AP Language Rhetorical and Literary Terms

Comprehensive list of rhetorical and literary terms including definitions and examples based on the AP Language lecture notes.

Active Voice

A style of writing where the subject of the sentence performs the action, making it more direct.

Passive Voice

When the subject of the sentence receives the action; often results in lifeless writing if overused.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something commonly known, such as a literary text, play, song, or historical event.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode often used to develop a point or inject humor.

Diction

The writer's choice of words, particularly as an element of style; it should be described using specific adjectives like formal, informal, ornate, or plain.

Colloquial

An ordinary or familiar type of conversation; a "colloquialism" is a common saying similar to an adage or aphorism.

Connotation

The associations suggested by a word rather than its literal dictionary definition; the implied meaning.

Denotation

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

Jargon

The specific diction used by a group sharing a similar profession or activity, such as lawyers or soccer players.

Vernacular

The language or dialect of a particular country or regional group, or plain everyday speech.

Ellipsis

The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect; also refers to the three periods used in quotations.

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

Figurative Language

Writing that is not meant to be taken literally, as opposed to literal language which makes sense at face value.

Analogy

A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables to argue the relationship between them is the same.

Hyperbole

A form of figurative language involving exaggeration, such as "My mother will kill me if I am late."

Idiom

A common expression that does not make sense if taken literally, such as "I got chewed out by my coach."

Metaphor

Making an implied comparison without using the words "like" or "as."

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that is continued later in a written work; a particularly elaborate version is called a conceit.

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word or idea with a related word or concept, such as using "London" to represent leaders of England.

Synecdoche

A kind of metonymy where a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa, such as "Check out my new wheels."

Simile

A direct comparison between two different things using the words "like" or "as."

Synesthesia

A description involving a "crossing of the senses," such as "A purplish scent filled the room."

Personification

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human.

Foreshadowing

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

Imagery

Words that create a picture in the reader's mind, usually involving the five senses.

Irony

When the opposite of what is expected to happen occurs.

Verbal Irony

When someone says something but means the opposite; if the tone is bitter, it is called sarcasm.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something that the character does not.

Situational Irony

Irony found in the plot or story line, often humorous because of how things turn out.

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison to make a point.

Mood

The atmosphere created by literature through diction, syntax, setting, and tone.

Motif

A recurring idea in a piece of literature.

Oxymoron

Grouping contradictory terms together to suggest a paradox, like "wise fool" or "jumbo shrimp."

Pacing

The speed or tempo of an author's writing, which can be changed using syntax, polysyndeton, or anaphora.

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.

Parallelism

Sentence construction that places equal grammatical constructions near each other or repeats identical patterns for emphasis.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.

Chiasmus

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the order of the words is reversed the second time.

Antithesis

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or ideas used with parallel structure.

Zeugma (Syllepsis)

When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of that first word must change for each.

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes; it is also a form of allusion.

Polysyndeton

When a writer creates a list of items where all items are separated by conjunctions, often used to slow the pace.

Pun

The humorous use of a word that has two or more meanings.

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication.

Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle

The relationships in any piece of writing between the writer, the audience, and the subject.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect rather than to obtain information.

Sarcasm

A bitter, mocking comment that is ironically or satirically worded.

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward life by targeting human vices and follies to a humorous effect.

Balanced Sentence

A sentence where two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale.

Compound Sentence

A sentence containing at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

Complex Sentence

A sentence containing only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Cumulative Sentence (Loose Sentence)

A sentence where the writer begins with an independent clause and then adds subordinate elements.

Periodic Sentence

A sentence where the main idea is not completed until the end; subordinate elements postpone the main clause.

Simple Sentence

A sentence containing only one independent clause.

Style

The collective choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes.

Symbol

Something concrete, such as an object or action, that represents something more abstract.

Syntax

The grammatical arrangement and grouping of words, as opposed to diction which is the selection of individual words.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work.

Thesis

The sentence or groups of sentences that directly express the author's opinion, purpose, or proposition.

Tone

A writer's attitude toward their subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.

Understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact by presenting something as less significant than it actually is.

Litotes

A form of understatement generated by denying the opposite of the statement, such as "not at all disagreeable."

Aphorism

A pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Didactic

A style that is instructive and intended for teaching.

Ponderous

A style of writing that is heavy and dull.