AP Lang - Essential Literary and Rhetoric Terms

Juxtapose

To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast

Irony

Expression of something different from, and often opposite to, expected or literal meaning; incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs

Alliteration

A stylistic device in which a number of words having the same first consonant sound occur close together in a series

Parallelism

Use of similarly structured works, phrases, or clauses in a sentence or paragraph

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences in a language

Expository

Serving to expound, set forth, or explain

Diction

Word choice and its impact on style of written work

Analogy

A figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events

Assertion

A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief

Clause

A combination of words within a sentence that is compromised of a subject and a predicate

Logos

Persuasive appeal based on the logic or reason

Tone

A writer’s/narrator’s or speaker’s apparent attitude toward the audience

Rhetoric

The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively

Genre

The type of art, literature, or music characterized by a specific form, content, and style

Allegory

Abstract ideas represented by characters, events, etc., in a story format

Personification

A figure of speech in which a thing - an idea or animal - is given human attributes

Thesis

A proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections

Prose

Ordinary speech or writing; ordinary grammatical structure rather than metrical or rhythmic structure

Point of View

The mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, essay, etc.

Exigence

An issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak

Infer

To conclude from evidence or by reasoning

Ethos

Persuasive appeal based on credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator

Antecedent

An earlier clause, phrase, or word to which a pronoun, another word, or a noun refers back

Connotation

The implied meaning of a word, in contrast to its directly expressed “dictionary meaning”

Metaphor

A comparison of an idea or a thing to another thing that is quite different from it

Trope

Metaphorical or figurative use of words in which writers shift from the literal meanings of words to their non-literal meanings; could be a phrase, a word, or an image used to create artistic effects

Hyperbole

A figure of speech that involved an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis

Synthesis

The process of combining objects or ideas into a complex whole

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a particular writer, artist, work., or genre

Theme

A main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work; may be stated directly or indirectly

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting words/ideas, often in the parallel structure

Pathos

Persuasive appeal to the emotions or interests of the audience

Empirical

Relying on or derived from observation or experiment; verifiable or provable by means of observation or experiment

Paradox

A statement that seems to contradict itself but may nonetheless be true; having inexplicable or contradictory aspects

Allusion

A reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance