AP Lang & Composition Rhetorical Strategies

Testimony

A person's account of an event or state of affairs.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech is which a part is used to represent the whole, the whole for a part, the specific for the general, the general for the specific, or the material for the thing made from it.

Refutation

The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

Understatement

Figure of speech in which a writer deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

Loose Sentence

A loose sentence is one in which the main clause is given early, followed by dependent clauses and phrases.

Hyperbole

An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.

Periodic Sentence

Long and frequently involved sentence, marked by suspended syntax, in which the sense is not completed until the final word--usually with an emphatic climax.

Persona

Voice or mask that an author or speaker or performer puts on for a particular purpose.

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty").

Invective

Denunciatory or abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something.

Pathos

The means of persuasion in classical rhetoric that appeals to the audience's emotions.

Irony

Use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is directly contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

Paradox

A statement that appears to contradict itself.

Parable

A short and simple story that illustrates a lesson.

Logos

In classical rhetoric, the means of persuasion by demonstration of the truth, real or apparent.

Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton is a sentence style that employs a great many conjunctions (opposite of "asyndeton").

Connotation

The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry.

Aphorism

A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion. A brief statement of a principle.

Denotation

The direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings.

Ellipsis

Omission of one or more words, which must be supplied by the listener or reader.

Ethos

Persuasive appeal based on the projected character of the speaker or narrator.

Evidence

Facts, documentation, or testimony used to strengthen a claim or reach a conclusion.

Euphemism

Substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.

Anticipation

General name for argumentative strategies whereby a speaker or writer foresees and replies to objections.

Auxesis

A gradual increase in intensity of meaning with words arranged in ascending order of force or importance.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (opposite of "polysyndeton").

Aposiopesis

An unfinished thought or broken sentence.

Anecdote

This rhetorical device references a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident.

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

Anaphora

This rhetorical device references repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines

Concession

Argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer concedes a disputed point or leaves a disputed point to the audience or reader to decide.

Allusion

A reference to something else in history or previous literature.

Allegory

This rhetorical device references the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence.

Ambiguity

A word or phrase that can be interpreted in multiple ways.

Alliteration

The repetition of a sound at the beginning of successive words.

Analogy

Making a comparison between two things, that share a similarity, to make a point.