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AP Language > Rhetorical Devices > Flashcards

Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

0
Q

Ad Hominem

A

An attack on the person rather than the issues at hand. Common in elections.

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1
Q

Active Voice

A

Any sentence with an active verb.
I planted the seeds. “Planted” is the active verb.
Preferred in writing.

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

Repetition of a phonetic sound at the beginning of several words in a sentence.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

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3
Q

Allusion

A

A reference that recalls another work, another time in history, another famous person, etc.

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4
Q

Anadiplosis

A

The last word of the clause begins the next clause.

The furies pursued the men. The men were chased by their nightmares. The nightmares awakened everyone in the room.

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5
Q

Analogy

A

A relational comparison of or similarity between two objects or ideas.

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6
Q

Anaphora

A

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive poetic lines, prose sentences, clauses, or paragraphs.

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7
Q

Anastrophe

A

Reversal of the natural order of words in a sentence or line of poetry.
The poisoned apple she ate to her gave cramps of a serious nature.

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8
Q

Antithesis

A

An observation or claim that is in opposition to your claim or an author’s claim.

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9
Q

Aphorism

A

A brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth.

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10
Q

Apostrophe

A

Prayer-like, this is a direct address to someone who is not present, to a deity or muse, or to some other power.

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11
Q

Appositive

A

Also called a noun phrase.

Modifies the noun next to it.

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12
Q

Argument from Ignorance

A

An argument that something is true because it has never been proven false.

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13
Q

Asyndeton

A

The deliberate omission of conjunctions from a series of related independent clauses.

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14
Q

Bandwagon

A

Also called vox populi.

“Everyone’s doing it”

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15
Q

Begging the question

A

When a speaker states a claim that includes a word or phrase that needs to be defined before the argument can proceed.

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16
Q

Cause and Effect

A

Causality fallacy or false cause

Ex- superstitions

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17
Q

Chiasmus

A

ABBA syntactical structure rather than the more common parallel ABAB structure.

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18
Q

Complex sentence

A

Sentence structure

A dependent clause and an independent clause

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19
Q

Compound sentence

A

Sentence structure

Two independent clauses

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20
Q

Compound-complex sentence

A

A combination of a compound and a complex sentence.

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21
Q

Connotation

A

The associations or moods that accompany a word.

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22
Q

Declarative sentence

A

A basic statement or an assertion

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23
Q

Decuctive

A

A form of logical argumentation that uses claims or premises
Looks like geometry proofs.

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24
Q

Denotation

A

The dictionary meaning.

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25
Q

Dependent clause

A

Contains a noun and a verb, but is set up with a subordinate conjunction, which makes the clause an incomplete thought.
Because the rabbit refused to come out of the hat…

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26
Q

Dialect

A

A regional speech pattern
A form of regionalism in writing
Often referred to as “colloquial language”

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27
Q

Diction

A

The particular words an author uses in any essay

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28
Q

Distractor

A

A possible answer that seems to be correct, but is either wrong or is not as good as other answers

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29
Q

Ellipsis

A

Three dots that indicate that words have been left out of a quotation
Also can be used to create suspense

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30
Q

Epanalepsis

A

Repeated the opening word or phrase at the end of the sentence to emphasize a statement or idea.
Common sense is not so common.

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31
Q

Epistrophe

A

Ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words

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32
Q

Ethos

A

An appeal to credibility

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33
Q

Etymology

A

The study of the origin of words and their historical uses

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34
Q

Euphemism

A

To use a safer or nicer word for something others find inappropriate or unappealing

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35
Q

Exclamatory sentence

A

A sentence that conveys excitement or force

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36
Q

Fallacy

A

A failure of logical reasoning

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37
Q

False analogy

A

An argument using an inappropriate metaphor.

To help understand one thing in an argument we compare it to something else that is not at all relevant

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38
Q

False dilemma

A

Either/or fallacy
The suggestion made in the argument that the problem or debate has two solutions.
Fallacy of the excluded middle

39
Q

Gerund

A

A verb ending in -ing that serves as a noun

40
Q

Hyperbole

A

An exaggeration that bolsters an argument

41
Q

Imagery

A

Evoking one of the 5 senses

42
Q

Imperative sentence

A

A command

43
Q

Independent clause

A

A clause that can stand alone as a sentence.

Must have a noun and a verb

44
Q

Inductive

A

A form of logical argumentation that requires the use of examples

45
Q

Infinitive

A

The word “to” plus a verb, usually functioning as a noun and often as a predicate in a sentence

46
Q

Interrogative sentence

A

A question

47
Q

Irony

A 
The use of words to express something other than and often the opposite of the literal meaning. 
Verbal irony (sarcasm)
Situational irony (a contrast between what happens and what was expected)
Dramatic irony (a contrast between what the character believes to be true and what the reader knows to be true)
48
Q

Jargon

A

A pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people

49
Q

Juxtaposition

A

Making one idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite

50
Q

Logos

A

An appeal to reason

51
Q

Loose sentence

A

An independent clause followed by all sorts of debris, usually dependent clauses

52
Q

Malapropism

A

One word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds similar

53
Q

Metaphor

A

A figure of speech in which what is unknown is compared to something that is known in order to better gauge its importance

54
Q

Metonymy

A

The name of one thing is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.
The crown spoke with authority about the gathering crisis over bread and cheese

55
Q

Non sequitur

A

“It does not follow”

An argument by misdirection; logically irrelevant

56
Q

Object

A

A noun toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed

57
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

A sound imitates the thing or action associated with it

58
Q

Oxymoron

A

Two words that together create a sense of opposition

59
Q

Paradox

A

A truth or a group of sentences that defy our intuition

60
Q

Parallelism (parallel syntax)

A

A pattern of language that creates a rhythm of repetition often combined with some other language of repetition

61
Q

Parentheticals

A

Phrases, sentences, and words inside parentheses

62
Q

Participle

A

A verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed

63
Q

Passive voice

A

The opposite of active voice

Something happens to someone

64
Q

Pathos

A

An appeal to emotions

65
Q

Periodic sentence

A

A sentence with several dependent clauses that precede the independent clause

66
Q

Personification

A

Giving human attributes to non-human things

67
Q

Phrase

A

A grouping of words that define or clarify

No verb

68
Q

Point of view

A

The perspective from which the writer chooses to present his or her story or essay

69
Q

Poisoning the well

A

A person or character is introduced with language that suggests that he is not at all reliable before the listener/reader knows anything about him

70
Q

Polysyndeton

A

The use of consecutive coordinating conjunctions even when they are not needed

71
Q

Predicate

A

The verb that conveys the meaning or carries the action of the sentence

72
Q

Predicate adjective

A

An adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies the subject of the sentence

73
Q

Predicate nominative

A

A noun or pronoun that uses a linking verb to unite, describe or rename the noun in the subject of the sentence

74
Q

Premise

A

Claim

A statement of truth, at least to the person making the argument

75
Q

Prompt

A

The paragraph or language that defines the essay task

76
Q

Pun

A

A play on words

77
Q

Red herring

A

An argument that distracts the reader by raising issues irrelevant to the case

78
Q

Repetition

A

Calls the reader’s attention to a particular word, phrase, or image for emphasis of meaning

79
Q

Rhetorical question

A

A question whose answer is assumed.

Designed to force the reader to respond in a predetermined manner

80
Q

Rhetorical shift

A

The author of an essay significantly alters his or her diction, syntax, or both

81
Q

Simile

A

When what is unknown is compared to something that is known using the word “like”, “as”, or “than”

82
Q

Simple sentence

A

An independent clause

83
Q

Slippery slope (domino theory)

A

Fallacy arguing that one thing inevitably leads to another

84
Q

Stem

A

A question on the multiple choice section

85
Q

Straw man

A

When an arguer defines his opponent’s position when the opponent is not present and defines it in a manner that is easy to attack

86
Q

Subject

A

The noun that is the basic focus of the sentence

87
Q

Subordinate conjunction

A

A conjunction that makes an independent clause into a dependent clause

88
Q

Syllogism

A

Three-part argument construction in which two premises lead to a truth
All human beings are mortal. Heather is a human being. Therefore, Heather is mortal.

89
Q

Synecdoche

A

A part is used for the whole

All hands on deck.

90
Q

Syntax

A

The study of the rules of grammar that define the formation of sentences

91
Q

Synthesis

A

To unite or synthesize a variety of sources to achieve a common end

92
Q

Theme

A

The basic message or meaning conveyed through elements of character and conflict

93
Q

Thesis

A

The writer’s statement of purpose

94
Q

Tricolon

A

A sentence with three equally distinct and equally long parts
Separated by commas

95
Q

Understatement

A

Creates exaggeration by showing restraint

96
Q

Zeugma

A

Two or more elements in a sentence are tied together by the same verb or noun

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