AP Lang Rhetorical Devices and Figures of Speech

Blooket Study Guide: Rhetorical Devices

Metaphor

• Definition: A comparison in which something is said to figuratively be something else.

• Example: "He was a wolf among sheep."

• Options: a) metaphor b) parody c) onomatopoeia d) eponym

Hyperbole

• Definition: An intentional exaggeration.

• Example: "The plate exploded into a million pieces."

• Options: a) satire b) synecdoche c) hyperbole d) eponym

Alliteration

• Definition: Repeating the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words.

• Example: "She sells seashells by the sea shore."

• Options: a) understatement b) anaphora c) alliteration d) meiosis

Analogy

• Definition: A comparison between two similar things, typically using figurative language.

• Example: "Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get."

• Options: a) colloquialism b) analogy c) sarcasm d) paradox

Onomatopoeia

• Definition: A word that imitates the sound it refers to.

• Example: "The thunder boomed and the lightning crashed."

• Options: a) analogy b) chiasmus c) allusion d) onomatopoeia

Allusion

• Definition: The act of casually referencing something, usually a work of popular culture.

• Example: "Finishing his memoir was his white whale."

• Options: a) pun b) connotation c) allusion d) colloquialism

Oxymoron

• Definition: A figure of speech that uses two opposite words together.

• Example: "The treaty led to a violent peace."

• Options: a) meiosis b) parenthesis c) oxymoron d) antithesis

Satire

• Definition: Using humor to criticize public figures.

• Example: When Senator Jackson said "numbers don't lie," he forgot that his first name wasn't "Numbers."

• Options: a) meiosis b) understatement c) analogy d) satire

Paradox

• Definition: Making a statement that seems self-contradictory or impossible but actually makes sense.

• Example: "Youth is wasted on the young."

• Options: a) meiosis b) aphorism c) paradox d) understatement

Simile

• Definition: A comparison in which something is said to figuratively be like something else.

• Example: "It was as hot as a desert this morning."

• Options: a) epithet b) colloquialism c) antithesis d) simile

Irony

• Definition: To use words to mean the opposite of their literal meaning.

• Example: "Ashley said it was a beautiful day while drying off from the drenching rain."

• Options: a) sarcasm b) parody c) irony d) onomatopoeia

Personification

• Definition: The act of giving human elements to non-human things.

• Example: "The beautiful valley spread its arms out and embraced us."

• Options: a) metanoia b) syllogism c) personification d) consonance

Anecdote

• Definition: A brief story about something that happened to the speaker, usually something funny or interesting.

• Example: "Five years ago, I went to the store and met some clowns. Those clowns gave me the advice I am sharing with you now."

• Options: a) paradox b) personification c) eponym d) anecdote

Euphemism

• Definition: Using alternative language to refer to explicit or unpleasant things.

• Example: "The baseball struck him in a sensitive area."

• Options: a) euphemism b) anecdote c) oxymoron d) chiasmus

Connotation

• Definition: Using words to suggest a social or emotional meaning rather than a literal one.

• Example: "This is a house, but I want a home."

• Options: a) expletive b) onomatopoeia c) connotation d) euphemism

Meiosis

• Definition: Using euphemism to minimize the importance or significance of something.

• Example: "We must put an end to this peculiar institution." ("Peculiar institution" is a euphemism for slavery.)

• Options: a) oxymoron b) meiosis c) anaphora d) asyndeton

Apostrophe

• Definition: Occurs when a writer or speaker directly addresses an absent person, a concept, or an inanimate object.

• Example: "You have made a fool out of me for the last time, washing machine!"

• Options: a) eponym b) apostrophe c) allusion d) simile

Antithesis

• Definition: Using parallel sentences or clauses to make a contrast.

• Example: "No pain, no gain."

• Options: a) simile b) hyperbole c) assonance d) antithesis

Sarcasm

• Definition: Using irony to mock something or to show contempt.

• Example: "Oh, yeah, he is a great guy. A great guy who took the last slice of pizza."

• Options: a) pun b) sarcasm c) metonymy d) asyndeton

Consonance

• Definition: A repetition of consonants or consonant sounds.

• Example: "Mike likes Ike's bike."

• Options: a) consonance b) hyperbole c) cacophony d) aphorism

Rhetorical Question

• Definition: A question that isn't intended to be answered; instead, it's used to make an audience think or to create an emotional reaction.

• Example: "Can we really know what our place in the universe is? We have asked ourselves this question for millennia."

• Options: a) metonymy b) understatement c) rhetorical question d) parenthesis

Epithet

• Definition: A nickname or descriptive term used to refer to someone.

• Example: "You need to listen to me and not Clueless Kevin over there."

• Options: a) personification b) onomatopoeia c) epithet d) asyndeton

Anaphora

• Definition: The repetition of a word or words at the start of phrases, clauses, or sentences.

• Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

• Options: a) anaphora b) metanoia c) apostrophe d) climax

Climax (Rhetorical)

• Definition: Ordering words so that they build up in intensity.

• Example: "Look at the sky! It's a bird! A plane! Superman!"

• Options: a) climax b) parallelism c) satire d) aphorism

Cacophony

• Definition: The act of purposefully using harsh sounds.

• Example: "The gnashing of teeth and screeching of bats kept me awake."

• Options: a) anecdote b) anaphora c) cacophony d) parenthesis

Assonance

• Definition: The repetition of the same vowel sound with different consonants.

• Example: "She and Lee see the bees in the tree."

• Options: a) synecdoche b) aphorism c) allusion d) assonance

Pun

• Definition: Humorously using words with multiple meanings or similar sounds to create wordplay.

• Example: "The farmer tried to get his cows to get along, but they insisted on having a beef with each other."

• Options: a) colloquialism b) metonymy c) consonance d) pun

Parallelism

• Definition: Using grammatically similar phrases or sentences together.

• Example: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

• Options: a) asyndeton b) allusion c) parallelism d) oxymoron

Aphorism

• Definition: A short sentence that presents truth or opinion, usually in a witty or clever manner.

• Example: "A penny saved is a penny earned."

• Options: a) parallelism b) aphorism c) sarcasm d) antithesis

Synecdoche

• Definition: When a part of something is used to refer to a whole.

• Example: "The commander had an army of 10,000 swords." (The people holding the swords were there, too.)

• Options: a) metonymy b) antithesis c) parody d) synecdoche

Parody

• Definition: An imitation of something with the intent to poke fun at it.

• Example: "If Edgar Allen Poe had written this speech, it might have opened with 'Here we are, weak and weary, gathered on a Monday dreary.'"

• Options: a) meiosis b) parody c) consonance d) apostrophe

Colloquialism

• Definition: An instance of informal language or a local expression.

• Example: "Here in Philly, we love to eat hoagies and all kinds of tasty jawns."

• Options: a) metaphor b) oxymoron c) onomatopoeia d) colloquialism

Understatement

• Definition: Using language to intentionally lessen a major thing or event.

• Example: "The erupting volcano was a little problem for the neighboring city."

• Options: a) epithet b) aphorism c) paradox d) understatement

Syllogism

• Definition: An argument based on deductive reasoning that uses generalizations to reach specific conclusions.

• Format: A is B. B is C. Therefore, A is C.

• Example: "Dogs are mammals. Biscuit is a dog. Therefore, Biscuit is a mammal."

• Options: a) eponym b) syllogism c) rhetorical question d) meiosis

Eponym

• Definition: A word based on or derived from a person's name; it can also serve as an allusion to a famous person.

• Example: "He is the LeBron James of chess."

• Options: a) syllogism b) eponym c) parallelism d) antithesis

Metonymy

• Definition: When the name of something is replaced with something related to it.

• Example: "He loved music from the cradle (birth) to the grave (death)."

• Options: a) metonymy b) consonance c) parenthesis d) hyperbole

Parenthesis (Rhetorical)

• Definition: An interruption used for clarity.

• Example: "The audience, or at least the paying members of the audience, enjoyed the show."

• Options: a) antithesis b) parenthesis c) simile d) pun

Expletive

• Definition: An interrupting word or phrase used for emphasis.

• Example: "The eggs were not, in any sense of the word, delicious."

• Options: a) expletive b) parallelism c) parenthesis d) aphorism

Metanoia

• Definition: Any instance of self-correction, involving retracting a previous statement or amplifying it with stronger language.

• Example: "We'll work on it on Sunday. No, let's make that Monday—it's the weekend after, all!"

• Options: a) understatement b) metanoia c) apostrophe d) meiosis

Chiasmus

• Definition: Reversing the grammatical order in two otherwise parallel phrases or sentences.

• Example: "Dog owners own dogs and cats own cat owners."

• Options: a) oxymoron b) personification c) euphemism d) chiasmus

Asyndeton

• Definition: The removal of conjunctions from a sentence.

• Example: "Get in, cause a distraction, get out."

• Options: a) asyndeton b) oxymoron c) paradox d) synecdoche

Summary of Concepts

• Common Rhetorical Devices: List includes metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration, analogy, onomatopoeia, allusion, oxymoron, satire, paradox, simile, irony, personification, anecdote, euphemism, connotation, meiosis, apostrophe, antithesis, sarcasm, consonance, rhetorical question, epithet, anaphora, climax, cacophony, assonance, pun, parallelism, aphorism, synecdoche, parody, colloquialism, understatement, syllogism, eponym, metonymy, parenthesis, expletive, metanoia, chiasmus, asyndeton.

Further Study

• Explore nuances of each rhetorical device, including implications and effects on communication and literature.

• Analyze examples in classic and modern texts to see devices in action.

• Practice identifying devices in speeches, poems, and prose to strengthen rhetorical understanding.