Ap English - Rhetorical Devices, Etc.

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abstract

Back 1

expressing a quality apart from an object

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ad hominem argument

Back 2

rhetorical device attacking another person's argument by attacking the person rather than attack the issue.

ex: in the political arena, that is called "mudslinging".

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adjectives

Back 3

words that describe nouns

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alliteration

Back 4

repetition of initial consonant sounds used to heighten the intensity of sensory impressions within a passage

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allusion

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rhetorical device that refers to known literary, artistic, philosophical, scientific, or historical people, places or things to help the reader understand the writer's concept

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ambiguous references

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references that have multiple meanings

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anadiaplos

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repetition of the end of a sentence, line, or clause at the beginning of the next one.

Ex: Mark told Rich, Rich told Mike, Mike told Him, Jim told Sophia, and Sophia told me.

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analogy

Back 8

type of metaphor that compares two things

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anecdote

Back 9

a short story that is told to prove a point

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antecedent

Back 10

the noun for which a pronoun stands

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antithesis

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a statement in which direct opposites are contrasted in the same sentence.

Ex: Give me liberty or give me death.

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arguments

Back 12

assertions made based on facts, statistics, and logical reasoning

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assertion

Back 13

a "for" or "against" stance taken by an author in a persuasive essay

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assumption

Back 14

an inference or conclusion, probably based on evidence.

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asyndeton

Back 15

omission of conjunctions in a series

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attitude

Back 16

the author's state of mind or point of view toward himself/herself or another person, place or thing.

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authorial aside

Back 17

device used by the author to reveal his/her attitude, purpose, or meaning directly stating such.

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balanced sentence

Back 18

usually including a semicolon with a balanced number of words on each side

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begging the question

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a persuasive fallacy in which the writer assumes the reader will automatically accept an assertion without proper support

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cause and effect relationships

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dominant technique in which the author analyzes reasons for a chain of events

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chiasmus

Back 21

inversion in the order of words in parallel clauses

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chronology of events

Back 22

method of organization usually used in narration in which the events are described as they happen

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circular reasoning

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an error in persuasion which involves repeating the assertion endlessly without support

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classification

Back 24

type of writing that involves systematically grouping items by some system or principle

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coherence

Back 25

having a clear connection among all parts of the essay.
- use clear organizational format
- provide appropriate connecting devices

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colloquial

Back 26

conversational, linguistically informal; the way people ordinarily speak in conversation

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comparison-contrast

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showing similarities and/or differences

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compound sentence

Back 28

type independent clauses connected by a conjunction

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conclusion

Back 29

usually written to reaffirm or finally state the thesis

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concrete

Back 30

naming a real thing or class of things; not abstract.

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conflict

Back 31

tension created in the story by the struggle or outcome of the struggle

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connotative language

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words which have implied meaning, emphasizing the feelings or subjectivity that surrounds the word.

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denotative language

Back 33

emphasizing the literal, dictionary meaning, is used to create an objective tone.

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contrasts

Back 34

a rhetorical strategy which juxtaposes two unlike words together.

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control a wide range of the elements of writing

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In mature writing, mature diction, varied syntax, and effective paragraph organization combine to convey a clear and insightful evaluation, analysis, impression, or assertion.

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deductive reasoning

Back 36

form of logical thinking to analyze when asked to evaluate the persuasive devices used by the author.

-General statements (major premises) believed to be true are applied to specific situations (minor premises).

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defend, challenge or qualify

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present a logical argument for or against a certain decision; or defend, challenge or qualify an assertion or author's views.

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definition

Back 38

a form of organization that emphasizes meaning

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denotation

Back 39

dictionary definition of a word

(opposed to a word's connotation)

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description

Back 40

using vivid words to paint a picture of what the five senses are experiencing

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diction

Back 41

word choice used by the author to persuade or convey tone, purpose or effect.

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dramatic incident

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method of organization - shows a concept in action

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effect

Back 43

influence or result of something

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either - or - fallacy

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arguing that a complex situation can be simply explained in one of two ways.

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epistrophe

Back 45

ending each item in a series with the same word or words.

Ex: God creates the world, the sun heats it, insects feed upon it, animals live in it, man destroys it.

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ethos

Back 46

form of logical thinking used to analyze the author's reliability or credibility.

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euphemism

Back 47

dominant technique which involves using a nicer sounding word for a person, place or thing.

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explicit

Back 48

clearly and precisely expressed

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exposition

Back 49

a type of writing (a mode or genre) which explains.

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evidence

Back 50

used to lend support to the writer's issue