Rhetorical Strategies and Stylistic Devices Flashcards
Complete the summer homework for AP English!
Jargon
The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession
Ex: LOL is a form of internet jargon
Irony
The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs( situational, verbal, dramatic)
Ex: a music teacher with a deaf child.
Juxtaposition
Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
Ex: Romeo and Tybalt are two examples of juxtaposition in literature.
Litotes
A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite( describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, “It was not a pretty picture.”)
Ex: He’s not the brightest student.
Logos
Appeal to reason or logic
Ex: Since women receive only 75% of a man’s dollar, it is obvious that subordinate women’s rights are still in place.
Maxim
A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage.
Ex: All that glitters is not gold.
Metonymy
Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it( “The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting] )
Ex: Lend me your ears!(“ears” meaning attention)
Mood
The emotional atmosphere of a work.
Ex: whimsical, morbid, dark, calm, serene, happy, uplifting, comical, confused, content, anxious, disappointed, dreamy.
Non sequitir
An inference that does not follow logically from the premises( literally, “does not follow”)
Ex: She has the new iphone; she must be rich.
Paradox
An apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth(“Whoever loses his life, shall find it”)
Ex: We fight in the dark, to serve the light.
Parallel structure
Using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance.
Ex: Finn wanted to write essays quickly, effectively, and creatively.
Parody
A humorous imitation of a serious work( Weird Al Yankovich’s songs and Scary movie series are examples)
Ex: Vampires Suck in response to Twilight.
Pathos
The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity.
Ex: We’re all going to die if we don’t find a water source!
Personification
Endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics.
Ex: The volcano has been asleep for over a hundred years.
Polysyndeton
The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural.
Ex: We lived and laughed and loved and left.
Rhetorical question
A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer.
Ex: Are you blind?
Satire
The use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions( Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s travels, The Simpsons, etc)
Ex: Political cartoons show flawed policy decisions and personalities of elected officials.
Sibilance
Having, containing, or producing the sound of or a sound resembling that of the s or the h in sash. “And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain.”
Ex: Six slippery salmon.
Synecdoche
Using one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to the car simply as “wheels”.)
Ex: law to policemen/ white hair to elderly/ pigskin to football
Tautology
Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding(“Widow woman”, “free gift”)
Ex: frozen ice, sad misfortune, morning sunrise
Trope
An artful deviation from the ordinary or principal signification of a word( hyperbole, metaphor, and personification are some examples.)
Ex: irony, metonymy, litotes, oxymorons, puns, synecdoche, and Zeugma
Vernacular
The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage.
Ex: Scottish sometimes use words that are unrecognizable by english speakers although English is their national language.
Antimetabole
The words in one phrase or clause are replicated, exactly or closely, in reverse grammatical order in the next phrase or clause.
Ex: It’s not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonant letters (or sounds) in two or more different words across successive sentences, clauses, or phrase.
Ex: Sally sought seashells at the seashore.
Epistrophe
Repeating of the same word or phrase at the ends of successive clauses.
Ex: “of the people, by the people, for the people” - Abraham Lincoln
Diction
The word choice made by a writer (diction can be described as: formal, semi-formal, ornate, informal, technical, etc.)
Ex: I will not accept your invitation to the party. (formal)
I ain’t gonna go there. (informal)
Figurative Language
Language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)
Ex: The desert was an oven.
Rhetoric
The art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner.
Ex: When at a restaurant, the server asks, “Can I add some of our delicious french fries to your entree for 50 cents more?”
Rhetorical Devices
Literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression.
Ex: Alliteration, Analogies, Antithesis, etc.
Style
The choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work.
Ex: Syntax, tone, diction, etc.
Syntax
The manner in which words are arranged in sentences.
Ex: The child tripped the burglar.
The burglar tripped the child.
Tone
The attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience.
Ex: How dare she rob me! (angry)
This sled is so much fun! (joyous)
Allusion
A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize.
Ex: Vegetables were her Achillies’ heel.
Analogy
A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way.
Ex: Her voice was as grating as nails on a chalkboard.
Anaphora
Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of the successive clauses.
Ex: Water, water everywhere. In the rivers of England. Water, water everywhere. In the lakes of Scotland.
Anecdote
A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event.
Ex: A short story about a family vacation to Mexico.
Antithesis
A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced.
Ex: Many are called, but few are chosen
Aphorism
A concise, statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance.
Ex: So much to do, so little time.
Assonance
Repetition of similar vowels, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words.
Ex: The man asked him to cool the pool with an expensive tool.
Asyndeton
A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions.
Ex: They spent the night hiking, swimming, climbing, running.
Dialect
A variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a geographical region.
Ex: Ain’t in a Southern Dialect
Chiasmus
A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed.
Ex: The waves rushed in, the sand washed out.
Didactic statement
Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing.
Ex: “Four-score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Abraham Lincoln
Ellipsis
The omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context.
Ex: Some dogs love the beach; others, the mountains.
Ethos
The persuasive appeal of one’s character, or credibility.
Ex: Veterinarians from all over the world recommend this dog food.
Euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant.
Ex: Our boss passed away this month in the hospital.
Hyperbole
Intentional exaggeration to create an effect
Ex: He is older than the dinosaurs.
Imagery
The use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses
Ex: The once placid lake shivered after the sudden gust of wind.
Inverted syntax
A sentence constructed so that the predicate comes before the subject.
Ex: Swimming in the water I am.
Inference
A conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises or evidence.
Ex: Because he does all of his homework, I can infer that he will do good on the test.
