AP Lang Vocab Examples

Abstract Language

Freedom and love cannot be touched, but they shape our lives.

Active Voice

The boy grabbed his books and went to school.

Ad hominem

Instead of addressing the issue, she insulted his appearance.

Allegory

A farmyard of animals reveals the corruption of political power.

Alliteration

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Allusion

His strength was like that of Hercules.

Ambiguity

The ending left readers unsure whether the hero survived.

Analogy

Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.

Anaphora

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields.

Anecdote

During his speech, the teacher shared a funny story from his childhood.

Annotation

A margin note explained the historical reference in the text.

Antecedent

I lost my wallet, and I can’t find it.

Antithesis

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Aphorism

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Apostrophe

O Death, be not proud.

Appositive

My brother, a skilled guitarist, plays every weekend.

Argumentation

The writer used statistics and reasoning to prove the claim.

Assonance

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

Causal Relationship

Because it rained all night, the game was canceled.

Clause

While she waited for the bus, she read a book.

Colloquial

Y’all better come inside before it rains.

Colloquialism

Saying “gonna” instead of “going to.”

Complex Sentence

Although he was tired, he finished his homework.

Concession

Although my opponent makes a good point, my evidence is stronger.

Concrete Language

The red apple sat on the wooden table.

Connotation

Calling someone a “pig” suggests rudeness, not the animal itself.

Consonance

The ship has sailed to the far off shores.

Coordination

She wanted to go to the store, and he wanted to go home.

Deduction

All mammals are warm-blooded. Whales are mammals. Therefore, whales are warm-blooded.

Denotation

The word “dog” denotes a domesticated canine.

Description

The golden sunset lit up the sky with streaks of pink.

Diction

The author chose formal, precise words in the essay.

Didactic

The fable teaches that honesty is the best policy.

Ellipsis

She went to the store… and never came back.

Emotional Appeal

The ad showed starving children to move the audience to donate.

Epigraph

“Not all who wander are lost” begins the chapter.

Ethical Appeal

The doctor’s years of experience made him a trusted source.

Euphemism

He passed away instead of saying he died.

Explication

The critic carefully analyzed the poem line by line.

Exposition

The first chapter explained the history of the kingdom.

False Analogy

Students are like nails; you just have to hammer the point into their heads.

Figurative Language

The classroom was a zoo.

Genre

Tragedy and comedy are two types of drama.

Homily

The priest delivered a long speech about kindness.

Hyperbole

I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Image

The crisp smell of autumn filled the air.

Induction

Every swan I’ve seen is white, so all swans must be white.

Inference

Since she left the lights on and the car running, she must be in a hurry.

Interrogative Sentence

What time is it?

Invective

You worthless, lazy fool!

Imperative Sentence

Please close the door.

Verbal Irony

“Great weather,” she said, as the storm poured down.

Dramatic Irony

The audience knows the villain is behind the door, but the hero doesn’t.

Situational Irony

A fire station burns down.

Juxtaposition

A beggar sat outside the fancy restaurant.

Loose Sentence

I went to the store to buy milk, even though I was tired.

Metaphor

Time is a thief.

Mood

The eerie silence made the forest feel haunted.

Non-sequitur

He likes pizza, so he must be good at math.

Objectivity

The article reported facts without opinion.

Onomatopoeia

The bees buzzed around the flowers.

Oversimplification

Poverty can be solved if everyone just works harder.

Oxymoron

The comedian used the phrase “deafening silence.”

Paradox

Less is more.

Parallelism

I came, I saw, I conquered.

Parenthetical Idea

He finally answered (after taking five minutes to think) that he agreed.

Parody

A skit mocked the politician’s speech with exaggerated gestures.

Passive Voice

The cake was eaten by the children.

Pedantic

The professor corrected every tiny grammar mistake.

Periodic Sentence

Despite the heavy rain and strong winds, the game continued.

Persona

The narrator in the novel spoke like a child.

Personification

The wind whispered through the trees.

Persuasive Writing

The ad convinced people to buy the product.

Predicate Adjective

The soup is hot and spicy.

Predicate Nominative

My best friend is a teacher.

Qualification

While the claim is true in some cases, it does not apply universally. I drive to school sometimes.

Refutation

The lawyer disproved the opposing side’s main argument.

Repetition

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Rhetoric

________ is the art of using language persuasively to inform, motivate, or influence an audience.

Rhetorical Question

Is the sky blue?

Sarcasm

Oh, fantastic, another homework assignment.

Satire

The cartoon mocked society’s obsession with technology.

Sentence

She reads books every night.

Simple Sentence

The dog barked.

Compound Sentence

I wanted to go for a walk, but it started raining.

Complex Sentence

After the rain stopped, the sun began to shine.

Compound-Complex Sentence

Although I like to read, I don’t have much time, and my books sit on the shelf.

Balanced Sentence

If we cannot live together as brothers, we will perish together as fools.

Loose Sentence

He ran quickly, determined to win the race despite his injury.

Periodic Sentence

With low wages and long hours, the job was difficult.

Simile

Her eyes shone like diamonds.

Style

The author’s use of short, choppy sentences gave the story urgency.

Subordination

Although he was tired, he finished the project.

Subordinate Clause

Because I was late, I missed the bus.

Syllogism

All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Symbolism

A dove represents peace.

Syntax

The writer used short, punchy sentences to create tension.

Theme

The play explores the struggle between love and duty.

Thesis

Social media negatively impacts mental health.

Tone

The story’s lighthearted tone made it fun to read.