AP Language Literary Devices and Rhetorical Concepts

Front

a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor; usually written in the form of fables, parables, poems, stories, etc.

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allegory

Front

What a word suggests beyond its surface definition

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connotation

Front

choice of words for effect

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diction

Front

representation through language of a sensory experience

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imagery

Front

The author places a person, concept, place, idea, or theme parallel to another to highlight the contrast between the two and compare them.

Back

juxtaposition

Front

A change or movement in a piece from one point, idea, concept, etc. to another, signaled by words such as but, then, however, etc.

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rhetorical shift

Front

word order or grammatical appropriateness

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syntax

Front

Writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience, implied or related directly

Back

tone

Front

A reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature.

Back

allusion

Front

basic definition or dictionary meaning of a word

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denotation