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AP Langage and Composition Rhetorical Devices
N/A
107
English
11th Grade
11/28/2010

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Cards

Term
Ad Hominem
Definition
Appealing to the emotions and not reason or logic
Term
Adage
Definition
A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth
Term
Allegory
Definition
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. Usually moral or political.
Term
Alliteration
Definition
Same sound or letter at the beginning of connected words
Term
Allusion
Definition
A reference without mentioning it directly
Term
Ambiguity
Definition
Uncertainty of meaning in language
Term
Anachronism
Definition
A thing not appropriate to the period that it is in.
Term
Anadiplosis
Definition
Repetition of the last word of a preceding clause.
Term
Analogy
Definition
A comparison between two things
Term
Anaphora
Definition
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Term
Anastrophe
Definition
Inverting the usual order of clauses
Term
Anecdote
Definition
A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
Term
Antithesis
Definition
Direct opposite
Term
Aphorism
Definition
Observation that contains a general truth
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
Exclamatory passage in a speech poem adressed to a person or thing
Term
Archetype
Definition
A very typical example of a person or thing. Model.
Term
Assonance
Definition
The repetition of the sound of a vowel in non rhyming stressed syllables.
Term
Asyndeton
Definition
The absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.
Term
Bard
Definition
Poet
Term
Bombast
Definition
Language used to impress people
Term
Burlesque
Definition
Parody or comically exaggerated imitation of something.
Term
Cacophony
Definition
Unpleasantness of the sound of certain words and sentences.
Term
Characterization
Definition
Conveying information about characters.
Term
Chiasmus
Definition
Concepts are repeated in reverse order.
Term
Circumlocution
Definition
Using more words then necessary.
Term
Colloquial
Definition
Local informal slang
Term
Conceit
Definition
Elaborate metaphor. Fanciful expression.
Term
Conflict (Five types)
Definition
Man Vs. Man
Man Vs. Nature
Man Vs. Self
Man Vs. Society
Man Vs. Destiny/Fate
Term
Consonance
Definition
Compatibility between opinions or actions
Term
Context
Definition
Circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea.
Term
Denotation/Connotation
Definition
The literal meaning of a word. The feeling a word invokes.
Term
Deus ex Machina
Definition
An unexpected power or event saving a hopeless situation.
Term
Diction
Definition
The word choice
Term
Didactic
Definition
Moral instruction
Term
Dramatic Monologue
Definition
Performed writing that offers great insight into the character's feelings, directed to an audience.
Term
Elegy
Definition
Lament for the dead
Term
Epic
Definition
Long poem about a hero
Term
Epigram
Definition
Expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way.
Term
Epistrophe
Definition
Repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses.
Term
Epitaph
Definition
Inscription on a tombstone.
Term
Epithet
Definition
An adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality of the person.
Term
Euphemism
Definition
A mild substitute for a harsh one.
Term
Euphony
Definition
Pleasing to the ear
Term
Extended Metaphor
Definition
Conceit
Term
Fable
Definition
A short story with animal characters, conveying a moral.
Term
Farce
Definition
A comic dramatic work using buffoonery.
Term
Figurative Language
Definition
Words that exaggerate or alter the usual meaning of the component words.
Term
Flashback
Definition
A scene set earlier than the main story.
Term
Gothic
Definition
Dark story, vampires and the like.
Term
Harangue
Definition
Lengthy and aggressive speech.
Term
Homily
Definition
A Sermon
Term
Hubris
Definition
Tragic Flaw coming from arrogance.
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
Exaggerated
Term
Imagery
Definition
Visually descriptive language
Term
Invective
Definition
Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
Term
Irony
Definition
When the exact opposite of what you think would happen happens.
Term
Jargon
Definition
Specialised words for a group. Difficult for others to understand.
Term
Juxtapostion
Definition
Placing two items close together for a contrasting effect.
Term
Kenning
Definition
Two describing words that go in place of a name.
Term
Lampoon
Definition
Criticise using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm.
Term
Litote
Definition
Placing a negative infront of the opposite of the statement you want to make.
Term
Local Color
Definition
The customs, manner of speech, dress, typical features of a place or period.
Term
Malapropism
Definition
Replacing a word in with a similar-sounding one. Comical
Term
Maxim
Definition
A short statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct.
Term
Melodrama
Definition
Dramatic piece with exaggerated characters with events intended to appeal to the emotions
Term
Metaphor
Definition
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object that it can not be literally
Term
Metonymy
Definition
Replacing a atribute for the full item's name
Term
Moral
Definition
A lesson concerning what is right and wrong.
Term
Motif/Symbol
Definition
A distinctive feature of the dominant idea
Term
Naturalism
Definition
A style of representation based on detailed realism.
Term
Onomatopeia
Definition
A word that imitates the sound that it describes.
Term
Oxymoron
Definition
Normally contradictory terms combined.
Term
Parable
Definition
Simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.
Term
Paradox
Definition
A statement that despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises seems to lead to a conclusion that is contradictory.
Term
Paradoy
Definition
An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
Term
Pedantic
Definition
Overly formal, using hard to understand words unnecessarily.
Term
Periphrasis
Definition
The use of indirect and circumlocutory phrasing.
Term
Picaresque
Definition
Fiction with a rough and dishonest but appealing hero.
Term
Poetic Justice
Definition
Fitting/deserved retribution for one's actions.
Term
Point of View
Definition
The narrator's position in relation to the story being told.
Term
Proverb
Definition
Short saying in general use stating a general truth or piece of advice.
Term
Pseudonym
Definition
Fictitious name used by an author.
Term
Pun
Definition
A joke using a play on words.
Term
Reminiscence
Definition
Story told about a past event as remembered by the author.
Term
Repetition
Definition
Repeating a word within a sentence or a poetic line.
Term
Rhetorical Question
Definition
A question posed for its persuasive effect.
Term
Sarcasm
Definition
The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
Term
Satire
Definition
The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people's stupidity or vices. Usually political.
Term
Semantics
Definition
The branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning.
Term
Simile
Definition
Comparing using like or as.
Term
Slapstick
Definition
Comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and embarrassing events.
Term
Slice of Life
Definition
Realistic representation of everyday experience in a movie, play, or book.
Term
Soliloquy
Definition
Speaking one's thoughts out loud in a play.
Term
Stereotype
Definition
Widely held but fixed and oversimplified idea of a type of person or thing.
Term
Stream of Consciousness
Definition
A person's thoughts and conscious reactions to events, perceived as a continuous flow.
Term
Syllogism
Definition
Drawing a conclusion from two given premises.
Term
Synecdoche
Definition
When parts are represented by the whole or vice versa.
Term
Synethesia
Definition
When an sense (such as a sound) is perceived by a person as a different sense (such as color)
Term
Syntax
Definition
The arrangement of words
Term
Theme
Definition
The subject of a piece of writing.
Term
Tone/Mood
Definition
Tone is set forth by the author
Mood is perceived by the reader
Term
Trope
Definition
A figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.
Term
Understatement
Definition
Presenting something as smaller, worse, or less important than it is.
Term
Verisimilitude
Definition
The appearance of being true or real.
Term
Whimsy
Definition
Fanciful behaviour.
Term
Wit
Definition
Quick and inventive humour.
Term
Zeugma
Definition
A figure of speech that applies to two others in different senses.
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