AP Lang - Rhetorical Terms (Part 1)

Allegory

Using a character or story element to represent an idea or moral truth

Alliteration

The same consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of words placed next to each other. It makes a rhythmic, musical sound.

• Ex: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”

Allusion

a reference to an outside, commonly known work (art, literature, music, ppl, etc)

Ambiguity

multiple meanings or uncertainty

Analogy

a comparison between two things.

• “Done to dramatize or illuminate the unfamiliar”

Anaphora

Repetition - beginning several sentences with the same word

Anecdote

a short narrative (story) about a real incident/person

Anthithesis

Using parallel structure to call attention to (emphasize) opposites

• Ex: “Some like it hot; some like it cold.”

Assertion

A statement of a claim/thesis