AP Lang terms: "R-A"

Repetition

repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for emphasis

Rhetoric

the art of using language to achieve a purpose or goal

Rhetorical question

an inquiry that is asked for the sake of argument

Example: "How much longer will we have to tolerate this injustice?"

Sarcasm

a form of verbal irony in which the apparent compliments are bitter or nasty

Example: As her partner trips and falls to the ground, "Wow! You're real graceful!"

Satire

a mode of expression that uses ridicule in order to make fun of human weaknesses

Example: John Colbert and Trevor Noah have sit-down talk shows in the form of political Satire.

Semicolon

a form of punctuation that joins independent clauses

Example: "I could not prevent him from stabbing Caesar; he shall not prevent me from taking my revenge."

Sequence

the order in which a writer presents information

Examples: Chronological, spatial, importance, complexity

Chronological Sequence

points are organized in a temporal relationship

Spatial Sequence

points begin at one location and logically move forward

Importance Sequence

point progresses from least to most important

Complexity Sequence

points progress from simple to complex

Sic

a notation that indicates an apparent error was made in the source document

Example: "The house of reps. shall chuse [...] their speaker." This form of speech seems incoherent to 21st century readers, so the brackets are necessary.

Simile

a comparison using like or as

Example: "Ricardo ran like a gazelle at the track meet."

Slang

the unconventional, informal language of subgroups of a culture

Example: "Let's split. I've had enough of this joint even though it was off the hook."

Speaker

the narrator of a story, poem, or drama

Specific/general

general words name groups or classes of objects, qualities, or actions. Specific words, in contrast, name individual objects, qualities or actions within a class or group

Example:

Specific/general: Dinner is a class of things.

Specific/general: Pasta is more specific than dinner, but more general than fettucine alfredo or muscles marinara.

Stream of Consciousness

a type of narration that mirrors the continuous flow of information though a speaker's mind.

Example: James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" (1915)

Style

the manner in which an author uses and arranges words, phrases, and ideas to express his or her ideas

Ornamental: Ceremonial or exhortative. Suitable for formal speeches, arguments and legal proceedings.

The middle style: Conversational and amiable. Suitable for everyday interactions and expressions.

The low, plain style: Unadorned. Suitable for simple explanations and teachings.

Syllogism

an argument that utilizes deductive reasoning and consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion

Major: All bachelors are unmarried men.

Minor: Joseph is unmarried.

Conclusion: Therefore, Joseph is a bachelor.

Symbol

a person, place, or thing that evokes ideas and associations

Example: To a U.S. citizen, the flag may represent freedom and the American way of life.

Syntax

the manner in which words are arranged in a sentence

Example: "The big blue sky beckoned her." "She was beckoned by the big blue sky." Two similar sentences, different Syntax.

Technical language

the special vocabulary of a trade or profession

Theme

a central idea of a work of literature

Example: In Hamlet (1609), Shakespeare includes loyalty, bravery, duty, revenge, and sanity as Theme which are variously treated and dramatized in the action and characters.

Thesis

the statement of the main idea or argument in speech or writing

Tone

the author's attitude towards a subject or scenario

Transitions

words that draw connections between paragraphed ideas

Example: "First, second, third, then, etc."

Understatement

when an author assigns less significance to an event of thing than it deserves

Example: A foot-deep flood in a basement referred to as "a few drops of water" deliberately understates the seriousness of the situation.

Vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people

Voice

the manner in which a speaker of a literary work presents him or herself to the reader

Zeugma

a figure of speech in which the same word is applied to two other words in the same sentence with different meanings

Example: "She looked at the dictionary with curiosity and a magnifying glass."

Ab ovo

A story that begins its narration from the beginning of the events and proceeds in a chronological order to the end

Active voice

a syntactical term for a sentence where the subject of that sentence is the doer of the action (Jack hit Ricardo in the mouth)

Abstract

not related to the concrete properties of an object

acronym

a word formed from the initial syllables or letters of a sequence (NASA=National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

adjective

words that modify nouns

adjective clause

a clause that describes a noun and functions adjectivally in a sentence

Example: "I'm standing in the room that changed my life forever."

Adverb

A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence

Allegory

a system of interconnected symbols that work to represent ideas or concepts not readily apparent in the primary narrative

Alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. This is done to stress certain words, phrases, or lines. (The cool cucumbers calmed my crazy cousin)

allusion

a passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible, mythology, literature, etc.

ambiguity

the use of language when multiple meanings are possible, can be a result of insufficient attention to other denotations/ connotations or intentional choice to bring multiple meanings to the same word

amblysia

modified language that is used in preparation for tragic or alarming news

analogy

a comparison between two things on the grounds that they share an abstract, third element

anachronism

the use of historically inaccurate details in a text usually used to highlight qualities of timelessness

anacoluthon

a sentence that begins in one way, pauses, and ends in another. (Alright kids, today we're going to learn- ahhh let's go play dodgeball)

anadiplosis

the repetition of a final word of a clause at the beginning of the following clause for emphasis. (Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering)

anagram

letters of a word or phrase that can be rearranged to make a new word or phrase, mostly uses for hidden meaning (Astronomer = moon starer)

anaphora

the repetition of the same words or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses (I am the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be)

anastrophe

the inversion of normal word order in a sentence ("Size matters not. Judge me by size, do you?" Basically Yoda)

anecdote

a short story or recounting of events used in either fiction or non-fiction

antagonist

the character/ force that opposes the main character

antecedent

the word that a pronoun replaces in a sentence or series of sentences

antithesis

An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses. (Napoleon was loved by his men, but history will remember him for his brutality)

aphorism

a concise statement that illustrates a deep truth or widely held belief. (Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.)

apocope

the deliberate removal of a meter or letters from the end of a word (I need to grab a taxi(cab) so I'm not late for bio(logy) and Trig(onometry))

aposiopesis

a breaking off of speech, usually because of rising emotion or excitement (If you touch me one more time-)

apostrophe

a form of personification where an abstract idea, dead person, thing, or place is addressed directly as if they were able to understand

appositive

a modifier that is built from a noun for emphasis or clarity (Mr. Smith, the teacher, stood in front of the room)

archaism

a form of speech or writing that is outdated, obsolete, or no longer current. They're used to show older traditions in writing. (the old verities and truths of the heart)

archetype

a recognizable theme, symbol, or character that holds a familiar place in a culture's consciousness

assonance

a type of internal rhyming in which identical or similar vowel sounds are repeated. (the table was hiding a baby with rabies)

assumption

a belief or principal stated or implied, that is taken for granted

asyndeton

when coordinating conjunctions that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are normally omitted from a sentence. (Sam was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing)

atmosphere

a compound term that encompasses the tone and the mood

audience

the intended readership for a piece of writing or speech