AP Lang Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration

Repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence.

Allusion

A brief reference to a person, event, text, or idea (often historical, cultural, biblical, or literary)

Analogy

An extended comparison between two unlike things for the purpose of explaining a complex idea.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in reverse order, often to create contrast or memorable rhythm.

Antithesis

Parallel structure that places two contrasting ideas side by side.

Archaic Diction

Words or phrases that are outdated or old-fashioned, used to evoke an earlier time or create formality.

Assonance

repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between related words or phrases, creating speed or urgency.

Chiasmus

a sentence's or phrase's grammatical structure is reversed in the following clause, creating a mirror-like structure

Cumulative Sentence

A sentence that begins with the main idea and then adds multiple details or modifiers.

Distinctio

A rhetorical device that explains or clarifies the meaning of a word to prevent misunderstanding.

Eponym

A reference to a famous person to link their traits with someone else.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive substitution for a word or expression considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant

Exemplum

Providing an example to illustrate a point

Hortative Sentence

A sentence that encourages or calls to action (less forceful than a command).

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Hypophora

When a writer asks a question and then immediately answers it.

Imperative Sentence

A sentence that gives a command or instruction.

Inversion

Reversal of the normal word order in a sentence.

Irony

Expressing an idea using language that would normally signify the opposite for humorous or emphatic effect

Juxtaposition

Placing two ideas, images, or words side by side for contrast or comparison.

Litotes

A form of understatement that uses double negatives or negating the opposite.

Metaphor

A comparison that directly states one thing is another.

Metonymy

Replacing the name of something with something closely associated with it.

Oxymoron

Two contradictory words placed next to each other.

Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth.

Parallelism

Using similar grammatical structures in a sequence for rhythm or emphasis.

Periodic Sentence

A sentence in which the main idea comes at the end.

Procatalepsis

Addressing an opposing argument or potential objection before it is raised.

Sententia

A brief moral saying, proverb, or wise quotation.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Synecdoche

A type of metaphor where a part represents the whole or the whole represents a part.

Personification

Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not meant to be answered.

Zeugma

A figure of speech in which one word (usually a verb) applies to multiple parts of the sentence in different ways.