AP Lang - Rhetorical Terms

Allusion

Allusion

a reference to a person or work or event within an argument to reinforce an idea or claim.

Pathos

an appeal to emotion in an argument.

Simile

a metaphor with a particular structure. Uses ‘like’ or ‘as’ phrases, at times the ‘like’ or ‘as’ can be implied.

Imagery

language that evokes senses (visual, audio, gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell), kinesthetic/tactile (touch/awareness))

Epiphora/Epistrophe

a form of parallelism when a series of statements end with the same word or words

Anaphora

a form of parallelism when a series of statements begin with the same word or words

Symploce

a form of parallelism that combines epiphora and anaphora where a series of statements begin and end with the same word or words

Personification

applying human qualities to objects, things, or creatures that are not human

Exigence

(from the Latin word for demand) the situation or inspiration for a piece of writing, the reason it exists or what prompts the writer to write

Epizeuxis

the repetition of a single word or short phrase to create emphasis

Genre

 the type of text. E.g., speech, satire, editorial, letter, essay, or diary entry.

Logos

an appeal to logic or reasoning

Metaphor

comparing two unlike things OR referring to one thing by mentioning another.

Takes the meaning from one term, to another. The vehicle is the word or concept that is artful and transferring. The subject receives that meaning from the vehicle, it is the word/concept that we’re trying to define further.

Prolepsis/procatalepsis

when the speaker addresses a potential objection to their argument and promptly refutes it.

Analogy

arguing parallel cases, creating a comparison and suggesting that because the two cases are similar, the comparison creates an emphatic point.

Diction pattern

a series of similar words used in proximity to create a significant tone, mood, or attitude.

Cumulative adjectives

using three or more adjectives to modify a single noun creating emphasis in an argument

Irony

expression or event in which a detail or anecdote appears one way but differs in actuality; the difference between expectations and results.

Verbal Irony

when a person says one thing but meands another

Situational irony

a situation with contradictory qualities or tendencies

Dramatic Irony

when the audience of a story knows things a character does not

Enumeratio

when a writer uses a series of details to create a significant point in their argument (at least three)--the details work together to describe the same idea, concept, thing, or person. 

Antithesis

expressing opposites in parallel structure to create emphasis, antithesis calls attention to itself

Hyperbole

using exaggeration in an argument to make a point

Hypophora

A technique wherein an author raises a series of questions (at least three in succession) and then proceeds to answer them.

Audience

who the author is directing an argument toward.

Connotation

the idea that words can have a positive, negative, or neutral spin or implication.

Implication

when something is suggested without being specifically stated or the conclusion that can be drawn from an argument that is not specifically stated.

Limitation

a drawback or shortcoming to an argument, another central part of our argument essays.

Chiasmus

a rhetorical device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse (inverted) order.

Juxtaposition

placing two contrasting things together for emphasis or effect

Ad hominem

a fallacy in argument where an arguer attacks their opponent personally rather than the issues, ideas, or concepts under consideration

Satire

a piece of writing that ridicules a social reality through humor in order to argue that it should be changed

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which you use a part of something to stand for the whole thing.

Litotes

a phrase that uses negation to create an affirmative understatement.

For example, “That wasn't half bad” uses negative phrasing to indicate that something was actually very good.

Antimetabole

the repetition of words in reverse order for emphasis

Periodic Sentences

sentences where the subject(s) and verb(s) come after subordinating phrases and clauses. “When it is crowded, I work at home”

Peroration

a short and pithy ending or concluding remark used to create an emphasis (significance).