AP Lang Vocab 2

alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds (Peter pepper picked pepper)

ancedote

a story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point

antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. (direct object,etc.)

antithesis

The presentation of 2 contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrases, or paragraphs. (‘to be or not to be’ or ‘ask what your country can do for you, not what you can do for your country’)

argument

a single assertion or a series of assertions presented and defended by the writer

attitude

the relationship an author has toward his subject and his audience

balance

a situation in which all parts of the presentation are equal, whether in sentences or paragraphs or sections of a longer work

cacophony

harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work

colloquial

the use of slang in writing, often to create local color or to provide an informal tone

deduction

the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

didactic

wriritng whose purpose is to instruct or to teach, usually formal and focuses on moral and ethical concerns

elipsis

the omission of words that are understood from the context

logic

the process of reasoning

induction

the process that moves from given series of specifics to a generalization

logical fallacy

a mistake in reasoing

oxymoron

an image of contradictory term (bittersweet, jumbo shrimp, pretty ugly)

pacing

the movement of a literary work from one point or sections to another

pathos

the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade

pedantic

writing that borders on lecturing. its scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant

persuasion

type of argument that has as its goal an action on the part of the audience

rhetoric

refers to the entire processes of written communication. Rhetorical strategies and devices are those tools that enable a writer to present ideas to an audience effectively

rhetorical question

one that does not expect an explicit answer. it is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience

strucutre

the organization and form of a work

syllogism

the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion

a word or phrase that thinks one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence or sentece, paragraph to paragrapj