AP Lang - vocab

pedantic (writing style)

characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning/formal rules

simple (writing style)

pure, easy, plain, basic

Euphonious

pleasing, agreeable to the ear

cacaphonic

unpleasant sounding, jarring

active

subject of sentence performs/causes action rather than state of being

passive

subject is the object of action or effect of verb

colloquial

informal, conversation

basic sentence

subject + verb + object

interrupted

sentence interrupted by a parenthetical aside

inverted

begin with a part of speech other than the subject, create tension or suspense oc connct ideas between sentences

listing

sentence with multiple phrases creates list

cumulative/loose

begins with subject and verb and adds modifying elements at end

periodic

opens with modifiers, withholds subject and verb until end

parallelism-antithesis

establishing a contrasting relation between 2 ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure

parallelism-chiasmus

crossing parallelism, where the second part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order

parallelism-balanced

expressing parallel or like ideas, often in compound

simple

contains at least 1 subject and 1 predicate, can stand alone because it expresses a complete thought

compound

contains two or more independent clauses

complex

contains one indpendent clause and one or more dependent clauses

compound-complex

contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

Ellipsis

rhetorical figure in which one or more words are omitted

Asyndeton

omission of a conjugation from a list. gives effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account

anadiplosis

rhetorical trope formed by repeating the last word of a phrase, clause or sentence at or very near the start of the next.

anaphora

repetition of word/phrase at start of successive phrases, clauses, or sentence

epistrophe

repetition of same words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences, (counterpart to anaphora)

polysndeton

use of conjugation between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of an asyndeton.

parenthetical aside

consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence.

allegory

form of extended metaphor where objects and persons in a narrative, either in prose or verse, are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative.

colon

punctuation mark (:) used to divide distinct but related sentence components such as clauses in which the second elaborates on the first, or to introduce a lite, quotation, or speech

semi-colon

(;)divide distinct but related sentence components such as clauses in which the second elaborates on the first, or to introduce a list, quotation, or speech

dashes

(-) used to indicate a sudden break in thought, to set of parenthetical material

autobiography

biography of a person written by that person

biography

account of person’s life written by another

chronicle

extended account of historical events without interpretation or comment

essay

short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author (analytic or interpretive)

prose

writing distinguished from poetry by its greater variety of rhythm and its closer resemblance to the patterns of everyday speech

sermon

oration by a prophet or member of the clergy

stream-of-consciousness

record multifarious thoughts and feelings of a character without regard to logical or narrative sequence. reflect all forces, external and internal influencing phycology of a character at a single moment

allusion

indirect/passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work, not explained by author and relies on readers familiarity with referenced idea

ambiguity

doubtful meaning, expression whose meaning cannot be determined from context, may have multiple meanings

anachronism

representation of someone as existing or something as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order

aphorism

brief statement expressed as an observation of life, intented to be wise

invective

abuse

malapropism

incorrect usage of a word, usually with comic effect

shift

general term in linguistics for any slight alteration in a word’s meaning or the creation of entirely new words by changing the use of an expression

tone

writer’s attitude towards reader and subject, mood or moral view

point of view

how the story is conveyed to the reader, “vantage point”

theme-thesis

message conveyed by literary work

voice

textual features, such as diction and sentence structure, that convey a writers’ or speakers’ persona

analogy

comparison of 2 things which are alike in several respects, to explain or clarify a new idea

apostrophe

direct address of a person or personified thing, either present or absent, vent or display intense emotion which can no longer be held back

conceit

elaborate, usually intellectually ingenious poetic comparison or image, such as analogy or metaphor

epithet

adjective or adjective phrases appropriately qualifying a subject (noun) by naming a key or important characteristic of the subject

verbal irony

contrast between literal meaning of what is said and what is meant

situational irony

the result of an action is the reverse of what the actor expected

metonymy

form of metaphor, in which chosen thing for metaphorical image is closely associated but not actually part of the subject with which it is to be compared

oxymoron

paradox reduced to 2 words

paradox

statement that seems untrue on the surface but is true nevertheless

synaesthesia

one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another

synecdoche

figure of speech which part of something stands for the whole or the whole for a part

ethos (ethical)

rhetorical appeal to an audience based on speaker’s/writier’s credibility

pathos (emotion)

emotional appeal to an audience

logos (rational)

logic and reasoning

deductive reasoning (syllogism)

utilize elements of persuasion by asserting a claim, major premise, minor premise, and conclusion

inductive reasoning

starts by citing a number of specific instances or examples then shows how collectively they constitute general principle

warrant

assumption that there is a connection between evidence/claim

Ad hominem argument

attack on another person instead of their point of view

Begging the questions

situation that results when writer or speaker constructs an argument on an assumption that audience does not accept

doubtful authority

authority is not an expert, their colleagues disagree, or the reference to authority is out of context of the situation

either/or reasoning

argument that something complex can be looked at in in only 2 different ways

false analogy

comparing 2 things that are irrelevant, do not pose a valid comparison

hasty generalization

not enough support to the inductive reasoning used

circular argument

restates argument instead of actually proving it

slippery slope

conclusion based on premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B,C,XYZ will happen too, basically equating A to Z

Non-sequitur

A conclusion that had no visible connection to support the claim

oversimplifcation

reducing an idea too much so it loses the point trying to be made

expository

informs, instructs, or presents ideas and general truths

classification

identifies the subject as part of a larger group with shared features

cause and effect

arguing from the presence/absence of the causing to the (non) existence of the result

comparison/contrast

subject is shown more clearly by point out similarites or differences

definition

places subject in group then differentiates subject from other sections of the group

analysis

discussion of subject based on content and style

description

depicts images verbally in space and time arrange those images in logical pattern

narration

organizes the events/actions in time or relates them in space. tells what happened, what it happened, and where it happened

persuasion/argument

convinces and audience by proving or refuting a point of view using induction/deduction