AP Lang+Comp pt.2

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition.

Diction

Word choice.

Documentation

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

Elegiac

Mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone.

Epigram

A brief, witty statement.

Ethos

A Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals.

Exigence

The need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance or situation.

Figurative language

The use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.

Figure of speech

An expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.

Imagery

Vivid use of language that evokes a reader’s senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).

Imperative sentence

A sentence that requests or commands.

Induction

Reasoning from specific to general.

Inversion

A sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.

Irony

A contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things side by side for emphasis.

Logos

A Greek term that means “word”; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals.

Metaphor

A figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.

Metonymy

Use of an aspect of something to represent the whole.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but is actually true.

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.

Parody

A piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule.

Pathos

A Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals.

Persona

The speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing.

Personification

Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.

Polemic

An argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.

Premise (major, minor)

Two parts of a syllogism; the concluding sentence takes its predicate from the major premise and its subject from the minor premise.

Propaganda

A negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information.