AP Lang- Unit 1

Rhetorical Techniques:

Methods of language use in writing to persuade, emphasize ideas, and engage your audience

Imagery:

Description that appears to the senses (sight, smell, taste, and touch)

Word Choice/Diction:

An author or speaker’s choice or use of words that creates a specific tone and mood, reveals character, sets the scene, and conveys meaning.

Juxtaposition:

Two contrasting elements (ideas, characters, setting, images) are placed side-by-side to highlight their differences, create a specific impact, or make an argument.

Point of View:

The perspective from which a story is told

Simile:

Comparing 2 things using “like” or “as” to highlight a shared quality and create vivid imagery.

Tone:

The way a writer feels about their subject.

Rhetoric:

The art of speaking or writing effectively.

Rhetorical Situation:

Who is saying what to whom…when, where, and why?

SOAPSTone Acronym:

Subject

Occasion

Audience

Purpose

Speaker

Tone

Allusion:

A reference to a well-known person, event, or work of art/literature

Anecdote:

A short story that is related to the topic at hand

Metaphor:

An implied comparison between two unlike things

Analogy:

A comparsion between things that have similar features (can be explained)

Anaphora:

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of sucessive clauses

Parallelsim:

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

Antithesis:

A literary device that constrasts opposing ideas through parralel grammatical structures

Irony:

A rehtrorical device involving a contrast between what is stated and what is actuall meant/occurs

Hyperbole:

A figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect

Euphemism:

A milder, more inderect phrase used to replace a word or expression that is considered harsh, unpleasant, or taboo

Concession:

The act of acknowledging a valid point from an opposing argument to build credibility and strengthen your own position

Counterargument:

An opposing viewpoint that is acknowledged by a speaker to strengthen their own position

Parenthetical:

A explanatory word or phrase that provided additional information in a sentence or can be used for the author to speak directly to the reader

Understatement:

The intentional representation of something as less significant than it actually is

Epistrohpe:

The repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses (opposite of anaphora)

Inductive Reasoning:

A logical argument in which a conclusion is drawn after examining specific facts or examples. You use multipe examples to form a conclusion.