AP Lang Morgenstern 2025 Rhetorical Terms

Circumlocution

The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive. Differs from pleonasm by using extra words for unclarity instead of emphasis.

Context

The circumstances surrounding a communication and helping us understand it (time, place, audience/medium/speaker/societal conditions).

Exigence

The part of a rhetorical situation that inspires, stimulates, provokes or prompts writers to create a text or speakers to speak (partial overlap with context).

Purpose

Author's intended goal or objective in communicating with audience; what the author wants to happen as a result of writing or speaking

Constraints

Factors that restrict the persuasive strategies and/or opportunities available to a speaker or writer. Constraints also include advantages or the elements of the situation that help the speaker/writer achieve their purpose.

Hyperbaton

An inversion of the normal order of words, especially for the sake of emphasis. Similar to Anastrophe, but Anastrophe is only the displacement of one word instead of one or multiple words.

Zeugma

A single word governs two or more other words in a sentence, with each a different meaning applied ("You held your breath and the door for me").

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession.

Polyptoton

Repetition of a word in a sentence with different cases/forms ("To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant").

Analogy

A comparison between two things, usually distinct/unlike each other, in order to clarify something further.

Consonance

Repeating the same consonant sounds in adjacent or nearby words.

Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite.

Dysphemism

A harsh, blunt, or offensive term is used in place of a more neutral or pleasant one, often to shock, criticize, or amuse.

Epigram

A short, memorable statement to express a clever truth or summarize a complex idea (e.g. famous quotes - "Not all those who wander are lost"). Differs from aphorism in that epigrams are often more expressive and witty.

Imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.

Diction

The writer or speaker's intentional choice of words.

Ad hominem

Logical fallacy involving an attack on a person's character rather than their opinions or arguments.

Paradox

A contradictory statement that has underlying truth. Differs from oxymoron as an oxymoron is a contradictory short phrase while a paradox is a contradictory sentence.

Syllogism

A persuasive argument using a major/minor premise and conclusion (if A -> B and B -> C, then A -> C must be true).

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines to emphasize an idea or create rhythm.

Personification

A rhetorical device in which the writer gives something non human human traits or characteristics.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Differs from simile by not requiring the use of "like" or "as".

Hyperbole

Deliberate and extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant to be taken literally.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word or phrase of one clause at the beginning of the next clause. Differs from anaphora and epistrophe in the location of the repetition.

Rhetorical Question

A question that is asked to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than get an actual answer.

Ellipsis

Omission of words from the text that are needed grammatically but can be inferred from the context, for more convenient communication ("I bought the shoes, and Noor the dress").

Metonymy

A figure of speech involving the substitution of a related term for what's actually meant. Differs from synecdoche in that the substituted term is associated in meaning rather than a part of the whole.

Onomatopoeia

A word/phrase that imitates the sound of the thing it describes.

Asyndeton

Absence of conjunctions between parts of a sentence.

Parenthesis

Insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal syntactical flow of sentence (not necessarily with actual parenthesis).

Epanalepsis

Repetition of the same word or words at both the beginning and ending of a phrase. Differs from Anadiplosis in both repetitions being in the same phrase.

Invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. Can be used in a formal or sophisticated way to impose superiority or discredit the opponent, and persuade the audience by undermining the rival.

Antithesis

Two contrasting ideas placed in a balanced and parallel grammatical structure. Differs from isocolon in that the ideas are contrasted against one another.

Isocolon

A form of parallel structure where phrases, clauses, or sentences are repeated with similar structure and length.

Enjambment

A continuation of a sentence or clause beyond the end of a line or stanza without a pause or punctuation ("April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land").

Assonance

A repetition of a vowel sound with nearby words.

Ethos

Appeal to a speaker's or writer's credibility, character, and authority.

Metanoia

The self-correction or revision of a previous statement, often mid-sentence.

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Euphemism

An indirect, mild word or expression used as a

replacement for a more blunt, harsh, or offensive word or phrase. Differs from understatement in that the intent is to soften the language while conveying the same core idea.

Antanaclasis

The repetition of a word or phrase whose meaning changes in the second instance ("Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light").

Litote

The deliberate use of understatement by expressing the contrary of what you actually want to say ("I cannot say that I consider you to be kind to the ladies"). Differs from verbal irony/sarcasm in requiring negation.

Chiasmus

A reversal of the order of words, phrases, or grammatical structures in successive clauses ("Ask not what your country can do for your; ask what you can do for your country").

Apostrophe

The speaker directly addresses someone or something that is absent, dead, or inanimate, as if it was capable of responding. Differs from personification in that it requires a direct address to the subject.

Idiom

A phrase that can't be understood literally, and is only comprehensible through the lens of figurative language ("That was a piece of cake").

Juxtaposition

Placing two or more contrasting or complementary elements side by side to highlight their differences, similarities, or relationships. Differs from antithesis in being more general, not requiring parallel structure and capable of spanning multiple sentences or paragraphs.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in two or more neighboring words or syllables.

Aphorism

A concise statement expressing a general truth or principle. Differs from proverbs in that proverbs are more anonymously authored, more metaphorical, and rooted in common sense choices instead of saying underlying observations and truths.

Allegory

An extended metaphor in which an entire story, poem, or image is used to convey a deeper meaning, often moral, political, or philosophical that overall has a more abstract meaning underneath.

Anastrophe

Intentionally changing the order of words or clauses in a sentence. Differs from Hyperbaton by only allowing one word to be displaced in the sentence.

Synecdoche

Synecdoche helps make ideas more vivid and relatable by using smaller parts to stand in for larger wholes.

Allusion

A brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, thing, or idea (e.g. a myth, historical event, or literary work).

Simile

A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things with connecting words "like", "as", or "than".

Logos

Appeals to logic and reason using facts, statistics, and logical arguments to persuade the audience.

Pathos

Persuades an audience by appealing to their emotions, such as empathy, anger, fear, guilt, or hope.

Symbolism

The use of an object, person, situation, or action to represent a larger, abstract idea beyond its literal meaning.

Parallelism

Repeated syntactical similarity to show that the ideas in the repeated parts or sentences are equal in importance.

Cacophony

The use of harsh, jarring, or discordant sounds in language to induce an often overwhelming sense of chaos, discomfort, or tension.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Differs from paradox in that oxymoron relies on word-level contradiction while paradox uses sentence-scale or larger.

Synesis

The agreement of words based on meaning or logic rather than grammatical form ("$100 is the cost of rent" where "$100" is plural but "is the cost" is singular).

Anecdote

A short, interesting, or amusing story about a real incident or person, often used to illustrate a point, reveal character, or make an argument more relatable.

Pleonasm

The use of more words than necessary to express an idea; often for emphasis or clarity rather than efficiency. Differs from circumlocution by using extra words for emphasis instead of being vague.