AP Lang Exam

Rhetorical triangle

The relationship between speaker, audience and subject

1. Alliteration

repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence

Allusion

Brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictional) or to a work of art

Anaphora

Repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Antimetabole

: Repetition of words in reverse order

Antithesis

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

Archaic diction

old-fashion or outdated choices of words

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.

Cumulative sentence

sentences that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on

Hortative sentence

Sentence that exhorts, urges, entrants, implores, or calls to action.

Imperative sentence

Sentence used to command or enjoin

Inversion

Invert the order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order.)

12. Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences.

Metaphor

Figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as

Oxymoron

A paradox made up of two seeming contradictory words

Parallelism

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

Periodic sentence

Sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end.

Personification

Attributing of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea.

Rhetorical question

Figure of speech in the form of a question posed for the rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer.

Synecdoche

Figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole.

Argument

A single assertion or a series of assertions presented and defended by the writer.

Claim

States the author's argument, main idea, or position.

Claim of fact

Asserts that something is true or not

Claim of policy

Proposes a change

Claim of value

Attempt to prove that some things are good or bad, right or wrong.

Closed thesis

this type of thesis is a statement of the main idea of the argument that also previews the major points the writer intends to make.

Open thesis

is one that does not list all of the points the writer intends to cover in an essay.

First-hand evidence

evidence based on something the writer knows, whether it's from personal experience, observation, or general knowledge of events.

Second-hand evidence

evidences that is accessed through research, reading, and investigation. It includes factual and historical information, expert opinions, and quantitative data.

Quantitative evidence

evidence that includes things that can be measured, cited, counted, or otherwise represent in numbers—for instance, statistics, surveys, polls, census information.

Rebuttal

gives voice to possible objections.

Syllogism

A logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion.

Style

the unique way an author presents his ideas. Diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to a particular style.

Diction

a speaker's choice of words.

Ad hominem

tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker.

Ad populum (bandwagon)

evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it so it must be a good thing to do."

Appeal to false authority

someone who has no expertise to speak in an issues is cited as an authority.

Begging the question

a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt. It 'begs" a question whether the support itself is sound.

Circular reasoning

which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence.

Either/or (false dilemma)

the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choice.

Logical fallacy

potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in an argument. They often arise from a failure to make a logical connection between the claim and the evidence used to support it.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

it is incorrect to always claim that something happened is a cause just because it happened earlier.

Strawman

when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea.

Euphemism

a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way if saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable.

Parody

comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous.

Reductio ad absurdum

technique useful in creating a comical effect and is also an argument technique.

Syntax

the grammatical structure of prose and poetry.

Understatement

opposite of an exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.

Metonymy

figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea.

Sardonic

disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking

Sarcastic

given to the use of sarcasm

Ironic

relating to, containing, or constituting irony

Mocking

to treat with contempt or ridicule

Scornful

to be full of scorn

Satiric

of, relating to, or constituting satire

Objective

expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations

Naïve

marked by unaffected simplicity

Nostalgic

a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition

Idyllic

pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity

Reverent

expressing or characterized by reverence

Lugubrious

to be mournful

Elegiac

written in or consisting of elegiac couplets

Gothic

of or relating to a style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents

Macabre

dwelling on the gruesome

Vituperative

uttering or given to censure

Scathing

bitterly severe

Confidential

marked by intimacy or willingness to confide

Facetious

joking or jesting often inappropriately

Critical

inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably

Resigned

to give up deliberately

Pedantic

narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned; dull

Didactic

designed or intended to teach

Disdainful

full of or expressing contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior

Maudlin

drunk enough to be emotionally silly

Sentimental

marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism

Patriotic

befitting or characteristic of a patriot

Jingoistic

extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy

Indignant

marked by anger aroused by injustice

Intimate

very familiar

Judgmental

authoritative and often having critical opinions

Jovial

happy

Lyrical

expressing a poet's inner feelings; emotional; full of images; song-like

Matter-of-fact

accepting of conditions; not fanciful or emotional

Morose

gloomy, sullen, surly, despondent

Malicious

purposely hurtful

Optimistic

hopeful, cheerful

Obsequious

polite and obedient in order to gain something

Caustic

intense use of sarcasm; stinging, biting

Conventional

lacking spontaneity, originality, individuality

Disdainful

scornful

Derisive

ridiculing, mocking

Earnest

intense, a sincere state of mind

Erudite

learned, polished, scholarly

Fanciful

using the imagination

Forthright

directly frank without hesitation

Gloomy

darkness, sadness, rejection

Haughty

proud and vain to the point of arrogance

Accusatory

Charging of wrong doing

Apathetic

Indifferent due to lack of energy or concern

Awe

Solemn wonder