Summer Ap English 11 Rhetorical Terms

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Allusion:

Back 1

an indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event

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Analogy:

Back 2

the comparison of two things alike in some respects

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Anaphora:

Back 3

the repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses

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Anecdote:

Back 4

a short narrative detailing the particulars of an event

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Antithesis:

Back 5

figure of speech, using strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences or ideas

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Aphorism:

Back 6

a brief statement of general truth or wisdom

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Asyndeton:

Back 7

leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses

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Cliche

Back 8

an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect

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Connotation:

Back 9

that which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word’s literal meaning

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Denotation:

Back 10

the literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition

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Dialect

Back 11

a term that applies to particular speech patterns, or it's characteristic to a particular group of the language speakers.

Front 12

Diction:

Back 12

word choice: denotation = dictionary definition, connotation = all the emotions the word brings

Front 13

Ellipsis/Ellipse:

Back 13

the omission of one or more words

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Ethos:

Back 14

the character of the writer reflected in the speech or writings

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Euphemism:

Back 15

a device where being indirect replaces directness to avoid unpleasantness

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Figurative language:

Back 16

the use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.

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Hyperbole:

Back 17

to overstate an issue, exaggeration

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Idiom

Back 18

an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements

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Imagery:

Back 19

literally, the collection of images within a work. Specifically, descriptive details which use figures of speech to explain a concept, person, or thing.

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Inference:

Back 20

to conclude by reason an idea, attitude, tone which is not directly stated by the author

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Inversion:

Back 21

a sentence in which the verb precedes the subject

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Irony (verbal):

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the actual intent is the opposite of what is said, something like sarcasm but not as harsh.

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Irony:

Back 23

a recognition of reality different from the appearance

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Jargon

Back 24

terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event

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Juxtaposition:

Back 25

placement of two things side by side for emphasis

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Litotes

Back 26

understatement, for intensification, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed

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Logos:

Back 27

a Greek term that means “word”; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals

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Metaphor:

Back 28

saying one thing in terms of something else

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Metonomy:

Back 29

figure of speech. The substitution of the name of an object with a word closely associated with it. Ex. The White House for the presidency, the crown for the royal family or the queen.

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Mood:

Back 30

the atmosphere created by the setting, and actions of people and characters in it. It also relates to how the reader emotionally responds to the text

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Motif:

Back 31

a simple device that serves as a basis for an expanded narrative, the motif is a recurring feature in the work

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Paradox:

Back 32

A statement that seems to be contradictory or absurd, however it is found to be true

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Parallelism:

Back 33

the coordination of sentence syntax, word order, and ideas. It is used for effect and emphasis

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Parody:

Back 34

a writing which imitates another serious piece and pokes fun at the original.

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Parenthetical:

Back 35

characterized by the use of parentheses

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Pathos:

Back 36

a Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals

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Pedantic:

Back 37

bookish and scholarly in tone, often boring and dull due to little interest on the part of the listener

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Personification:

Back 38

human‐like qualities are given to inanimate objects

Front 39

Point of View:

Back 39

point from which an author presents a story. It can be close, distant, within a character, or others.

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Polysyndeton:

Back 40

the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions

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Rhetoric:

Back 41

the art of persuasion and employing the devices to persuade. Persuasion extends to the construction of a work so that you believe it to be true even though it is fiction.

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Rhetorical Question:

Back 42

A question used by the speaker or writer to achieve an awareness in the listener or reader. No reply to the question is expected.

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Sarcasm:

Back 43

a bitter expression of disapproval, sometimes intended to be harsh and hurtful, levels of intensity exist

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Satire:

Back 44

a way or writing or speaking which censures things, activities, persons, or ideas; it is accomplished with humor and wit.

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Simile:

Back 45

a comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

Front 46

Structure:

Back 46

the relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature

Front 47

Stylistic Devices:

Back 47

when analyzing stylistic devices the reader must find the best combination of the elements of language to discuss: tone, syntax, attitude, figures of speech, repetition, in tone especially connotations

Front 48

Syllogism:

Back 48

a formula for presenting a logical argument
Ex. Assertion, Proof, Commentary
Ex. Major Premise, Minor Premise, Conclusion

Front 49

Symbol:

Back 49

a thing that in and of itself it stands for something else. All symbols have vehicle and tenor.

Front 50

Synecdoche

Back 50

a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special

Front 51

Syntax:

Back 51

the physical arrangement of words in a sentence.

Front 52

Tone

Back 52

literary technique which encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work