AP Language & Composition Rhetorical Terms 2025-26

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key rhetorical terms and devices presented in the lecture notes for AP Language & Composition 2025-26.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same sound at the beginnings of nearby words or syllables.

Allusion

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

Ambiguity

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

Analogy

Comparison in which something familiar explains something unfamiliar or complex.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, or sentences.

Anecdote

Short narrative used to illustrate a point or claim.

Annotation

Notes or commentary written directly on a text.

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in reverse grammatical order (A-B, B-A).

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in parallel structure.

Aphorism

Terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle.

Archaic Diction

Old-fashioned or outdated word choice.

Argument

Reasoned inquiry leading from a claim to a conclusion; persuasive discourse.

Assertion

A clear, direct statement of a claim or thesis.

Asyndeton

Deliberate omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

Audience

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

Claim

Main idea or position of an argument; must be arguable.

Closed Thesis

Thesis statement that previews the major points of an argument.

Colloquialism

Informal, conversational word or phrase not usually used in formal writing.

Complex Sentence

Sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Connotation

Associations and emotional overtones beyond a word’s dictionary meaning.

Context

Circumstances, atmosphere, and events surrounding a text.

Cumulative Sentence

Sentence that states the main idea first, then adds details or modifiers.

Denotation

Strict, literal dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

Author’s word choice and its effect on meaning and tone.

Emphasis

Techniques (position, proportion, isolation, repetition) used to stress an idea.

Ethos

Appeal based on a speaker’s credibility and character.

Euphemism

Milder or less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word or concept.

Figurative Language

Nonliteral language (metaphor, simile, personification, etc.) that evokes imagery.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Imperative Sentence

Sentence that issues a command or exhortation.

Inversion

Reversed word order (variation of normal subject-verb-object).

Irony

Contrast between what is stated and what is meant or expected.

Jargon

Specialized terminology of a particular group, often obscure to outsiders.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two elements side by side to highlight similarity or difference.

Logos

Appeal to logic through reasoned argument and evidence.

Metaphor

Direct comparison of two unlike things without using like or as.

Metonymy

Substitution of something closely related for the thing actually meant.

Modifier

Word, phrase, or clause that describes, clarifies, or qualifies another word.

Mood

Emotional atmosphere produced by a text.

Narration

Background information in classical oration explaining why an issue matters.

Nominalization

Turning a verb or adjective into a noun (e.g., discuss → discussion).

Occasion

Time and place a speech is delivered or a piece is written.

Open Thesis

Thesis that states an argument without listing all supporting points.

Oxymoron

Pairing of two seemingly contradictory words (e.g., peaceful revolution).

Paradox

Statement that seems self-contradictory yet reveals an ironic truth.

Parallelism

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

Pathos

Appeal to emotion, values, desires, hopes, fears, or prejudices.

Periodic Sentence

Sentence whose main clause is delayed until the end.

Persona

‘Mask’ or character a speaker shows to the audience.

Personification

Giving lifelike qualities to an inanimate object or idea.

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of multiple conjunctions between coordinate elements.

Propaganda

Spread of ideas to further a cause; can involve rumors, lies, or scare tactics.

Purpose

Goal the speaker or writer wants to achieve.

Rhetoric

Art of finding and using the available means of persuasion.

Rhetorical Appeals

Ethos, logos, and pathos—methods of persuading an audience.

Rhetorical Question

Question posed for effect, not requiring an answer.

Satire

Use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to critique individuals or society.

Scheme

Artful syntax; deviation from normal word order (e.g., antithesis, parallelism).

Simile

Explicit comparison using like, as, or as though.

Speaker

Person or group that creates a text.

Stance

Speaker’s attitude toward the audience.

Style

Author’s distinctive manner of expression—diction, syntax, imagery, etc.

Subject

Primary topic a text addresses.

Symbol

Concrete object that represents an abstract idea (natural, conventional, literary).

Synecdoche

Figure of speech in which a part represents the whole (or vice versa).

Syntax

Arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Synthesize

Combine ideas to form a more complex understanding or new idea.

Text

Any cultural product that can be ‘read,’ not limited to written words.

Theme

Author’s developed insight or message about a topic.

Tone

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

Trope

Artful diction; figurative device such as metaphor or hyperbole.

Understatement

Presentation of something as less important than it is; opposite of hyperbole.

Vernacular

Everyday speech of a particular region or group.

Voice

Author’s unique presence or personality in writing, shaped by tone and style.

Wit

Clever use of humor, irony, or satire to support or refute an argument.

Zeugma

Use of one word governing two others in different senses (e.g., open a book and your mind).