AP LANG TERMS

allusion

a reference in a written work or spoken text to another text or to some particular body of knowledge to create a resonance in the reader

analogy

a comparison of two seemingly different things; similes and metaphors are types of analogies

anaphora

the repetition of a word or a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses or phrases to create parallel sentence structure

anecdote

a brief narrative offered in a text to capture the audience's attention or to support a generalization or claim

antithesis

the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure

appeal

one of three strategies (ethos, logos, pathos) for persuading audiences

ethos

the appeal of a text to the credibility and/or character of the speaker, writer, or narrator occurring within the text

logos

the appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument, central ideas, data, reasons, definitions, and evidence

pathos

the appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience

chiasmus

a figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of parallel clauses is reversed in the second, often creating a criss

claim

the point, backed up by support, of an argument; synonymous with thesis

colloquialism

the use of informal words, phrases, or even slang in a piece of writing

concession

the acknowledgement of a point made by one's opponent or an inference with regard to what an opponent might argue

connotation

the implied meaning of a word, in contrast to its directly expressed dictionary meaning

denotation

the dictionary definition of a word, in contrast to its connotation or implied meaning

diction

an author's word choice, especially when purposeful

euphemism

polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant

hyperbole

an exaggeration for effect

imagery

language that evokes particular sensations or emotionally rich experiences in a reader

inference

a conclusion that a reader or listener reaches by means of his or her own thinking rather than by being told directly by a text

irony

a contrast between appearance (the way something seems) and reality (the way something is)

dramatic irony

when the reader or one or more characters in a work knows something that other characters do not know

situational irony

when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected

verbal irony

when a person says or writes one thing and means another, conveying a meaning opposite to the literal meaning

juxtaposition

the placement of two things side

metaphor

an implied comparison that does not use the words "like" or "as"

metonymy

when an entity is referred to by one of its attributes or associations

onomatopoeia

a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes

paradox

a statement that seems untrue on the surface, but is true nevertheless

parallelism

a set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses that appears in a sentence or paragraph

persona

the voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author

principle of charity

the practice of interpreting other people’s statements in their best, most reasonable form to understand their writing and thinking

rhetoric

the art of analyzing all the choices involving language that a writer or speaker might make to make a text meaningful, purposeful, and effective

rhetorical choices

the particular choices a writer or speaker makes to achieve meaning, purpose, or effect

rhetorical question

a question posed by the writer or speaker not to seek an answer but instead to affirm or deny a point simply by asking it

rhetorical triangle

a diagram showing the relations of a writer/speaker, reader/listener, and the text/subject in a rhetorical situation

satire

an ironic composition which ridicules some aspect of humanity or society

synecdoche

a special kind of metonymy where the representative thing is actually a part of the larger thing it is representing

syntax

the order of words in a sentence and the structure of phrases, clauses, and sentences that influences how a reader perceives the writing

tone

the writer or speaker's attitude toward the subject matter

understatement

a figure of speech employed to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is, often reflecting an ironic, humorous, or sarcastic tone

zeugma

a figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas