AP LANG Rhetorical VOCAB

Allegory

A piece of visual or narrative media uses one thing to “stand in for” a different,
hidden idea. It’s a little bit like an algebraic equation, like y = 2x, but in the form of art.
Like in algebra, when we talk about meaning in allegory, we have two different variables
we’re thinking about, but we don’t call them X and Y. Instead, we call them the tenor and
the vehicle. A “tenor” is the “hidden” concept, object, idea, or ulterior meaning; and the
“vehicle” is the word, image, or narrative in the story that “carries” it

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning or in the middle of two
or more adjacent words.

Allusion

A reference to a written or spoken text to another text or to some particular
body of knowledge

anadiplosis

The repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the
following clause

anaphora

The repetition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses

anecdote

A brief narrative offered in a text to capture the audience's attention or to
support a generalization or claim.

anticipated objection

The technique a writer or speaker uses in an argumentative text to
address and answer objections, even though the audience has not had the opportunity
to voice these objections.

antimetabole

The repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical
order-for example, "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the
country out of the boy.

antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure-for
example, "Place your virtues on a pedestal; put your vices under a rock.”

Anthimeria

The substitution of one part of speech for
another-for example, "The poet says we 'milestone our lives."' or “The little old lady
turtled down the road.

apologist

A person or character who makes a case for some controversial, even contentious, position.

apology

An elaborate statement justifying some controversial, even contentious,
position.

appeal to authority

In a text, the reference to words, action, or beliefs of a person in authority as a means of supporting a claim, generalization, or conclusion

appositive

A noun or noun phrase that follows another noun immediately or defines or amplifies its meaning

argument

A carefully constructed, well-supported representation of how a writer sees
an issue, problem, or subject

arrangement

In a spoken or written text, the placement of ideas for effect

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of two or more adjacent words.

assumption

An opinion, a perspective, or a belief that a writer or speaker thinks the audience holds.

asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between related clauses-for example, "I came, I saw, I conquered."

attitude

The manner in which an action is carried out.

audience

The person or persons who listen to a spoken text or read a written one and are capable of responding to it.

begging of the question

The situation that results when a writer or speaker construct an argument on an assumption that the audience does not accept.

claim

The ultimate conclusion, generalization, or point that a syllogism or enthymeme expresses. The point, backed up by support, of an argument.

aesthetic reading

reading to experience the world of the text.

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

compound-complex sentence

A sentence with two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

compound sentence

A sentence with two or more independent clauses.

compound subject

The construction in which two or more nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses constitute the grammatical subject of a clause.

conflict

The struggle of characters with themselves, with others, or with the world around them.

connotation

The implied meaning of a word, in contrast to its directly expressed "dictionary meaning."

context

The convergence of time, place, audience, and motivating factors in which a piece of writing or a speech is situated

contradiction

One of the types of rhetorical invention included under the common topic of relationships. Contradiction urges the speaker or writer to invent an example or a proof that is counter to the main idea or argument

data (as evidence)

Facts, statistics, and examples that a speaker or writer offers in support of a claim, generalization, or conclusion

deductive reasoning

Reasoning that begins with a general principle and concludes with a specific instance that demonstrates the general principle.

delivery

The presentation and format of a composition.

denotation

The "dictionary definition" of a word, in contrast to its implied meaning

diction

Word choice, which is viewed on scales of formality/ informality, concreteness/ abstraction, derivation, and denotative/connotative value

double entendre

The double (or multiple) meanings of a group of words that the speaker or writer has purposely left ambiguous

effect

The emotional or psychological impact a text has on a reader or listener

efferent reading

Reading to garner information from a text. Reading to "take away" particular bits of information. Here, the reader is not interested in the rhythms of the language or the prose style but is focused on obtaining a piece of information

ellipsis

The omission of words, the meaning of which is provided by the overall context of a passage.

enthymeme

Logical reasoning with one premise left unstated

epistrophe

The repetition of a group of words at the end of successive

clauses-for example, "They saw no evil, they spoke no evil, and they heard no evil."

epithet

A word or phrase adding a characteristic to a person's name-for example, "Richard the Lion-Hearted."

ethos

The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator.

euphemism

An indirect expression of unpleasant information in such a way to lessen its impact--for example, saying a person’s position was eliminated rather than saying the person was fired.

evidence

The facts, statistics, anecdotes and examples that a speaker or writer offers in support of a claim, generalization, or conclusion.

extended analogy

An extended passage arguing that if two things are similar in one or two ways, they are probably similar in other ways as well.

extended example

An example that is carried through several sentences or paragraphs.

fable

A narrative in which fictional characters often animals take actions that have ethical or moral significance.

generalization

A point that a speaker or writer generates on the basis of considering a number of particular examples.

genre

A piece of writing classified by type-for example, letter, narrative, eulogy, or editorial.

heuristic

A systematic strategy or method for solving problems.

hyperbole

An exaggeration for effect.

Image

A passage of text that evokes sensation or emotional intensity.

Imagery

Language that evokes particular sensations or emotionally rich experiences in a reader.

Implied Metaphor

A metaphor embedded in a sentence rather than expressed directly as a sentence. For example, His voice cascaded through the hallways” contains an implied metaphor; “His voice was a cascade of emotion” contains a direct metaphor

inductive reasoning

Reasoning that begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle.

inference

A conclusion that a reader or listener reaches by means of their own thinking rather than by being told directly by a text.

Irony

Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken.

Jargon

The specialized vocabulary of a particular group.