AP Language Vocabulary

Rhetoric

The study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of “the available means of persuasion”

Speaker

A term used for the author or person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing

Purpose

One’s intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing

Audience

One’s listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed

Context

The set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc. (what is happening in the world politically, socially, economically)

Exigence

An urgent problem or issue the writer feels compelled to address

Choices

The moves a writer makes to enrich their writing (through patterns of diction, syntax, organization, rhetorical strategies, etc)

Appeals

Rhetorical strategies, specifically these three: logos, pathos, ethos; when used in a balanced way, they create an effective use of rhetoric

Tone

The speakers attitude towards the subject or audience

Logos

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

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

Ethos

A Greek term referring to the character of a person; his or her ethics, one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals

Narration

recalling an event or series of events; telling a story

Description

writing that includes many specific details and emphasizes the senses by painting a picture of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels (utilizes imagery)

Exemplification

writing that provides a series of examples — facts, specific cases, or instances — and turns a general idea into a concrete one to make an argument clearer and more persuasive for the reader

Comparison/Contrast

writing that juxtaposes two things to highlight their similarities and differences

Classification/Division

writing that sorts material or ideas into major categories so that readers

Definition

writing that establishes common ground or identifies areas of conflict to ensure that writers and their audiences are speaking the same language

Cause/Effect

writing that analyzes the causes that lead to a certain effect or, conversely, the effects that result from a cause

Process Analysis

writing that explains how something works, how to do something, or how something was done

Trope

Artful diction; the use of language in a non-literal way; also called a figure of speech

Diction

Word choice

Scheme

a pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect

Syntax

sentence structure

Style

The distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech

Repetition

repeating a word or phrase within a sentence or poetical line in order to emphasize an idea

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns

Antithesis

parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things side by side for emphasis

Cumulative sentence

an independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail

Periodic Sentence

a sentence that builds toward and ends with the main clause

Hortative sentence/Hortatory

a sentence that urges or strongly encourages

Inverted Sentence/Inversion

a sentence in which the verb precedes the subject

Rhetorical Question

a question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer

Alliteration

the repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of successive clauses

Anaphora

the repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses

Antimetabole

the repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast

Simile

a figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to compare two things

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

Imagery

vivid use of language that evoke’s a reader’s senses

Allusion

an indirect reference, often to another text or a historic event

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses

Polysyndeton

the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions

Hyperbole

exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis

Irony

a contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result

Metonymy

A metaphoric 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

Personification

assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects

Zeugma

a construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs— often in different, sometimes incongruent ways— two or more words in a sentence

Anecdote

a short and amusing story about a real incident or person

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, including a historical, political, philosophical, or religious one

Analogy

a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification; metaphors and similes are specific types

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Connotation

the non-literal associative meaning of a word; the implied suggestive meaning may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

Denotation

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

Didatic

writing intended to teach or instruct

Euphemism

Greek for “Good Speech”, a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept; may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement

Mood

The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work, which is determined or affected by setting, tone, and events; similar to tone and atmosphere

Parody

a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comedic effect and/or ridicule

Satire

a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule

Argument

A statement put forth and supported by evidence

Thesis

the central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer

Claim

an assertion, usually supported by evidence

Assertion

an emphatic statement; declaration; an _____ supported by evidence becomes an argument

Counter

a challenge to a position; an opposing argument

Concede

A reluctant acknowledgement or yielding

Analogy

a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification

Deductive

the process of reasoning from one or more statements (or premises) to reach a logically certain conclusion (top down logic)

Inductive

reasoning in which the premises seek to supply strong evidence for (not absolute proof of) the truth of the conclusion. the conclusion is probable rather than certain

Inference

A conclusion reached based on logical evidence and reasoning

Premise

a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion; in logic, an argument requires at least two sets of declarative statements, along with a third known as the conclusion

Propaganda

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or POV

Syllogism

A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion

Logical Fallacy

common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument

Begging the question

a logical fallacy in which the writer simply restates the claim in a different way

Enthymeme

an argumentative statement in which the writer or the speaker omits one of the major or minor premises, does not clearly pronounce it, or keeps the premise implied; however, the omitted premise in the statement remains understandable even if not clearly expressed.

Equivocation

a half-truth, or a statement that is partially correct but that purposefully obscures the entire truth

False analogy

an argument based on misleading, superficial, or implausible comparisons

Hasty Generalization

drawing faulty conclusions based on insufficient evidence

Non Sequitur

arguments that do not follow a logical sequence. the conclusion doesn’t logically follow the explanation. an important logical step may be missing in such a claim

Post Hoc

arguments that assume a faulty casual relationship. one event following another in time does not mean the first event caused the later event.

Ad Hominem

an argument in which the speaker attacks an opponent’s motives or character rather than the policy or position they maintain

False Authority

a tactic used by many writers, especially in advertising, asking audiences to agree with the assertion of the writer based simply on their character or the authority of another person/institution who may not be fully qualified to offer that assertion

Straw Man

an argument based on the misrepresentation of the opponents argument in order to defeat them

Bandwagon Appeals

arguments that encourage an audience to agree with the writer because everyone else is doing so

Either/or reasoning

when the writer reduces an argument or issue to only two possible courses of action and ignores any alternatives

invective

insulting, abusive, or highly critical language; can be directed at a person, idea, concept, or system

Red Herring

an argument used to refer to something that misleads or distracts from the relevant or important issue

slippery slopes

arguments that suggest that one step will inevitably lead to more, eventually negative steps