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APL Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Abstract

A

refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images

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2
Q

Allegory

A

an extended narrative in prose or verse in which the writer intends a second meaning

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3
Q

Anecdote

A

a short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point.

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4
Q

Annotation

A

Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite, or give bibliographical data.

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5
Q

Antithesis

A

the presentation of two contrasting images

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6
Q

Aphorism

A

a short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life.

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7
Q

Apostrophe

A

the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction.

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8
Q

Argumentation

A

writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments

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9
Q

Cacophony;Dissonance

A

harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose

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10
Q

Caricature

A

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality.

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11
Q

Colloquialism

A

a word or phrase that is common in everyday conversation, but is not appropriate in formal writing.

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12
Q

Coherence;Unity

A

quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle.

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13
Q

Concrete Language

A

describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.

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14
Q

Connotation

A

implied or suggested meaning of a word

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15
Q

Consonance

A

repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity

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16
Q

Conundrum

A

a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun

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17
Q

Deduction

A

the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

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18
Q

Denotation

A

literal meaning of a word as defined

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19
Q

Description

A

the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation

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20
Q

Diction

A

word choice

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21
Q

Didactic

A

writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach

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22
Q

Discourse

A

spoken or written language

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23
Q

Emotional Appeal-Pathos

A

writer appeals to the readers’ emotions to involve them in the argument.

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24
Q

Epigraph

A

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.

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25
Ethical Appeal-Ethos
writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text.
26
Euphemism
a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable.
27
Euphony
a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose
28
Example
an individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern.
29
Explication
The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text.
30
Exposition
the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot.
31
Generalization
when a writer makes a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some.
32
Genre
a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem.
33
Humor
anything that causes laughter or amusement
34
Hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis.
35
Image
A word or words used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense.
36
Imagery
words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in order to create a mental picture.
37
Induction
the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization.
38
Inference
a conclusion one can draw from the presented details.
39
Invective
a verbally abusive attack.
40
Inversion
reversing the customary order of elements in a sentence or phrase.
41
Jargon
the special language of a profession or group.
42
Logical Appeal; Logos
the writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and reasons.
43
Lyrical
songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.
44
Mode
the method or form of a literary work
45
Mood
primary emotional attitude of a work
46
Narration
telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama
47
Objectivity
impersonal presentation of events and characters
48
Parallelism
technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form.
49
Parody
a work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements.
50
Pathetic Appeal; Pathos
a writer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions.
51
Pedantic
a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant.
52
Persuasion
a form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.
53
Regionalism
an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot.
54
Repetition
word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity.
55
Rhetorical Question
one that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience.
56
Sarcasm
harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony.
57
Satire
a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way.
58
Speaker
the voice of a work.
59
Stereotype
a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group.
60
Style
an author's characteristic manner of expression.
61
Subjectivity
a personal presentation of events and characters influenced by the author's feelings and opinions.
62
Syllogism
A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them.
63
Synechdoche
a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using "boards" to mean a stage.
64
Syntactic Fluency
Ability to create a variety of sentence structures.
65
Syntactic Permutation
Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved.
66
Syntax
the grammatical structure of a sentence.
67
Theme
the central idea or "message" of a literary work
68
Thesis
the main idea of a piece of writing.
69
Tone
the characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience.
70
Transition
a word or phrase that links one idea, to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.
71
Understatement
the opposite of exaggeration
72
Voice
refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.

AP Language (2 decks)

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