Rhetorical Terms List

Flashcard deck · A.P. English Language and Composition · Language Arts

Covers 51 AP Lang rhetorical terms including logical fallacies like ad hominem and post hoc, figurative language, syntax, and reasoning strategies such as induction and deduction.

Terms in this deck

non sequitur

A statement that does not follow logically from what preceded it.

false dilemma

A logical fallacy that presents too few alternatives, ignoring other valid options.

allegory

A story where people, places, and things represent general concepts or moral qualities; adjective: allegorical.

begging the question

A logical fallacy that assumes as true the very thing one is trying to prove.

digression

A temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing.

irony

Expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of the words' usual meaning, often humorous or sarcastic.

litotes

A rhetorical figure expressing an affirmative by negating its opposite, e.g., 'a citizen of no mean city.'

classification as a means of ordering

Organizing objects or ideas by grouping them into categories or classes.

euphemism

A less direct but less offensive word or phrase used in place of a harsher one; adjective: euphemistic.

analogy

A comparison between two things in which a complex idea is explained using a simpler, more familiar one.

hyperbole

An extravagant exaggeration used for serious or comic effect; adjective: hyperbolic.

order of importance

A method of organizing writing according to the relative significance of the ideas presented.

cause and effect

A method of examination that looks at the causes and/or effects of a situation or phenomenon.

imagery

Vivid descriptions that impress images of things upon the mind; figures of speech.

chronological ordering

Arrangement of information in the order events occur, moving from past to present or in reverse.

appeal to authority

Citing information from recognized experts to strengthen a speaker's or writer's argument.

metaphor

A figure of speech comparing two things by speaking of one as if it were the other, without using like or as.

induction (inductive reasoning)

Reasoning that moves from a body of facts to form a generalization; opposite of deduction.

anecdote

A short, entertaining account of a happening, often personal or biographical; adjective: anecdotal.

deduction (deductive reasoning)

Reasoning that starts with a generalization and applies it to a specific case; opposite of induction.

allusion

A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, or passage that the reader is expected to recognize.

expository writing

Writing that explains or analyzes a topic.

anticlimax

A sudden drop from dignified or important expression to something trivial, often for humorous effect; adjective: anticlimactic.

ellipsis

1. Omission of words understood from context. 2. The punctuation mark (...) showing something is left out of a quotation.

colloquial expression

Words and phrases used in everyday speech but avoided in formal writing.

ad populum fallacy

A logical fallacy that assumes something is true or right simply because it is widely believed or commonly done.

argumentation

Exploration of a problem by investigating all sides of it; persuasion through reason.

damning with faint praise

Intentional use of a positive statement that carries a negative implication.

inverted syntax

Reversing the normal word order of a sentence for stylistic effect.

ad hominem fallacy

A logical fallacy that attacks a person's character or motive instead of addressing their actual argument.

rhetoric

The art of using words effectively in writing or speaking to influence or persuade.

post hoc fallacy

A logical fallacy assuming that because one event preceded another, it caused the second event.

pedantry

A display of narrow-minded, trivial scholarship or rigid adherence to rules and forms.

syntax

The arrangement of words in a sentence to show their relationship; also called sentence structure; adjective: syntactical.

paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory but may actually be true in fact.

rhetorical question

A question asked for effect to emphasize a point, with no answer expected.

persuasion

Taking a single position and using reason or emotion to get others to accept it.

satire

A text that uses ridicule, sarcasm, or irony to expose and mock vices, abuses, or absurdities; adjective: satirical.

simile

A figure of speech comparing two things using the words like or as.

parable

A short story from which a moral lesson may be drawn.

spatial ordering

Organizing information using spatial cues such as top to bottom or left to right.

parody

A literary work that imitates a serious work's style to treat trivial material for humor or satire.

oxymoron

A figure of speech combining contradictory terms or ideas, e.g., 'jumbo shrimp.'

tone

The way wording or expression conveys a writer's or speaker's attitude toward a subject.

understatement

Deliberately representing something as much less significant than it really is.

syllogism

A form of deductive reasoning with two premises leading to a logical conclusion.

periodic sentence structure

A sentence whose full meaning cannot be understood until the final word or clause.

parallel syntactic structures

Using the same grammatical form for each item in a series, around coordinating conjunctions, or with correlative conjunctions.

symbol

Something that stands for another thing, often an object representing an abstraction.

point of view

The perspective from which a writer or speaker presents material; in fiction, shown through first or third person narration.

personification

A figure of speech that gives human attributes to an inanimate object or abstract concept.

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