The 55 AP Language and Composition Terms You Must Know

Analogy

Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple

Argument

The combination of reasons, evidence, etc that an author uses to convince an audience of their position

Aristotelian appeals

Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos, logos, and pathos

Attitude

The writer's personal views or feelings about the subject at hand

Audience

Who the author is directing his or her message towards

Compare and contrast

Discussing the similarities and differences between two things to some persuasive or illustrative purpose

Connotation

The implied meaning of a word; words can broadly have positive, negative, or neutral connotations

Context

The extra-textual environment in which the text is being delivered

Counterargument

The argument(s) against the author's position

Deductive reasoning

A form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific case

Denotation

The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word

Diction

The style of language used; generally tailored to be appropriate to the audience and situation

Ethos

Setting up a source as credible and trustworthy

Evidence

The information presented meant to persuade the audience of the author's position

Figurative language

The use of language in a non-literal way; i.e. metaphor, simile, etc.

Genre

The specific type of work being presented

Imagery

Any descriptive language used to evoke a vivid sense or image of something; includes figurative language

Implication

When something is suggested without being concretely stated

Inductive Reasoning

Making a generalization based on specific evidence at hand

Irony

At the most basic sense, saying the opposite of what you mean; also used to describe situations in which the results of an action are dramatically different than intended

Juxtaposition

Placing two very different things together for effect

Logos

Appealing to someone's sense of concrete facts and logic

Occasion

The reason or moment for writing or speaking

Organization

How the different parts of an argument are arranged in a piece of writing or speech

Pathos

An Aristotelian appeal; Involves appealing to someone's emotions

Purpose

The author's persuasive intention

Repetition

Re-using a word or phrase repeatedly for effect or emphasis

Rhetoric

The use of spoken or written word (or a visual medium) to convey your ideas and convince an audience

Rhetorical Triangle

The relationship between the author, the audience, the text/message, and the context

Speaker

The persona adopted by the author to deliver his or her message; may or may not actually be the same person as the author

Style

The author's own personal approach to rhetoric in the piece; similar to voice

Symbolism

Using a symbol to refer to an idea or concept

Syntax

The way sentences are grammatically constructed

Synthesis

Combining sources or ideas in a coherent way in the purpose of a larger point

Themes

Overarching ideas or driving premises of a work

Tone

The use of stylistic devices to reveal an author's attitude toward a subject

Voice

An author's unique sound; similar to style

Alliteration

Using words with the same first letter repeatedly close together in a phrase or sentence

Allusion

Making a brief reference to the cultural canon—e.g. the Bible, Shakespeare, classical mythology, etc.

Anecdote

Offering a brief narrative episode; this device can serve many functions in a text—for example, introducing an issue, serving as evidence, to illustrate a point, and so on

Concession

Agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point (but not in the larger argument)

Didactic

A text with an instructive purpose, often moral

Euphemism

Referring to something with a veiled phrase instead of saying it directly

Exemplification

Providing examples in service of a point

Hyperbole

Overstating a situation for humorous or dramatic effect

Idiom

A commonly used phrase that signifies something very different than its literal meaning

Onomatopoeia

Using "sound-effect" words

Paradox

A phrase or assertion that appears to contradict itself (but the contradiction itself may have its own meaning)

Parallelism

Repeated structural elements in a sentence

Parody

Using the form of something to mimic and make fun of it

Personification

Giving human characteristics to a nonhuman object or idea

Sarcasm

Mockingly stating the opposite of what you mean; easier to convey in the spoken word than via writing

Satire

A genre of humorous and mocking criticism to expose the ignorance and/or ills of society

Synecdoche

Referring to one part of something as a way to refer to the whole

Understatement

Deliberately minimizing something, usually for humorous effect