AP LANG

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables, primarily used for poetic effect.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Analogy

An extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things, aiming to explain or clarify a complex idea.

Anaphora

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences for emphasis.

Anecdote

A short, often personal, account of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident.

Antecedent

The noun, phrase, or clause to which a later pronoun refers or replaces.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in balanced phrases or clauses.

Aphorism

A short, astute, and often memorable statement of a general truth or principle.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.

Appositive

A word or phrase that renames or further identifies a nearby noun or pronoun.

Archaic diction

The use of words or phrases that are no longer in common use today.

Assertion

An emphatic statement or declaration presented as a fact, often without proof.

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence, creating a powerful and rapid flow.

Authority

A reliable, respected source or expert in a particular field, used to lend credibility.

Bias

A prejudice or predisposition toward or against one side of a subject or issue.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

Colloquial/Colloquialism

An informal or conversational use of language.

Common ground

Shared beliefs, values, or positions between different parties.

Complex sentence

A sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Concession

A reluctant acknowledgment or yielding to a point made by an opponent in an argument.

Connotation

That which is implied by a word, beyond its literal dictionary definition.

Coordination

Grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often achieved through coordinating conjunctions.

Counterargument

A challenge to a position; an opposing argument that seeks to refute or weaken another's claim.

Cumulative sentence

An independent clause followed by a series of subordinate clauses or phrases that add detail.

Declarative sentence

A sentence that makes a statement or expresses a fact, opinion, or observation.

Deduction

A method of reasoning that moves from general principles to specific conclusions.

Denotation

The literal dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to its implied meanings.

Diction

A writer's or speaker's distinctive choice and arrangement of words.

Didactic

Literally means 'teaching,' often used to describe works that aim to instruct.

Documentation

Bibliographic information about the sources used in a piece of writing.

Elegiac

Having a mournful, sorrowful tone, often related to loss.

Epigram

A brief, witty, and often paradoxical statement or observation.

Ethos

Refers to the character or credibility of a speaker or writer.

Exigence

An event or catalyst that prompts the creation of rhetorical discourse.

Expletive

A figure of emphasis using a word or phrase to lend importance.

Euphemism

A more agreeable substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or literary effect.

Imagery

Vivid and descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses.

Imperative sentence

A sentence that gives a direct command, request, or instruction.

Induction

A method of reasoning that moves from specific observations to a general conclusion.

Inversion

A sentence construction in which the normal order of words is reversed.

Irony

A contradiction between what is said and what is meant, or between expectations and reality.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two things side by side for comparison or contrast.

Line of Reasoning

The logical progression of ideas that supports an argument.

Logos

An appeal to logic or reason.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes an implicit comparison without using 'like' or 'as'.

Metonymy

Use of the name of an attribute closely associated with something to represent the whole.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth.

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical patterns within a sentence.

Parody

A work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion; seeks to evoke an emotional response.

Persona

The speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author.

Personification

Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of repetitive conjunctions for emphasis.

Propaganda

Communication designed to sway opinion rather than present objective information.

Purpose

One's intention or goal in a speech or piece of writing.

Refute

To discredit an argument by proving it to be wrong or false.

Rhetoric

The study of effective, persuasive language use.

Rhetorical modes

Patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose.

Rhetorical question

A question asked to produce an effect rather than to elicit an answer.

The Rhetorical triangle

A diagram representing the relationship between the speaker, subject, and audience.

Satire

An ironic or witty composition that critiques people's vices, especially in politics.

Scheme

A pattern of words used for rhetorical effect, involving a deviation from ordinary arrangement.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two dissimilar things using 'like' or 'as'.

Simple sentence

A statement containing a single subject and predicate.

Speaker

The author or person whose perspective is being presented in a text or speech.

Style

The distinctive quality of speech or writing created by word choice and arrangement.

Subordinate clause

A clause that modifies an independent clause and cannot stand alone.

Subordination

The grammatical dependence of one syntactical element on another.

Syllogism

A form of deductive reasoning that supports a conclusion with two premises.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.

Synthesize

Combining two or more elements to produce something new or comprehensive.

Tone

The speaker's or writer's attitude toward the subject and audience.

Trope

Artful diction used in a nonliteral, figurative way.

Understatement

A figure of speech presenting something as smaller or less important than it is.

Voice

The distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing.