AP Language Rhetorical Devices Review

a person, place, thing that figuratively represents or 'stands for' something else

juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or grammatical structures

when facts are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader

"I ate the pizza that my sister baked after I got home from work."

figure of speech in which a commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something

Prince calls Falstaff: "sanguine coward...bedpresser...horseback breaker...huge hill of flesh.”

literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure

a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth” (Lenin).

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

“One should eat to live, not live to eat.”

syntactical structure where conjunctions are omitted in a series, producing more rapid prose

"The horse ate its hay in the barn." What is the antecedent for "its"?

"It is the lark that sings so out of tune."

an argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered

tells a story

"I only totaled the car. Not bad at all."

The British crown has been plagued by scandal.

“Art is a form of lying in order to tell the truth” (Pablo Picasso).

"Voting against affirmative action is like voting for slavery."

Ethos, logos, or pathos?

"We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood..." (Bush)

"He lost his phone and his temper."

"Let it be our cause to give that child a happy home, a healthy family, and a hopeful future."

to recreate or visually present a person, place, event oraction for the reader

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

Ethos, logos, or pathos?

"She purchased the pretty purple parka."

the order of the terms of the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second

a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole ('50 masts' represents 50 ships)

"An amateur playing in a professional game is like an ibex stepping into a lion's den."

Out of the bosom of the Air, Out of the cloud-folds of her garment shaken...Descends the snow.

"Lend me your ears."

“...nothing tastes like real butter, nothing moistens like real butter...” 

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France" (Churchill)

Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

“It is boring to eat; to sleep is fulfilling.”

The clock in Beauty and the Beast has human-like qualities. This is an example of...

Closely imitates the style or content of another with the aim of comic effect/ridicule

"Ya'll better not make me come back there," my father bellowed. "Ya'll" represents...

A syntactic construction containing a subject and predicate is a...

"Jane lost a glove and she can't find it." What is the antecedent for "it"?

“A watched pot never boils.” (a terse statement expressing a truth or moral principle)

Verbal description exaggerates/distorts,for comic effect, distinctive characteristics

the attitude the narrator/writer takes toward a subject and theme

“I got chewed out by my teacher.” (common saying that doesn’t make sense when taken literally)

"I finally got a new set of wheels."

Jumbo shrimp

The student listened to her teacher describe nanoarchitectonics. She couldn't understand the...

“The night comes crawling in on all fours.”

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

"He came in triumph and in defeat departs."

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.

explains/analyzes information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, appropriate discussion

"Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, Bob was not good at resisting temptation."

specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group

These words have the same definition but different different ______: policeman, cop, "the man."

"The water was a pearl-studded sea of azure tipped with turquoise."

A woman wearing a GPS watch fought off an attacker in the restroom. Her story is...

In the phrase, "Her voice is full of money" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "money" is an example of...

"By lunch time, my stomach boils with anger" (Laurie Halse Anderson).

"...my plan in bringing up these girls, is not to accustom them to habits of luxury..."

"He ran and jumped and laughed for joy."

I ran to my room, grabbed my wallet, threw my phone in my pocket--only to forget her gift.

"Sally sells seashells by the sea shore."

when the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) meaning

Ethos, logos, or pathos?

"...and there was water standing in the street and no lights and windows broke and boats..."

I read a passage full of _____ diction. There were terms like "justice," "freedom," and "love."

"Ain't everybody's daddy the deadest shot in Maycomb County."

"All hands on deck."

the specific word choice an author uses to convey tone, purpose, or effect

I quickly dressed myself and the salad before going to the dinner party.

He passed away.

"I could eat a horse."

an address or invocation to something inanimate (apostrophe)

"Art thou mad? Is not the truth the truth?" (Shakespeare)

The car was driven by John.

when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is notwhat happens

Means "sermon"; often a religious or moralistic speech

"What if I am rich, and another is poor...elevated, and he is depraved?" (Garrison)

to prove validity of an idea by presenting sound reasoning/discussion

"The company unexpectedly let my dad go."

"Lost time is never found again" (Franklin).

deductive system of logic that presents two premises (major & minor) that lead to a conclusion

Ethos, logos, or pathos?

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” 

The second last chapter of Bragg's book is written to his dead father. This is an example of...

Romeo says his heart is too sore to soar with his friends at the dance.

"The boy was bit by the dog."

My favorite fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare," is...

"Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage."

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

“It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.”

Animal Farm (a novella where characters represent historical figures) is an example of...

“A rolling stone gathers no moss." (a folk saying with a lesson)