word - implied rather than literal meaning

Denotation

the literal, explicit meaning of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

Jargon

the diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity (lawyers speak with it, as do soccer players)

Vernacular

1. language or dialect of a particular country

2. language or dialect of a regional clan or group

3. plain everyday speech

Didactic

a work (fiction, nonfiction or poetry) that aims to teach or instruct, especially moral or ethical principles

Adage

a folk saying with a lesson, usually an accepted truth (ex. a rolling stone gathers no moss)

Allegory

a story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts which are meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth (ex. Animal Farm by George Orwell)

Aphorism

a terse statement of known authorship which defines, or expresses, a general truth or moral, usually literal (ex. “little strokes fell great oaks” and “a watched pot never boils”)

Ellipsis

the deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author (ex. This year, I teach three AP Lang classes, last year two)

euphemism

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts (ex. vertically challenged in place of short)

Figurative Language

writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally - usually meant to be imaginative and vivid

Analogy

a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables - assumes that the relationship between the first pair of variables is the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables (ex. America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle)

Hyperbole

exaggeration (ex. my mother will kill me if I am late)

Idiom

a common, often-used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally (ex. I got chewed out by my coach)

Metaphor

making an implied comparison, not using “like,” “as,” or other such words (ex. my feet are popsicles)

Metonymy

replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept (ex. Relations between London and Washington have been strained)

Synecdoche

a kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa (ex. Check out my new wheels)

Simile

using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things (ex. my feet are so cold they feel like popsicles)

Personification

giving human-like qualities to something that is not human (ex. the tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill)

Imagery

word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind - often used in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech

Juxtaposition

placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison

Grammatical mood

deals with verbal units and speaker’s attitude

Grammatical mood - indicative

used for factual sentences (ex. John sings too loudly)

Grammatical mood - imperative

used for commands (ex. stop singing)

Grammatical mood - subjunctive

used for a suggestion, a necessity, a condition contrary to fact—anticipated or imagined—or a wish (ex. I wish he were quiet)

Literary mood

the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura created by a piece of work, accomplished through diction and syntax (word order, sentence length and strength and complexity affect pacing and therefore mood) setting, tone, and events can also affect the mood

Oxymoron

when apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox - “wise food,” “eloquent silence,” “jumbo shrimp”

Paradox

a seemingly contradictory situation that is actually true (ex. You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job)

Parallelism

sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns - used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing

Anaphora

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row - this is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent (ex. “I came, I saw, I conquered”)

Parenthetical Idea

parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence - it is almost considered an aside…a whisper (ex. In a short time [and the time is getting shorter by the gallon] America will be out of oil)

Parody

an exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes - it borrows words or phrases from an original and pokes fun at it

Persona

the fictional mask or narrator that tells a story (do not confuse with alter-ego)

Alliteration

the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words (ex. sally sells sea shells by the sea shore)

Assonance

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds (ex. from the molten-golden notes)

Consonance

the repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words (ex. some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door)

Onomatopoeia

the use of a word that imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes (ex. snap, rustle, boom, murmur)

Pun

when a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way (ex. I was stirred by his cooking lesson)

Rhetoric

the art of using persuasive language - and the art of analyzing the choices involving language

Rhetorical Question

question not asked for information but for effect

style

the choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes

Syntax

sentence structure, the grouping of words

Tone

a writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization - think “tone of voice”

Litotes

a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement that otherwise would be used (ex. a few unannounced quizzes are not inconceivable)

Ethos

Aristotle’s appeal to credibility

Pathos

Aristotle’s appeal to emotions

Logos

Aristotle’s appeal to logic

Fallacy

an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning - faulty logic