AP English - Terminology 3 List

Rhetorical Modes

Patterns of organization used for specific purposes.

Classification and Division

Explains how different items are related and how and why they should be grouped together or distinguished from each other.

Expository

Gives facts to explain a situation.

Narrative

Telling a story

Definition

Explaining the meaning of a specific term of idea

Structure

How a piece of writing is organized

In Medias Res

“In the Middle of the Action”; starting a piece of writing in the middle of the plot without giving the background

Exemplification

Using a series of examples to prove a point.

Stream of Consciousness

Writing intended to mimic human thought. Drifts from idea to idea with no structure.

Juxtaposition

Putting 2 unlike things next to each other for emphasis

Parable

Short simple story meant to teach a moral lesson

Allegory

Story meant to be read on multiple levels; characters serve as symbols for other things

Parody

Piece of writing that imitates and exaggerates the features of another for comic effect

Satire

Making fun of society through irony, often for the purpose of affecting change. May be harsh or gentle.