AP Language and Composition Glossary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for AP Language and Composition exam review, covering terms from Appendix A: Glossary.

Ad Hominem Argument

An argument appealing to emotion rather than reason, attacking the person instead of the argument itself.

Allegory

Using character/story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction, often dealing with a moral truth or generalization about human existence.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words, used to reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and/or supply a musical sound.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to a commonly known event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage, potentially creating a sense of uncertainty.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them, used to explain something unfamiliar or make writing more vivid.

Anaphora

Deliberately repeating beginning clauses or phrases in sentences to create a rhetorical effect.

Anecdote

A short, narrative account of an amusing, unusual, revealing, or interesting event with a single, definite point.

Antecedent

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

Antithesis

A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure, emphasizing opposition of ideas.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent person, imaginary person, personified abstraction, or inanimate object.

Asyndeton

A deliberate choice to eliminate conjunctions that would normally join phrases or clauses, creating speed and urgency.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, often foreshadowing events.

Caricature

A representation exaggerating distinctive features to produce a comic or grotesque effect.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism in which two clauses are related through a reversal of terms to make a larger point.

Clause

A grammatical unit containing a subject and a verb; can be independent (main) or dependent (subordinate).

Colloquialism

Slang or informality in speech or writing that is generally unacceptable for formal writing.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy, displaying intellectual cleverness.

Connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word, involving ideas, emotions, or attitudes.

Deductive Reasoning

Logic process taking a rule for a large/general category assuming examples within that category obey the same rule.

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of emotion, attitude, or color.

Diction

A writer's particular word choices, regarding correctness, clearness, or effectiveness, complementing the writer's purpose.

Didactic

Instructive; Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially teaching moral or ethical principles.

Epistrophe

Deliberately repeating ending clauses or phrases in sentences to create effect.

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal that establishes credibility and believability to set up trust.

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for unpleasant words or concepts.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Figurative Language

Writing or speech not intended to carry literal meaning, meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Figure of Speech

A device used to produce figurative language, often comparing dissimilar things.

Generic Conventions

Traditions for each genre that help to define it and differentiate it from others.

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits (prose, poetry, drama) with many subdivisions.

Homily

A sermon, or any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement, often with comic effect.

Imagery

Sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.

Inductive Reasoning

Logic reasoning from specific cases to derive at a general rule/prediction that may or may not be true.

Infer

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.

Invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.

Irony

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. Types: verbal, situational, dramatic.

Jargon

Specific words or phrases used in a trade, occupation, or field of study.

Juxtaposition

Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side for comparison or contrast.

Logical Fallacy

A mistake in verbal reasoning that is potentially deceptive.

Logos

One of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals; appealing to logic, convincing an audience by use of logic or reason.

Loose Sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units.

Metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

Modes of Discourse

The four traditional categories of written texts: exposition, narration, description, argumentation.

Mood

Grammatical: verbal units and a speaker's attitude. Literary: prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.

Oxymoron

From the Greek for 'pointedly foolish,' a figure of speech in which the writer groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory, but contains some degree of truth or validity.

Parallelism

The grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another work with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

Pathos

A writer's or speaker's attempt to inspire an emotional reaction in an audience.

Pedantic

Describes words, phrases, or a general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.

Periodic Sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.

Personification

A figure of speech in which the writer presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.

Point of View

Perspective from which a story is told, synonymous with the author's attitude.

Polysyndeton

Deliberately using many conjunctions to join items in a sentence to create an overwhelming effect.

Predicate Adjective

Adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb and modifies/describes the subject.

Predicate Nominative

Noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject, following a linking verb.

Prose

One of the major divisions of genre. Fiction and nonfiction written in ordinary language.

Repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language.

Rhetoric

The principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

Rhetorical Modes

The variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing: exposition, argumentation, description, and narration.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect that does not expect a reply; the answer is assumed.

Sarcasm

Bitter, caustic language meant to hurt or ridicule; may employ irony.

Satire

A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions for reform or ridicule; a style of writing recognized by irony, wit, parody, etc.

Simile

An explicit comparison using 'like', 'as', or 'if'.

Subject Complement

Word or clause following a linking verb, completing the subject by renaming or describing it (predicate nominative/adjective).

Subordinate Clause

Contains subject and verb, but cannot stand alone; depends on a main clause to complete its meaning.

Syllogism

A deductive system of formal logic presenting two premises (major and minor) leading to a sound conclusion.

Symbol

Anything that represents or stands for something else; can be natural, conventional, or literary.

Symploce

A type of parallelism that combines anaphora and epistrophe; words/phrases repeated at beginning & ending of clauses.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of an object represents the whole, or vice versa.

Syntax

The way a writer chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work, offering insight into life; may be a universal truth.

Thesis

In expository writing, the sentence(s) directly expressing the writer's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition.

Tone

The writer's attitude toward his or her subject, audience, or both.

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas, signaling a shift from one idea to another.

Understatement

The minimizing of fact; presenting something as less significant than it actually is.

Wit

Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights; humorous and perceptive.

Argument

An essay establishing an assertion and supporting it with evidence and logical explanation.

Attitude

A writer's intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject of the writing.

Audience

The person(s) who is reading a text,listening to a speaker,or observing a performance.

Concrete Detail

Details from the passage or from your own awareness of the world: readings, observations, ect.

Descriptive Detail

The writer's sensory description. Analyze their effect.

Device

Figures of speech, syntax, diction, and other stylistic elements that collectively produce a particular artistic effect.

Language

Concentrate on how the elements of language combine to form a whole: diction, syntax, figurative language and sentence structure.

Narrative Device

The tools of the storyteller, such as ordering events to build to a climax or withholding information.

Narrative Technique

The style of telling the story; concentrate on the order of events and on details.

Persuasive Device

Words in the passage that have strong connotations-words that intensify the emotional effect.

Persuasive Essay

You should present a coherent argument in which the evidence builds to a logical and relevant conclusion.

Resources of Language

All the devices of composition available to as writer, such as diction, syntax, sentence structure, and figures of speech.

Rhetorical Features

How a passage is constructed. Look at the passage's organization and how the writer combines images, details, or arguments.

Rhetorical Strategies

A global term that refers to all the strategies a writer can use. Structure, purpose, and style.

Sentence Structure

Simple, compound, and complex, and variations are created by combining sentences. Discuss effect of sentence structure.

Stylistic Devices

Asking you to note and analyze all the elements in language that contribute to style-such as diction, syntax, tone, attitude.

Synthesis

Combine, synthesize, and analyze the information from at least three of the sources as you develop your position and your unique perspective.