AP Language and Composition Rhetorical Vocabulary List 1

Purpose of Rhetorical Terminology

  • Understanding rhetorical terms resolves comprehension difficulties created when teachers or exam-makers use specialized language.
  • Mastery of rhetorical vocabulary aids in analyzing written passages and composing effective responses.
  • Targeted, concise definitions facilitate rapid comprehension and practical application.

Rhetorical Vocabulary Terms and Definitions

  • Abstract

    • Definition: A piece of writing which summarizes the principal ideas or arguments advanced in a text.

  • Acronym

    • Definition: A word formed by combining the initial letters or syllables of a series of words to form a name.
    • Example: Radar (derived from radio detection and ranging).

  • Adjective

    • Definition: A word that modifies or tells the reader something about a person, place, or thing (a noun).
    • Function: Answers specific questions about a noun:
      • Which one?
      • What kind?
      • How many?
      • Whose?

  • Adverb

    • Definition: A word which modifies or tells the reader something about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
    • Function: Answers specific questions:
      • When?
      • Where?
      • How?
      • To what extent?
      • Why?

  • Aesthetic Effect

    • Definition: The pleasure, sense of beauty, emotion, or lack of such that readers, speakers, or listeners derive from aural, visual, and print texts.

  • Aesthetic Purpose

    • Definition: The pleasure, sense of beauty, and/or emotion a writer sets out to evoke.
    • Implementation: Writers achieve aesthetic effects through:
      • Subject matter
      • Word choice
      • Structure
      • Figurative devices

  • Aim

    • Definition: The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with a text.
    • Alternative Term: Purpose.
    • Examples of Aims:
      • To explain or clarify difficult material
      • To inform
      • To persuade

  • Allegory

    • Definition: The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.
    • Symbolic Personification: Characters may be intended to personify abstractions such as hope or freedom.
    • Thematic Content: Allegorical meaning usually deals with a moral truth or a generalization about human existence.

  • Alliteration

    • Definition: The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.
    • Example: "she sells sea shells"
    • Analysis and Functions:
      • Although not frequently tested in multiple-choice sections, it can be identified and analyzed in essay passages.
      • Reinforces meaning.
      • Unifies ideas.
      • Supplies a musical sound.
      • Echoes the overall sense of the passage.

  • Allusion

    • Definition: A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
    • Categories/Types of Allusions:
      • Historical
      • Literary
      • Religious
      • Topical
      • Mythical
    • Multi-layered Usage: A work may simultaneously employ multiple layers of allusion.
    • Example: Shakespeare frequently references Greek gods.