AP Lang Quiz #2 - Rhetorical Terms

allusion

1. A reference to a person, place, or event (outside the text) meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea.

analogy

1. A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things; a passage that points out several similarities between two unlike things is called an extended analogy

antimetabole

1. The repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order:

Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” 

anaphora

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

antithesis

1. A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences.

aphorism

1. A short, pithy statement of a generally-accepted truth or sentiment. Also see adage and maxim.

anecdote

1.  A brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or make a point.

apostrophe

1. An utterance that addresses a person not present or a personified thing. Example: “Oh, you stupid computer! Why won’t you cooperate?”

clause

1. A structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate. 

Independent clauses

ometimes called main clauses, may stand on their own as complete sentences.

-She walked.

-The mother walked with her toddler through Target.

Dependent clauses

which are nouns as modifiers, are incomplete sentences and may not stand alone grammatically. Dependent clauses are sometimes called subordinate clauses. 

Dependent clauses that function as adjectives, nouns, or adverbs, are known, respectively, as adjectival, noun and adverbial clauses. 

Conjunctions

connectors with clauses.

FANBOYS

Coordinating conjunctions that connect two clauses into one complete sentence.

The letters stand for “For,” “And,” “Nor,” “ But,” “Or,” “Yet,” and “So.”

-Eric walked the dogs and fed them breakfast.

SWABI

Subordinating conjunctions

that join two complete thoughts into one sentence. The letters stand for "Since," "When," "After," "Because," and "If."

-Although I was hungry, I waited until dinner to eat.

THAMOs

Conjunctive Adverbs used to show the relationship between two thoughts. The letters stand for“Therefore,” “However,” “Also,” “Meanwhile,” and “Otherwise.”

–Sarah prepared the meal; meanwhile, John set the table.

dramatic irony

1. A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character.

epistrophe

1. A stylistic device. The repetition of words or phrases at the ends of the clauses or sentences.

euphemism

1. A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term. Example: pass away is a euphemism for to die.

epigram

A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement.

irony

1. A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected.

metonymy

1. A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. Example: “The White House says…”

paradox

1. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true.

parallel structure

The structure required for expressing two or more grammatical elements of equal rank.

polysyndeton

1. The repetition of conjunctions in close succession 

Example: We have ships and men and money.

predicate

The part of the sentence that is not the grammatical subject.

rebuttal or refutation

1. The part of discourse wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and answered.

thesis/claim

1. The main idea of a piece of discourse; the statement or proposition that a speaker or writer wishes to advance, illustrate, prove, or defend.

symbolism

1. The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object. 

synecdoche

1. A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (fifty masts for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part (days for life, as in “He lived his days under African skies). When the name of a material stands for the thing itself, as in pigskin for football, that, too, is synecdoche.

verbal irony

1. A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words.