AP Lang rhetorical devices

you're welcome

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Allusion

a reference to something in past history or literature. "You're acting like such a Scrooge!", "Chocolate was her Achilles' heel.

Analogy

a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. "Raising children requires the same dedication you would give to a garden. Nurture them, feed them, introduce them to both light and dark, and have patience; and soon you will see them grow into blooming wonders."

Assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds within words.

Consonance

the recurrence of consonant sounds (any sound that isn’t a vowel that reoccurs)

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. "Susie is very blue today" (sad).

Denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word. "The blueberry is very blue."

Diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. "It is a pleasure to see you again! How are you today?" vs "Hey, what's up?"

Dichotomy

two opposite and opposing sides. Love and hate, war and peace, good and evil.

Euphemism

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. "From what I hear, this person is not the sharpest pencil in the box."

A euphemism softens the impact of a statement, making it more palatable. For example, "passed away" is a euphemism for "died."

Simile

a comparison between two unlike things USING like or as. "Our soldiers are as brave as lions"

Tone

an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. "I'll just swing by your office at 4 tomorrow!" vs "I will meet you in your office tomorrow at 4 pm sharp!"

Paradox

a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. "I must be cruel to be kind" (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

Motif

a distinctive feature or dominant idea (that reoccurs) in an artistic or literary composition that can develop themes. Throughout a poem, a man wears a tuxedo for a variety of occasions: his wedding, his father's funeral, and his own daughter's wedding.

Syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create a well-formed sentence in a language. "What light from yonder window breaks?" (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet) "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!" (Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy)

Repetition

"A horse is a horse, of course, of course, And no one else can talk to a horse, of course. That is of course unless the horse is the famous Mister Ed."

Imagery

the use of vivid description. "The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of bittersweet chocolate and slightly sweet but salty caramel blended together on her tongue."

Irony

unexpected outcome to what was intended. "Water, water everywhere, nor any a drop to drink" (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

Metaphor

comparison between two unlike things NOT using like or as, in which the first thing becomes part or the whole of the second thing. "Her voice is music to my ears"

Ethos

a rhetorical appeal to credibility or character, establishing trust with the audience. It emphasizes the speaker’s ethical stance and qualifications. Appeals to the audience’s sense of morality.

Pathos

a rhetorical appeal to emotions. It aims to persuade an audience by evoking an emotional response such as empathy, guilt, or pity. Appeals to the audience’s sense of emotion.

Logos

a rhetorical appeal to logic. It aims to persuade an audience by using facts, statistics, logical reasoning, and evidence. Logos appeals to the audience's sense of reason and intellect.