AP Language Rhetoricial Terms List 2

ad hominem argument

An argument that attacks the integrity or character of an opponent rather than the  merits of an issue. (_____ is Latin for "to the man.") It is also informally known as "mud-­­slinging."

analogy

A comparison that attempts to explain one idea or thing by likening it to another. ____ is useful if  handled properly, but it can be a source of confusion if the compared items are basically unalike

anecdote

a brief narrative offered in a text to capture the audience's attention or to support a generalization  or claim.

appeal to ethos

one of three strategies for persuading audiences-appeal to ethics 

appeal to logos

appeal to logic

appeal to pathos

appeal to emotion, an appeal to feelings rather than to strict reason; a legitimate ploy in an  argument as long as it is not excessively or exclusively used.

begging the question

the situation that results when a writer or speaker constructs an argument on an  assumption that the audience does not accept.

causal relationship (cause-­­and-­­effect relationship)

The relationship expressing, "If X is the cause, then Y is  the effect," or "If Y is the effect, then X caused it"-for example, "If the state builds larger highways, then traffic  congestion will just get worse because more people will move to the newly accessible regions," or "If students  plagiarize their papers, it must be because the Internet offers them such a wide array of materials from which  to copy."

colloquialism

a word or expression acceptable in informal usage but inappropriate in formal discourse. A  given word may have a standard as well a ____ meaning. Bug, for example, is standard when used to refer  to an insect; when used to designate a virus, i.e. "She's at home recovering from a bug," the word is a ____.

conclusion

The final paragraph or paragraphs that sum up an essay and bring it to a close. Effective ____ vary widely, but some common tacks used by writers to end their essays include summing up what  has been said, suggesting what ought to be done, specifying consequences that are likely to occur, restating the  beginning, or taking the reader by surprise with an unexpected ending. Most important of all, however, is to  end the essay artfully and quietly without staging a grand show for the reader's benefit.