AP Lang Terms

What is the definition of Active Voice?

The subject of the sentence is performing the action (verb).

What is Alliteration?

The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words in close proximity.

What is an Allusion?

A reference, direct or indirect, to something the speaker expects the audience to know.

What is an Analogy?

A comparison between two things based on similarities.

What is Anaphora?

Repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of two or more clauses or sentences.

What is an Anecdote?

Brief telling of an incident or event of relevance.

What is Antithesis?

1. 1. direct opposite (followed by of or to); 2. placing a clause or part of it against another to form a contrast

What is Asyndeton?

Intentional omission of conjunctions.

What is an Audience?

The person/people the speaker is addressing.

What is the relationship in Cause and Effect?

Relationship in which one event created a result.

What is Classification and Division?

Putting terms into categories and breaking up a whole into parts.

What is a Cliché?

An overused word, phrase, or clause that has lost meaning due to overuse.

What is Compare and Contrast?

Identify similarities and/or differences between two or more things.

What does it mean to Concede?

To acknowledge an opposition's validity.

What is Connotation?

Emotional or cultural associations of a word.

What is a Counterargument?

An argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory.

What is the definition of diction?

Word choice.

What is the definition of a fallacy?

A mistaken belief based on faulty logic.

What is the definition of a hyperbole?

An obvious and often extreme exaggeration.

What is the definition of an idiom?

An expression not meant to be taken literally.

What is the definition of imagery?

Description that appeals to the senses.

What is the definition of ethos?

Character and credibility.

What is the definition of a eulogy?

A work that highly praises someone or something that has died.

What is the definition of a euphemism?

A word or expression used in place of one that may be too harsh or blunt.

What is the definition of an epigram?

A short, witty, insightful statement that can be sarcastic.

What is the definition of a counterargument?

An opposing view to an argument.

What is the definition of an ellipsis?

Three periods (…) used to show omission.

What is the definition of a connotation?

Emotional or cultural associations of a word.

What is the definition of a denotation?

The dictionary definition of a word.

What is the definition of exemplification?

Using one or more examples to explain a point that may be abstract.

What is the definition of deductive reasoning?

Reasoning from a generalization to specific examples that support it.

What is the definition of an exigence?

That which causes or prompts someone to write or speak on a topic.

What is the definition of description?

Identifies the physical characteristics of a noun.

What is the definition of concede?

To acknowledge an opposition's validity.

What is the definition of idiom?

An expression not meant to be taken literally.

What is the definition of imagery?

A description that appeals to any or all of the audience's 5 senses.

What is the definition of inductive reasoning?

Reasoning from specific examples to a generalization supported by those examples.

What is the definition of irony?

Contrast between expectation and reality.

What is the definition of juxtaposition?

Placing two things close together to show a contrast.

What is the definition of kairos?

The appropriate time and/or place to say or do something.

What is the definition of logos?

Appeal to the audience's sense of logic and reasoning.

What is the definition of message?

What the speaker wants the audience to accept.

What is the definition of metaphor?

Comparison between two things that is not literally true to highlight a common feature via the use of a linking verb.

What is the definition of narration?

Telling a story in a logical order.

What is the definition of occasion?

The time in which a speaker relays a message to the audience.

What is the definition of onomatopoeia?

Words that imitate the sounds they make.

What is the definition of oxymoron?

Two words that seem to contradict one another.

What is the definition of paradox?

Statement that seems to contradict itself.

What is the definition of parallelism?

Repetition of a syntactical pattern utilizing repeated select diction.

What is the definition of passive voice?

Subject of the sentence receives action instead of performing action.

What is the definition of pathos?

Appeal to the audience's emotions to provide a persuasive argument.

What is the definition of passive voice?

The subject of the sentence receives action instead of performing action.

What is the definition of pathos?

Appeal to the audience's emotions to provoke an emotional reaction.

What is the definition of personification?

Applying human characteristics to nonhuman things.

What is the definition of polysyndeton?

Use of multiple conjunctions in succession.

What is the definition of premise?

A statement that is intended to justify a conclusion.

What is the definition of problem and solution?

Method of organization in which the speaker identifies an issue and methods to control said issue.

What is the definition of process?

The steps gone through in order to achieve a desired end.

What is the definition of purpose?

Why the speaker is speaking

What is the definition of rhetorical device?

Any tool a speaker uses when applying a rhetorical strategy.

What is the definition of rhetorical strategy?

The plan or organization a speaker uses to convey a message and accomplish a purpose.

What is the definition of rhetorical triangle?

Consists of the speaker, audience, and message to show how they connect to one another.

What is the definition of satire?

Use of irony, hyperbole, or humor to criticize someone or something.

What is the definition of simile?

Comparison between two things using like or as.

What is the definition of speaker?

The one who is attempting to convey a message with a specific purpose.

What is the definition of style?

How a speaker expresses a message through the use of syntactical patterns.

What is the definition of symbolism?

The use of something concrete to represent something abstract.

What is the definition of tone?

The speaker's attitude as expressed through the connotation of the speaker's diction.

What is the definition of understatement?

Showing something to be smaller and less significant than it actually is.

What is the definition of syntax?

The way words are organized to form a sentence or thought.

What is the definition of theme?

A speaker's opinion expressed as the central idea in a work of literature.

What is the definition of style?

How a speaker expresses a message through the use of syntactical patterns and specific diction.

Definition

the dictionary definition of a word