AP English Rhetorical Terms

Parallelism

Shows that 2 or more ideas are equally important by stating them in grammatically parallel form

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of 2+ clauses or sentences in a row

Antithesis

A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, in a parallel structure

Antimetabole

Identical or near repetition of words in one phrase or clause in reverse order in the next phrase or clause

Zeugma

A figure of speech in which the same word is applied to two others in different senses

Anecdote

A shorthand interesting story or an amusing event taken from a personal event

Jargon

Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand

Analogy

a comparison to a directly parallel case

Metonymy

Figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called by something that is associated with it rather that its actual name

Allusion

a reference to a place, person or something that happened which can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything. The reference can be direct or may be inferred

Trope

ARTFUL diction

hyperbole

conscious exaggeration

extended metaphor

a comparison of two unlike things that continues through a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem

oxymoron

Juxtaposing two contradictory terms

paradox

a seemingly contradictory statement but in reality expresses a possible truth

colloquial

everyday conversation; not formal or literary

Circumlocution

the use of many words where fewer would do

juxtaposition

placing two or more ideas side by side

Rhetorical Question

a question posed by the writer/speaker but does not expect a response to it

Asyndeton

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence

Syntax

Organization of words in a sentence

Scheme

ARTFUL syntax

Anadiplosis

a form of repetition where the last word of the clause begins the next clause

anastrophe

the reversal of the natural order of words in a sentence

elliptical

sentence structure which leaves out something in the second half. commas are usually used to take in the place of omitted material

chiasmus

arrangements of repeated thoughts in an inverted pattern. it is used repeatedly throughout religious texts such as the bible

cadence

occasionally used as a synonym for "rhythm" or for "meter", relates to the rising and falling of speech

aphorism

a short, astute statement of a general truth; witty and curt and often have an underlying tone of authority to them

Antecedent

the noun to which a later pronoun refers

Appositive

word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun; typically offset with punctuation. It can be in the middle of a sentence or at the end

conceit

an elaborate or unusual comparison

Diction

Deliberate word choice