AP Language and Composition Important Definitions

Vocabulary flashcards covering core rhetorical appeals, composition elements, rhetorical devices, and argumentation logic for AP Language and Composition.

Ethos

An appeal to the speaker’s credibility, character, or authority.

Pathos

An appeal to the audience’s emotions, values, or sympathies.

Logos

An appeal to reason, logic, and factual evidence.

Diction

The author's specific choice of words to create a certain effect or tone.

Syntax

The arrangement, structure, and length of words and phrases in a sentence.

Tone

The writer's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Connotation

The implied, emotional, or cultural meaning associated with a word.

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, or sentences.

Antithesis

The placing of contrasting or opposing ideas next to each other, often in a parallel structure.

Allusion

A brief, indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or text.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that puts together two opposite or contradictory terms (e.g., "deafening silence").

Claim

The core assertion or main point an author tries to prove.

Evidence

The data, facts, or examples used to support a claim.

Counterargument

An opposing viewpoint or objection that challenges the main claim.

Concession

Accepting part of an opposing argument to strengthen your own credibility.

Fallacy

An error in reasoning that makes an argument invalid or weak (e.g., ad hominem attacks).