Shea AP Language & Composition Terms

rhetoric

the art of speaking or writing effectively for the purpose of persuasion

context

the occasion or the time and place it was written or spoken

purpose

the goal the speaker or writer wants to achieve

thesis/claim/assertion

clear and focused statement

subject

The topic of a text. What the text is about.

audience

the listener, viewer, or reader of a text

Speaker

The perspective from the which the text is give from. Not always the author.

Rhetorical/Aristotelian Triangle

A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject and how that interaction determines the structure and language of the argument

Persona

the character the speaker creates when he or she writes or speaks

Ethos

character; used to demonstrate credibility & trustworthyness; speaker's reputation

Logos

created with clear, rational ideas; means having a clear and logical main idea, or thesis, with specific details, examples, facts, statistical data, or expert testimony as support.

assumption

underlying belief

concede

acknowledging a counterargument and "conceding" that it is true (refute it after)

Refute

deny the validity of all of or parts of the counterargument

Pathos

Appeal to emotion

Connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word

propagandistic

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

polemical

controversial; argumentative

Narration (M.O.D.)

sequential presentation of the events that add up

to a story (chronological with specific details- has story elements)

Description (M.O.D.)

not what you saw, but what readers

need to see in order to imagine the scene, person,

object, etc. (detailed observations- vivid, sensory details)

Process Analysis (M.O.D)

Explains how something is done or how it works,

identifying what the processes are and perhaps why

and when it is done, what the parts of the process

are, and how one step leads to another, including

what will happen and even what sorts of things

might go wrong

Exemplification/Exposition (M.O.D)

Uses credible examples to show significance of something (logical)

Comparison and Contrast (M.O.D.)

juxtaposing 2 things to highlight similarities and differences; organized through either a "block

approach" or a "point-by-point approach"

Classification and Division (M.O.D.)

subject broken into parts and sub-parts (writer develops his own categories for things, and therefore the relationship between those things)

Definition (M.O.D.)

lays the foundation to establish common ground or identify areas of conflict; We explain what a term means by synonyms and by identifying what the term refers to and by how the writer means the term to be understood, and how not.

Cause and Effect (M.O.D.)

shows a chain of connected events, each the logical result of the one before it (do not jump to conclusions)

Argumentative (M.O.D.) (not in text)

presents an educated guess or opinion, not

a simple fact; it presents a topic that is debatable - topic/opinion is then supported and explained

close reading

analysis of a text

Style

choices writer makes at the word and sentence levels

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

diction (part of style)

choice of words that creates tone and attitude

syntax (part of style)

arrangement of words/diction

trope (style-diction)

Artful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure of speech.

scheme (style-syntax)

Artful syntax; a deviation from the normal order of words. Common schemes include parallelism, juxtaposition, antithesis, and antimetabole.

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Antithesis

Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction

Learned diction

(most formal) academic and formally learned language

Popular diction

everyday speech in work/school/social settings; language that is correct but conversational; used in casual settings.

Colloquial diction

language reflective of a particular culture,

person, or sub-group; regional or provincial language.

Slang diction

(least formal) vernacular speech; very informal

speech that is not accepted as standard English and is

usually not easily defined.

Denotation

the explicit or direct meaning of a word; the dictionary definition.

monosyllables vs. polysyllabes (diction)

think about the effect and the purpose in the author's decision to use these

euphonious diction

pleasant sounding

Cacophonious diction

harsh sounding

literal diction

Accurate without embellishment

Figurative Diction

comparison creating pictorial effect.

objective diction

impersonal and unemotional language

subjective diction

personal and emotional language

concrete diction

tangible and specific

abstract diction

conceptual and philosophical

active diction

doing something

passive diction

receiving action

Hyperbole (diction)

extreme & deliberate exaggeration of facts

Understated diction

the deliberate leaving out or misinterpretation of less.

Symbolic Diction

deeper meanings than what it actually represents.

Pedestrian diction

Layman's terms (everyday terms)

Pedantic Diction

Boorish inflated language intending to display importance

Jargon (diction)

Language specific to a field or position

Vulgarity (diction)

Language widely considered crude, disgusting, and often, offensive; language that is deficient in taste and

refinement.

Euphemism (diction)

inoffensive or positive word or phrase used to avoid a harsh, unpleasant, or distasteful reality.

Cliché (diction)

word or phrase that has lost its freshness and clarity, a trite and hackneyed expression.

staccato (sentence length)

one to two words, abrupt

Telegraphic (sentence length)

shorter than five words

Short (sentence length)

approx. 5-10 words

Medium (sentence length)

approx. 15-20 words

Long (sentence length)

30 or more words

Simple sentence (syntax)

1 subject, 1 predicate

Compound sentence (syntax)

two or more independent clauses joined with coordinating conjunctions, transitional words/phrases, semicolons, or colons

Complex sentence (syntax)

one independent clause and one dependent clause

Compound-complex sentence (syntax)

two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause

Declarative sentence (syntax)

makes statements

Imperative sentence (syntax)

makes commands (sometimes w/ understood "you")

Exclamatory sentence (syntax)

communicates strong emotion or surprise

Interrogative sentence (syntax)

Asks questions

Conditional sentence (syntax)

Expresses wishes (if... then)

Periodic sentence (syntax)

postpones the most crucial point and/or the main idea until the end

Loose sentence (syntax)

expresses the main thought and/or main idea near the beginning and is followed by explanatory material; cumulative sentence

Interrupted sentence (syntax)

subordinate elements come in the middle and are often set off by dashes

imagery

descriptive figurative language that appeals to the senses

Oxymoron

Paradoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one another

annotation

marking up a text

dialectical journal

double-entry notebook, a double-column journal in which one writes a quotation in one column and reflections on that quotation in the other column