A.P. Language and Composition: Rhetorical Terms & Glossary

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the key rhetorical terms from the lecture notes.

Abstract

Language that describes concepts rather than concrete images; ideas and qualities rather than observable things; the observable is described in concrete language.

Ad Hominem

An attack on the person rather than on the opponent’s ideas; from Latin meaning “against the man.”

Allegory

An extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities with a second, deeper meaning; underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, etc.; example: Eden.

Analogy

Comparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship; an analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row to emphasize a point and create coherence.

Anecdote

A short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point.

Annotation

Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.

Antithesis

The presentation of two contrasting images or ideas, balanced by structure (word, phrase, clause, or paragraph).

Aphorism

A short, often witty statement of a principle or truth about life.

Apostrophe

In poetry (and sometimes prose); the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction.

Argumentation

Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as neigh/fade.

Asyndeton

Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words; speeds up the flow; form is X, Y, Z rather than X, Y, and Z.

Cacophony

Harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately; the opposite of euphony.

Caricature

Descriptive writing that exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality.

Colloquialism

A word or phrase used in everyday conversation or informal writing but often inappropriate in formal writing (e.g., y’all, ain’t).

Coherence

Quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle.

Concrete Language

Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.

Connotation

Implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader’s mind.

Consonance

Repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity; e.g., boost/best; can appear in compounds like fulfill and ping-pong.

Conundrum

A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; may also be a paradox or difficult problem.

Deduction

The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example.

Denotation

Literal meaning of a word as defined.

Description

The picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse.

Diction

Word choice; an element of style; creates tone, attitude, and meaning; different word choices affect meaning.

Didactic

Writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach; formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns.

Discourse

Spoken or written language; the four traditionally classified modes are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.

Dissonance

Harsh or grating sounds that do not go together.

Dramatic Irony

When the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a character’s perception and the truth.

Emotional Appeal

When a writer appeals to readers’ emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument.

Epigraph

The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.

Ethical Appeal

When a writer persuades the audience to respect and believe him or her based on an image of self presented; aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.

Euphemism

A more acceptable or pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable; can obscure reality (e.g., “he went to his final reward”).

Euphony

A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; opposite of cacophony.

Example

An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern; arguing by example can be reliable if examples are true and relevant.

Explication

The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text; involves close reading and attention to figurative language.

Exposition

The immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot; one of the four modes of discourse.

Extended Metaphor

A sustained comparison developed throughout a piece of writing, often referred to as a conceit.

False Analogy

When two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them.

Figurative Language

Language that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, to create imaginative rather than literal associations.

Figures of Speech

Expressions such as similes, metaphors, and personifications that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons.

Foreshadowing

The use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs later in the work.

Freight-Train

Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.

Generalization

When a writer bases a claim on an isolated example or asserts certainty; sweeping generalizations occur when a claim applies to all instances.

Genre

A type of literary work (e.g., novel or poem); subgenres exist within larger genres.

Hubris

Excessive pride or ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings, causing downfall.

Humor

Anything that causes laughter or amusement; historically, humor also meant a person’s temperament.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration to create humor or emphasis (e.g., “He was so hungry he could have eaten a horse.”).

Image

A word or words used to describe a sensory experience or object; always a concrete representation.

Imagery

Words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to the senses and create a mental picture.

Induction

The process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from the presented details.

Interior Monologue

Writing that records the conversation inside a character’s head.

Invective

A verbally abusive attack.

Inversion

Reversing the customary order (subject first, then verb, then complement); emphasizes the initial element.

Irony

A situation or statement where the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected.

Jargon

The special language of a profession or group; often perceived as evasive or inaccessible.

Logic

The process of reasoning.

Logical Fallacy

A mistake in reasoning.

Lyrical

Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.

Metaphor

A figure of speech where one thing is referred to as another (e.g., “my love is a fragile flower”).

Metonymy

A figure of speech that uses the name of an object, person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated (e.g., crown for monarch; “The pen is mightier than the sword”).

Mode

The method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work is written.

Mood

The primary emotional attitude or atmosphere of a work; influenced by diction, sentence structure, and tone.

Moral

The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story; can be heavily didactic.

Motif

Main theme or subject of a work; a repeated pattern or idea.

Narration

The telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of discourse.

Negative-Positive

A sentence that begins by stating what is NOT true, then ends by stating what is true.

Non-sequitur

Latin for “it does not follow”; a statement not logically connected to another.

Objectivity

Impersonal presentation of events and characters; attempting to remove personal involvement.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that sound like what they mean (e.g., hiss, buzz, slam, boom).

Oversimplification

When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of issues in an argument.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech using contradictory words or phrases (e.g., wise fool, bitter-sweet, jumbo shrimp).

Pacing

The movement of a literary piece from one point or section to another.

Parable

A short tale that teaches a moral; shorter than an allegory.

Paradox

A statement that seems to contradict itself but has rational meaning (e.g., Thoreau on solitude).

Parallelism

Arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures in parallel form; can be simple or complex.

Parody

A work that ridicules the style of another by imitating and exaggerating its elements; relies on allusion.

Pathos

Aspects of a work that elicit sorrow or pity; an appeal to emotion used to persuade.

Pedantic

A term describing writing that borders on lecturing; scholarly and overly difficult.

Personification

Attribution of human qualities to a nonhuman or inanimate object.

Persuasion

A form of argumentation; one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince through reason or emotion.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is presented; includes first person, third-person, etc.

Stream of Consciousness

A narrative mode that places the reader inside a character’s head, showing continuous flow of thoughts.

Omniscient

Third-person narrator who sees into each character’s mind and understands all the action.

Limited Omniscient

Third-person narrator who reports the thoughts of only one character.

Objective

A third-person narrator who reports only what would be visible to a camera; thoughts expressed only if spoken.

Polysyndeton

Sentence that uses and or another conjunction to separate items; can slow pace and emphasize each item.

Protagonist

The main character of a literary work.

Red Herring

Raising an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue.

Reductio ad Absurdum

Latin for “to reduce to the absurd”; a technique to create comic effect and is a rhetorical fallacy.

Regionalism

An element in literature portraying a realistic locale’s influence on plot and characters.

Repetition

Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity.

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse; involves invention, arrangement, and style.

Rhetorical Modes

Exposition, description, narration, and argumentation.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not expected to be answered explicitly.

Sarcasm

Harsh, caustic personal remarks; less subtle than irony.

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way; targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.