Assignment #1: Rhetorical Terms Study: AP English 11 Words

Parallelism noun Parallelism in grammar is defined as two or more phrases or clauses in a sentence that have the same grammatical structure.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Colloquialism noun Colloquialism is a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.

Ex. "Ain't" and "gonna" are words that are not used widely throughout English-speaking populations and are not formal.

Understatement noun An understatement is when you represent something as less than what it is. This can be done in writing or in speech. When you make an understatement, the issue at hand is minimalized or made to seem less important or severe.

Ex. "Deserts are sometimes hot, dry, and sandy." - Describing deserts of the world. "He is not too thin." - Describing an obese person. "It rained a bit more than usual." - Describing an area being flooded by heavy rainfall.

Polysyndeton noun Polysyndeton is a stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect. Polysyndeton examples are found in literature and in day-to-day conversations.

Ex. "I wore a sweater, and a hat, and a scarf, and a pair of boots, and mittens." (Uses the word "and" a lot)

Rhetorical Question noun A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.

Ex. "Is rain wet?" "Can fish swim?" "Can birds fly?" "Do dogs bark?"

Euphemism noun The term euphemism refers to polite, indirect expressions that replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite, or which suggest something unpleasant.

Ex. "Kick the bucket" is an euphemism that describes the death of a person. Used the phrase "passed away" instead of the word "died."

Anadiplosis noun Anadiplosis is a form of repetition in which the last word of one clause or sentence is repeated as the first word of the following clause or sentence

Ex. "Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task." Passion is the word that is referred to twice.

Syntax noun The format in which words and phrases are arranged to create sentences is called syntax. (The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.)

Ex. "The boy jumped happily." The most basic syntax follows a subject + verb + direct object formula. That is, "Jillian hit the ball." Syntax allows us to understand that we wouldn't write, "Hit Jillian the ball."

Oxymoron noun A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

Ex. "The same difference." (Same and different are opposite in meanings). "Cruel kindness" (Cruel and kind are both different in meaning).

Paradox noun A paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement in logic that, superficially, cannot be true but also cannot be false

Ex. "This sentence is a lie." If the sentence is true, then it is a lie, as it says. "Your enemy's friend is your enemy." "I am nobody."

Ethos noun Ethos is a method of persuasion in which the speaker or writer attempts to persuade the audience by demonstrating his own credibility or authority.

Ex. A commercial about a specific brand of toothpaste says that 4 out of 5 dentists use it. A political candidate talks about his experiences as a soldier, as a businessman, and as a politician-in contrast to his opponent.

Irony noun Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that ends up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between appearance and reality.

Ex. A fire station burns down. A marriage counselor files for divorce. The police station gets robbed.

Zeugma noun A zeugma is a literary term for using one word to modify two other words, in two different ways.

Ex. An example of a zeugma is, "She broke his car and his heart." When you use one word to link two thoughts, you're using a zeugma. "You held your breathe and the door for me," is another example of a zeugma.

Exigence noun In rhetoric, exigence is an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak. The term exigence comes from the Latin word for "demand."

Ex. An impassioned love letter, a prosecutor's closing statement, an advertisement hawking the next needful thing you can't possibly live without.

Analogy noun An analogy is a literary device often used in literature and poetry to make connections between familiar and unfamiliar things, suggest a deeper significance, or create imagery in the reader's mind. Analogies allow writers to say something in an abstract way, encouraging deeper thought.

Ex. Battery : Flashlight :: Hard drive : Computer (parts of a whole).

Juxtaposition noun Juxtaposition in a literary text occurs when the author deliberately "places" two contrasting things side by side in order to highlight the differences. Authors can juxtapose people, places, things, and ideas.

Ex. Better late than never. All's fair in love and war. When the cat's away the mice will play.

Allusion noun Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated by the author, it is instead usually termed a reference. (Words, terms, and famous people or objects that are familiar to you to describe something).

Ex. Describing Romeo to a boy who lures girls and connecting it to Romeo from Romeo and Juliet. Describing a smart person by naming him/her Einstein, an intelligent famous scientist from the past.

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

Ex. Due diligence: A business term, "due diligence" refers to the research that should be done before making an important business decision. AWOL: Short for "absent without leave," AWOL is military jargon used to describe a person whose whereabouts are unknown.

Synecdoche noun Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that refers to a part of something is substituted to stand in for the whole, or vice versa.

Ex. For example, the phrase "all hands on deck" is a demand for all of the crew to help, yet the word "hands"—just a part of the crew—stands in for the whole crew. If you said "check out my new wheels," "wheels" is an example of synecdoche, used to refer to a "car."

Diction noun Diction is simply the words the writer chooses to convey a particular meaning. When analyzing diction, look for specific words or short phrases that seem stronger than the others. Diction is NEVER the entire sentence!

Ex. Formal: Hello, young man. Informal: Hey, kid. (Choose wordings of diction to make the phrases more formal or informal of your choice).

Hyperbole noun Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Ex. I've told you to clean your room a million times! It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing hats and jackets. I am so hungry I could eat a horse. I have a million things to do today.

Asyndeton noun Asyndeton is a writing style where conjunctions are omitted in a series of words, phrases or clauses. It is used to shorten a sentence and focus on its meaning.

Ex. Julius Caesar leaving out the word "and" between the sentences "I came. I saw. I conquered," asserts the strength of his victory.

Logos noun Logos is logical appeal, and the term logic is derived from it. It is normally used to describe facts and figures that support the speaker's topic.

Ex. Logos examples in advertisements include the citation of statistics, facts, data, charts, and graphs.

Anaphora noun Anaphora is the repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines of writing or speech. It can be used in novels and short stories, but it's most commonly seen in poetry, essays, and formal speeches.

Ex. Martin Luther's famous speech: "So [let freedom ring] from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. [Let freedom ring] from the mighty mountains of New York. [Let freedom ring] from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania..."

Epistrophe noun Epistrophe is when a word is repeated at the end of a successive clause or sentence, it brings attention to the word as important in the text.

Ex. May God bless [you]. May God keep [you]. May He make His face to shine upon [you].

Thesis noun A thesis is a statement or central idea that a writer puts forward at the beginning of an argument, and will support throughout the following text. The thesis is a premise that the author believes to be true, and will give evidence for by way of facts or situations that reinforce this central idea.

Ex. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because they are versatile, easy to make, and taste good. In this persuasive thesis statement, you see that I state my opinion (the best type of sandwich), which means I have chosen a stance.

Metonymy noun Metonymy is a figure of speech in which one thing is replaced with a word closely associated with it.

Ex. Referring the king as "The Crown." Another famous quote is "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Pathos noun Pathos is a quality of an experience in life, or a work of art, that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy, and sorrow. Pathos can be expressed through words, pictures, or even with gestures of the body. Pathos is a method of convincing people with an argument drawn out through an emotional response.

Ex. Something as simple as a teenager begging for brand-name jeans, so as to not feel tragically left out by her peers, is an example of pathos. "If we don't move soon, we're all going to die!" is an another example of emotional pathos.

Periodic Sentence noun A periodic sentence is a stylistic device employed at the sentence level, described as one that is not complete grammatically or semantically before the final clause or phrase.

Ex. When I was shopping in the town yesterday, [I saw Mike!] Despite the blinding snow, the freezing temperatures, and the heightened threat of attack from polar bears, [the team continued.]

Tone noun The definition of "tone" in literature is the way the author expresses his attitude through his writing. The tone can change very quickly or may remain the same throughout the story. Tone is expressed by your use of syntax, your point of view, your diction, and the level of formality in your writing.

Ex. Words that can describe the mood of a poem might be: romantic, realistic, optimistic, pessimistic, gloomy, mournful, sorrowful, etc. Some words that can describe the tone of a poem might be: serious, humorous, amused, angry, playful, cheerful, sad, gloomy, etc. Some other examples of literary tone are: airy, comic, condescending, facetious, funny, heavy, intimate, ironic, light, playful, sad, serious, sinister, solemn, somber, and threatening.