AP Language and Composition Rhetoric Cheat Sheet

Practice flashcards covering Socratic appeals, diction terms, and literary elements from the AP Language and Composition rhetoric cheat sheet.

What is pathos?

An emotional appeal; loaded language; engages the audience's or reader's emotions.

What is logos?

A logical appeal; appeals to the audience or reader by offering reasonable, logical ideas; may rely on details, facts, and/or statistics.

What is ethos?

An ethical appeal; offers reader evidence that he/she/they are credible; attempts to prove that they are well-informed; knowledgeable source.

How is alliteration defined?

Repetition of the same beginning sounds; usually several words in a sequence.

What is anaphora, and what example is given in the notes?

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines. Example: "Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

What is assonance?

The repetition of vowel sounds in close succession.

What is asyndeton?

The lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.

What is cacophonous language?

Harsh joining of sounds.

What is chiasmus, and what quote is provided as an example?

When words are presented and then restated in reverse order. Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." ~John F. Kennedy

What is colloquial language?

The use of informal words or slang within a written work.

What is connotative diction?

Words with heavily implied meaning.

What is consonance?

The repetition of consonant sounds in close succession.

What is denotative diction?

Direct and explicit words.

What is euphonious language?

Language that is smooth and pleasant to hear.

What is inversion, and what example is given?

The reversal of the normal order of words. Example: "Tired is he who faithfully completes his homework."

How is parallelism defined, and what example is provided?

Construction of a phrase, sentence, or paragraph that shares similar or the same grammatical construction. Example: "I like swimming better than I like hiking." (swimming and hiking are parallel construction as is the syntax)

What is polysyndeton?

The overuse of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words for effect.

What is an allusion?

Reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or work.

How is antithesis defined, and what example is provided?

Opposition; contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction. Example: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." ~Neil Armstrong

What is an apostrophe as a literary element?

A reference to an absent person or thing.

How is climax defined as a literary element?

When a writer arranges ideas in order of importance.

What is a euphemism?

A non-offensive expression for one whose meaning might be unpleasant or offensive.

What is hyperbole?

An exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

What is imagery?

The use of figurative language to evoke a feeling or to describe something.

What is irony?

Literary device that use contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true.

What is litotes/understatement?

Presenting something as being less significant that it is.

What is a metaphor?

Draws a comparison between two actions/objects without using like or as.

What is an oxymoron, and what example is provided?

Juxtaposed words that contradict (for example: icy hot).

What is a paradox?

A statement whose two ideas seem contradictory yet make sense with more thought.

What is a simile?

A comparison between two actions/objects using like or as.

What is synecdoche, and what examples are given?

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or vice versa (for example: wheels for a car or suits for businessmen).