AP Language & Composition – Core Rhetorical & Stylistic Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering all starred rhetorical and stylistic terms from the AP Language & Composition lecture notes.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same beginning sound in several words or syllables in sequence.

Allusion

A brief reference to a person, event, place, or work of art, real or fictitious.

Ambiguity

Intentional or unintentional expression of multiple meanings in a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Analogy

A comparison of two dissimilar things in order to explain an unfamiliar or complex idea through something familiar.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginnings of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Anecdote

A short, illustrative story used to clarify or support a point.

Aphorism

A concise statement of a general truth or moral principle, attributed to a known author.

Argument

A reasoned, logical discourse leading from a claim to a conclusion.

Audience

The listener, viewer, or reader of a text—often more than one group.

Claim

An arguable assertion or proposition that states the main idea or position of an argument.

Colloquialism

Informal, conversational words or phrases rarely used in formal writing.

Connotation

The associations and emotional overtones attached to a word beyond its literal meaning.

Context

The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

A speaker’s or writer’s choice of words and their effect.

Emphasis

Techniques (position, proportion, isolation, repetition) a writer uses to highlight key ideas.

Ethos

An appeal that establishes the speaker’s credibility and character.

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word or concept.

Figurative Language

Nonliteral, imaginative language—e.g., simile, metaphor, personification—used to create vivid effects.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis, comic effect, or irony.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.

Irony

A situation or statement in which what is said or occurs is the opposite of what is meant or expected.

Jargon

Specialized, often obscure terminology used by a particular profession or group.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two items side by side to emphasize their similarities or differences.

Logos

An appeal to logic, using clear reasoning, facts, statistics, or expert testimony.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using like or as.

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere a text creates for the reader.

Narration

Background information in classical oration that establishes why the subject needs addressing.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms (e.g., "peaceful revolution").

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement that nonetheless reveals a deeper truth.

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Pathos

An appeal that seeks to elicit an emotional response from the audience.

Persona

The character or mask a speaker shows to the audience.

Personification

Assigning human qualities to an inanimate object or idea.

Purpose

The speaker’s goal or intended outcome in a text.

Rhetoric

The art of finding and using the available means of persuasion in any situation.

Rhetorical Appeals

Ethos, logos, and pathos—the three primary strategies for persuading an audience.

Rhetorical Question

A question posed for effect rather than to elicit an answer.

Satire

The use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to critique individuals or society.

Simile

An explicit comparison using like, as, or as though.

Style

The distinctive way an author uses arrangement, diction, syntax, and figurative language.

Syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Theme

The central insight, message, or opinion an author develops about a topic.

Tone

The speaker’s attitude toward the subject, conveyed through stylistic choices.

Understatement

A figure of speech that deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

Vernacular

The everyday speech patterns of a particular region or group.

Voice

The unique personality and sound of a writer’s work, created through tone, diction, and style.