AP Lang Rhetorical Terms

Parallelism

repetition of a grammatical structure

Repetition

things said verbatim

Anaphora

repetition of a sound

Restatement

iterating the same idea with different words

Elliptical structure

omission of a grammatical feature of a sentence

Elipsis

[…] or [….] representing omission of text ([….] means omission beyond a sentence)

Loose sentence

basic english sentence structure

Periodic sentence

inversion of the basic english structure; yoda speak

syntax

word order

diction

word choice

invective

strong negative criticism; specific

exposé

general criticism or exposure of a problem in the world

metaphor

deliberate deflection from coherency/comparison of two unlike things

allusion

reference to outside information

apostrophe

referencing someone not present

paradox

a contradiction that is nonetheless true

montage

a collection

adage

a short witty phrase with truth to it

axiom

a short witty phrase with truth to it

maxim

a short witty phrase with truth to it

aphorism

a short witty phrase with truth to it

epigram

a short witty phrase with truth to it

logos

appeal to logic

pathos

appeal to compassion

ethos

appeal to author’s credibility

bathos

insincere sentimentality; melodrama [negative]

tone

author’s attitude

mood

expected audience attitude

transition

a word or phrase that shows the relationship between sections of a text

epithet

a hyphenated adjective

rhetorical question

a question not meant to be answered

cacophony

a series of jarring words

euphony

a series of melodious words

circumlocution

beating around the bush

litotes

ironic understatement

understatement

puts less significance on something than it should have

overstatement

hyperbole

apollonian

relating to noble qualities of humanity

dionysian

relating to base qualities of humanity

didactive

teaching attitude [negative]

euphemism

less harsh substitute for an offensive word

exegesis

thorough analysis of a text, especially a religious one

malapropism

mispronouncing of a word/phrase [comedic]

metonymy

substitution of a name with an attribute for that of the thing meant