AP Lang Vocab Set #1

de jure

by law

de facto

by practice, not necessarily by law

fait accompli

something that is done and cannot be changed

ad hoc

for a particular purpose only

Big Brother

refers to any government practice that tries to dictate, eavesdrop, or gather personal information on its citizens; from 1984 by George Orwell

ad infinitum

again and again, the same way, forever

babbitt

any average, conforming American with no imagination

beau geste

any grand gesture, statement, or act of sacrifice

claim

what an arguer is trying to prove

warrant

a general assumption that establishes a connection between the claim and the evidence; the underlying logic

Captain Bligh

a person who is cruel, unreasonable, and tyrannical; from Mutiny on the Bounty by Nordhoff

rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing

exigence

in rhetoric: an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak

ergo

therefore

ersatz

made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else

Byronic

after poet, Lord Byron, who displayed such characteristics, as did his poetry, as being a flawed character marked by great passion who exhibits disrespect for social institutions and is self-destructive

Catch 22

a no-win situation, from the novel by the same name. A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions

logos

the appeal to logic, reason

ethos

the appeal to character credibility and trustworthiness - connection to the audience

pathos

the appeal to emotion