AP Lang Rhetorical Vocabulary Terms 91-120 (Vocab Quiz 4)

This is the rhetorical vocabulary for the 10/17/25 vocab quiz in Mr. Sturm's AP Lang class. Exact definitions from the packet have been modified to address grammatical, punctuational, and spelling errors, to remove the term from the definition, and to overall make the definition easier to understand.

marginalia

Notes that a writer scripts in the margins of the test.
Synonym: Anecdotal Scripting

metacognition

Knowledge about your own thinking such as the thoughts or factors that may influence your thinking.

metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting similarity.
This kind of language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful.

metonymy

A term from the Greek meaning “changed label” or “substitute name,” this is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for something closely related.
Example: “The President declared” 🠖 “The White House declared”
The White House didn’t declare anything, but the term may carry additional emotional impact

mood

This term has two distinct meanings.
The first meaning is purely grammatical and is related to the speaker’s attitude.

• Indicitive

• Subjunctive

• Imperative

The second meaning is the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura created in a literary work. Setting, tone, and events may affect it. This meaning is closely related with tone and atmosphere.

narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. It may be offered in support of a thesis, claim, or point.

noun

A word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea.

oxymoron

From the Greek word for “pointedly foolish,” this term is a figure of speech in which the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

• Jumbo shrimp

• Cruel kindness

paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

parallelism

Also referred to as a parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning “beside one another.” It refers to a 1:1 grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.
This may include the repetition of a grammatical element, such as a preposition or verbal phrase

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity”

The effects of this term are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader’s attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.

parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/ or ridicule.

As comedy, this may distort or exaggerate distinctive features of the original. As ridicule, it mimics the work by repeating and borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weaknesses in the original.

If this work is well-written, it offers enlightenment about the original; however, if not, it offers only ineffectual imitation. Usually, an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being imitated in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, these works take a life of their own and do not require knowledge about the original.

pathos

The quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression that evokes pity or compassion. When a writer or speaker argues with emotion rather than logic. Also called emotional appeal.

pedantic

An adjective describing words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.

periodic sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. The independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone.

• “Ecstatic with my SAT score, I let out a loud, joyful shout.”

The effect is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is much stronger than a loose sentence.

personification

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human-like attributes or emotions. It is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.

perspective

Refers to the point from which a reader or writer views a particular subject or idea.

• Homework from the point of view of a student versus that of a teacher.

plagiarism

Using another person’s words or ideas in one’s own work without acknowledgement.

point of view

In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions of this term, and many subdivisions within those.

1. The first person narrator tells the story with the first person pronoun, “I,” and is a character in the story. This narrator can be the protagonist, a participant (character in a secondary role), or an observer (a character who merely watches the action).

2. The third person narrator relates the events with the third person pronouns, “he,” “she,” and “it!” There are two main subdivisions to be aware of: omniscient and limited omniscient. In the “third person omniscient” viewpoint, the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters. This all-knowing narrator can reveal what each character feels and thinks at any given moment. The “third person limited omniscient” point of view, as its name implies, presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all remaining characters.

predicate adjective

One type of subject complement: an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is in the predicate of the sentence and modifies, or describes, the subject.

• “The shoes look expensive.”

• In this sentence, “expensive” is used as this term

predicate nominative

A second type of subject complement: a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. Similar to the predicate adjective, it follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence.

• “She was a monster.”

• In this sentence, “monster” is used as this term

preposition

A word or phrase that precedes a noun or pronoun and indicates a relation from that word to another word or phrase in a sentence.

• “We drove to the store.”

• In this sentence, “to” is used as this term

primary source

Original records created at the time historical events occurred or after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. In addition, if a writer is preparing an analysis of a literary text, such as a novel or poem, that literary text is considered this term.

Examples include:

• letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, memoirs, documents produced by government agencies such as Congress, photographs, audio/video recordings, and research data

• data or information acquired personally by the researcher through surveys or interviews.

pronoun

A word that replaces a noun and stands for a person, place, thing, or idea.

prose

One of the major divisions of genre, this term refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms.

• In this genre, the printer determines the length of the line

• In poetry, the poet determines the length of the line

persuasion

The changing of people’s minds or actions by the effective use of language.

quotation

The inclusion of the words of another in one’s own work, indicated by surrounding quotation marks. Used to convey a sense of the person who wrote or spoke those words, to reproduce a phrase or sentence or more that perfectly captures some meaning the writer wishes to convey, or to borrow some authority from an expert or source.

reflection

Careful thought, especially the process of reconsidering previous actions, events, or decisions.

refute/ refutation

An argument technique in which opposing arguments are anticipated and countered.

repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

revision

The stage or process of writing after a first draft is written when writers reexamine their work and try to improve it. This improvement consists of more than editing and/or proofreading; it also includes reevaluating the thesis, the argument, the structure, the organization, the supporting evidence, and even the topic. All good or improving writers utilize this strategy.