AP LANG ALL VOCAB (1-7)

Accountable

Being responsible for one's actions and decisions, or obligations and willing to explain or accept the consequences of them.

Adversity

Difficulties, challenges, or hardships that a person must overcome.

Agency

The capacity to act independently and make meaningful choices.

Cultivate

To develop or improve through effort and attention.

Diplomacy

Skill in managing relationships and resolving conflicts tactfully.

Diligent

Showing careful, persistent, and hard working effort.

Erudite

Having extensive knowledge gained throughs study and learning; scholarly

Fortitude

Courage and strength in facing adversity.

Integrity

The quality of being honest, ethical, and committed to strong moral principles.

Metacognition

Awareness and understanding of one's own thinking process.

Rhetoric

Language used to communicate and/or influence an audience

Speaker

The person(s) communicating a message in text, speech, or other form of communication

Purpose

What the speaker wants to audience to do or believe

Audience

The intended person(s) a speaker intends to reach with their text

Context

The circumstances, background, or situation surrounding a text

Exigence

The issue, problem, event, or situation that compels a speaker or writer to communicate

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal based on the speaker's credibility, character, and/or authority

Pathos

A rhetorical appeal to the audience's emotions and/or values

Logos

A rhetorical appeal to the logic and reason of the argument

Tone

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

Clause

A group of words that contains a subject and a predicate (the verb that the subject is doing or being)

Sentence

A group of words that includes at least one independent clause and expresses a complete thought

Colloquial

Characteristic of informal, everyday conversation rather than formal or academic language

Claim

A statement of the position a writer is taking on an issue

Evidence

Information that supports a claim

Commentary

Explanation, interpretation, or analysis that helps clarify the significance of evidence

Thesis

The primary (main) claim of a text

Implicit

Suggested without being directly stated

Explicit

Clearly and directly stated

Nuance

A subtle distinction or variation

Argument

The development of a debatable thesis

Analysis

The examination of something to understand how it works

Synthesis

The combination of ideas, information, or sources to create a new understanding or perspective

Discourse

Written or spoken communication, especially that which is formal, extended, or structured around a topic

Deficient

Lacking in quality, quantity, or completeness

Heterogeneous

Made up of diverse or different elements or parts

Legitimate

Conforming to the law, rules, or standards; valid or justifiable

Incessant

Continuing without pause or interruption; constant

Oxymoron

A figure or speech in which two contradictory terms are combined for effect

Imagery

Description language that appeals to the senses and creates mental pictures

Linguistics

The study of language, including its structure and development

Semantic

Relating to meaning in language or logic

Nascent

Beginning to develop or emerge; in an early stage of growth

Specimen

An example or sample used for study, analysis, or display

Precise

Clearly defined, accurate, and exact in detail or meaning

Hackneyed

Overused to the point of being unoriginal or lacking impact

Prose

Written or spoken language in ordinary form (as opposed to poetry)

Revert

To return to a previous state, condition, or topic

Evocative

Able to bring strong images, memories, or feelings to mind

Banal

Lacking originality; boring because its too common or predictable

Vague

Not clearly expressed, define, or understood

Jargon

Specialized language used by a particular profession or group that may be hard for others to understand

Parody

A humorous or exaggerated imitation

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as'“

Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things by stating that one is the other, not using “like” or “as,” to suggest a shared quality or idea.

Idiom

A phrase whose meaning is different from the literal meanings of its words

Creed

A set of beliefs or principles that guide a person’s or group’s actions, often religious or philosophical

Secular

Not connected with religious or spiritual matters

Lucid

Clear, easy to understand, and well-expressed; also mentally clear or rational

Exonerate

To clear someone of blame or guilt

Equity

Fairness or justice in treatment in ways that account for individual circumstances

Heterodox

Holding beliefs that differ from accepted or traditional views

Juncture

A particular point in time or critical stage in a situation

Nexus

A central connection or link that connects ideas, systems, or things

Tenet

A core belief or principle held to be true by a group or individual

Ideology

A system of ideas, beliefs, and values that shapes how a person or group understands the world

Diction

Word choice

Syntax

The arrangement and order of words; the way words are put together to make meaningful phrases, clauses, and sentences

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or text

Facade

A false appearance that hides the true nature of something

Precedent

An earlier event or action that serves as an example or guide for future situations

Deflect

To turn aside or avoid something

Omit

To leave something out

Decadent

Characterized by moral or cultural decline
(+ usually due to corruption or greed)

Decadent

Excessively luxurious and self-indulgent

Inevitable

Certain to happen; unavoidable

Analogy

A comparison between two things that are similar in some way, usually used to explain or clarify

Slovenly

Untidy, careless, showing a lack of attention to appearance or work

Frivolous

Not having serious purpose or value; trivial or silly