AP Lang Rhetorical Handbook Full Flashcards
allusion
indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work, the nature and relevance of which is not explained but relies on the reader’s familiarity with what is thus mentioned
ambiguity
something of doubtful meaning; an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context, may have more than one meaning
anachronism
representation of someone as existing or something as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order
aphorism
brief statement which expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation
invective
abuse (tongue-lashing, diatribe, condemnation)
juxtaposition
placing two things side by side, usually to show contrast
malapropism
an incorrect usage of a ward, usually with comic effect
rhetorical question
a question posed by the speaker or writer not to seek an answer but instead to affirm or deny a point simply by asking a question about it
sensory detail
an item used to appeal to the sense (sight, taste, touch, etc)
shift
general term in linguistics for any slight alteration in a word’s meaning, or the creation of an entirely new word by changing the use of an expression
tone
writer’s attitude toward his reader and his subject; his mood or moral view; formal, informal, playful, ironic, optimistic, pessimistic
point of view
way the events of a story are conveyed to the reader; “vantage point” from which the narrative is passed from author to the reader; first-person, omniscient, limited
theme-thesis
message conveyed by a literary work
voice
textual feature, such as diction and sentence structure, that convey a writer’s or speaker’s persona
ad hominem argument
an attack on another person instead of their point of view
begging the question
situation that results when a writer or speaker constructs an argument on an assumption that the audience does not accept
doubtful authority
the authority os not an expert, their colleagues disagree, or the reference to the authority is out of context of the situation
either/or reasoning
argument that something complex can be looked at in only two different ways
false analogy
comparing two things that are irrelevant, do not pose a valid comparison
hasty generalization
not enough support for the inductive reasoning used
circular argument
restates the argument rather than actually proving it
slippery slope
conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually, through a series of small steps, B, C,…, X, Y, Z will happen too, basically equating A and Z; so if we don;t want Z to occur A must not occur
non-sequitur
conclusion that had no visible connection to the support for the claim
oversimplification
reducing an idea too much so it loses the point trying to be made
expository
informs, instructs or presents ideas and general truths
classification
expository; identifies the subject as part of a larger group with shared features
cause and effect
expository; arguing from the presence/absence of the cause to the (non) existence of the result
compare/contrast
expository; the subject is shown more clearly by pointing out similarities or differences
definition
expository; places the subject in a group and then differentiates the subject from other sections of the group
analysis
expository; discussion of a subject based on content and style
description
depicts images verbally in space and time arranges those images in a logical pattern
narration
organizes the events or actions in time or relates them in space; tells what happened, when it happened, and where it happened
persuasion/argument
convinces an audience by proving or refuting a point of view using induction or deduction
ethos
ethical; rhetorical appeal to an audience based on the speaker/writer’s credibility
pathos
emotion; emotional appeal to an audience in an argument
logos
rational; rhetorical appeals based on logic or reasoning
deductive reasoning
reasoning that utilizes elements of persuasion by asserting a claim; consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion
inductive reasoning
reasoning that begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle
evidence/data
support from a claim/assertion
warrant
assumption that there is a connection between evidence and claim
pedantic
characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules
simple
(of writing style) pure, easy, plain, basic
monosyllabic
one syllable
polysyllabic
more than one syllable
euphonious
pleasing or agreeable to the ear
cacophonic
discordant, unpleasant sounding, jarring
didactic
intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive
literal
what you see
figurative
what you get from language, tone, symbol, etc.
active
subject of the sentence is performing or causing the action rather than a state of being
passive
subject is the object of the action or the effect of the verb
colloquial
informal, conversational
formal
proper language
non-standard-slang
not adhering to the standard, usually associated with a language variety used by uneducated speakers
jargon
not adhering to the standard, usually associated with a language variety used by socially disfavored speakers
alliteration
the recurrence of initial consonant sounds; usually limited to two words
onomatopoeia
the use of words which in their pronunciation suggest their meaning; ex. hiss
analogy
comparison of two things, which are alike in several respects, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to some familiar one
apostrophe
The direct address of a person, either present or absent; used in prose to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back
cliché
an expression so often used that its original power has been drained away
conceit
an elaborate, usually intellectually ingenious poetic comparison or image, such as an analogy or metaphor in which, say a beloved is compared to a ship, planet, etc
epithet
adjective or adjective phrases appropriately qualifying a subject (noun) by naming a key or important characteristic of the subject
euphemism
expression of an unpleasant or embarrassing notion by a more inoffensive substitute
hyperbole
exaggeration used for emphasis; used to heighten effect, catalyze recognition, or create a humorous perception
imagery
collection of images with a literary work; used to evoke atmosphere, mood, tension
verbal irony
contrast between the literal meaning of what os said and what is meant
situational irony
result of an action is the reverse of what the author expected
extended metaphor
metaphor which is drawn-out beyond the usual word or phrase to extend throughout a stanza or an entire poem, usually by using multiple comparisons between the unlike objects or ideas
metonymy
form of metaphor; similar to synecdoche, in which the thing chosen for the metaphorical image is closely associated with (but not an actual part of) the subject with which it is to be compared
oxymoron
paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun or adverb-adjective relationship; used for effect, to emphasis contrasts, incongruities, hypocrisy, or simply the complex nature of reality
paradox
statement that seems untrue on the surface but is true nevertheless
synaesthesia
(same as the medical condition) descriptions of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another
understatement
expressing an idea with less emphasis or in a lesser degree than is the actual case; employed for ironic emphasis
order: basic
subject + verb + object
order: interrupted
a sentence that is interrupted by a parenthetical aside
order: inverted
begins with a part of the sentence than the subject; used to delay revealing what the sentence is about, to create tension or suspense, and to connect ideas between sentences more clearly
order: listing
a sentence with multiple phrases that create a list
order: cumulative/loose
begins with subject and verb and adds modifying elements at end
order: periodic
opens with modifiers, withholds subject and verb until the end
order: parallelism- antithesis
established a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure
order: parallelism- chiasmus
a crossing parallelism, where the second part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order
order: parallelism- balanced
expressing parallel or like ideas - often compound
declarative sentence
sentence that declares or states something
imperative sentence
commands, requests, or instructs; subject is usually unstated “you”
exclamatory sentence
expresses strong emotion; with “!”
interrogative sentence
asks a question
simple sentence
at least one subject, at least one predicate; can stand alone b/c it expresses a complete thought
compound sentence
contains two or more independent clauses
complex sentence
contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
compound-complex sentence
contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses
ellipses
rhetorical figure in which one or more words are omitted
asyndeton
omission of a conjunction from a list; gives the affect of unpremeditated multiplicity, or an extemporaneous rather than a labored account
anadiplosis
rhetorical trope formed by repeating last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next; done for beauty or to give a sense of logical progression
anaphora
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences
epistrophe
repetition of the same word(s) used that end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences; opposite of anaphora
polysyndeton
use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause; opposite of asyndeton; feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up
parenthetical aside
consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence
colon
punctuation mark used to divide distinct but related sentence components such as clauses in which the second elaborates on the first, or to introduce a list, quotation, or speech
semi-colon
connects two independent parts of a sentence
dashes
used to indicate a sudden break in thought, to set off parenthetical material
allegory
form of extended metaphor in which object and persons are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself
biography
an account of a persons life
chronicle
an extended account of historical events without interpretation or comment
diary
daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
essay
short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author; analytic or interpretive
parody
literary form in which the style of an author or particular work is mocked in its style for the sake of comic effect
prose
writing distinguished from poetry by its greater variety of rhythm and its closer resemblance to the patterns of everyday speech
satire
literary work which exposes and ridicules human vices or folly; historically perceived as tending toward didacticism, usually intended as moral criticism directed against the injustice of social wrongs
sermon
oration by a prophet or member of the clergy
stream-of-consciousness
technique that records the multifarious thoughts and feelings of a character without regard to logical or narrative sequence; writer attempts to reflect all the forces, external and internal, influencing the psychology of a character at a single moment
