AP Lang-20 Vocab Terms

Expletive

Expletive

(empty words) words that do not add any meaning to a sentence ; often used as fillers

with- There are five people speaking at once

without- Five people are speaking at once

Asyndeton

-a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, etc.) for a rhetorical effect

- used to add emphasis or to make the phrases easier for people to remember.

-ex: "I came, I saw, I conquered"

Polysyndeton

-a construction in which elements are presented in a series with more conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, etc.) than is necessary for emphasis

-slowing down the rhythm by using many conjunctions

-ex: "We lived, and laughed, and loved, and left"

Understatement

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is (opposite of hyperbole)

Litotes

-a phrase that uses negation to create an affirmative understatement.

-ex: "That wasn't half bad"

-this phrase uses negative phrasing to indicate that something was actually very good

Parallelism

-Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other

-ex: Easy come, easy go

Chiasmus

-words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

-ex: "We shape our buildings, and afterward our buildings shape us." -Winston Churchill.

Zeugma

-When you use one word to link two thoughts

-ex:He fished for trout and compliments

-ex: He opened his mind and his wallet every time he went out with her

Antithesis

when two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect

Anaphora

-repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses for rhetorical or poetic effect

-ex:"we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground"

Epistrophe

-a figure of speech in which one or more words repeat at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

-ex: : "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Anadiplosis

-(doubling/repetition) a device in which the last word or phrase of one clause, sentence, or line is repeated at the beginning of the next

- the repetition of words or phrases only AT the beginning of successive clauses/sentences

-ex: Fear leads to anger, Anger leads to Hate, and Hate leads to Suffering.

Conduplicatio

-Conduplicatio is repetition of a phrase, clause, or sentence at or NEAR the beginning of a sentence/phrase/clause

Epanalepsis

-a figure of speech in which the beginning of a clause or sentence is repeated at the end of that same clause or sentence, with words intervening

-ex: "The king is dead, long live the king!"

Hypophora

a figure of speech in which a writer raises a question, and then immediately provides an answer to that question

Rhetorical Question

a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer

Procatalepsis

-a figure of speech in which the speaker raises an objection to their own argument and then immediately answers it

-strengthens the argument by dealing with possible counterarguments before the audience can raise them

Metabasis

-A transitional statement in which one explains what has been and what will be said

-a brief recalling of what is said

Distinctio

-elaboration upon the meaning or meanings of a particular word or set of words.

- "by that I mean"

Amplification

-using literary devices like metaphor, imagery, and hyperbole to draw extra attention to the subject