AP Language and Rhetoric Vocabulary

Flashcards covering essential AP Rhetoric and Language terms defined in the transcript.

Accuracy

How true or correct the information in a source is

Alliteration

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

Allusion

Brief reference to a person, an event, or a place, or to a work of art

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Annotate

The act of nothing observations directly on a text, especially anything striking or confusing, to record ideas and impressions for later analysis

Antithesis

Contradictory ideas that are juxtaposed, often using parallel grammatical constructions

Archaic diction

Old fashioned or outdated choice of words

Archetype

A cultural symbol that has become universally understood and recognized

Argument

A persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from a claim to a conclusion

Assertion

A statement that presents a claim or thesis

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in a sequence of words

Authority

The status of information in a text, based on who wrote it, published it, what expertise is behind it, its origins, or editorial staff address

Bias

A prejudice or preconceived notion that prevents a person from approaching a topic in a neutral or an objective way

Brackets

Punctuation signaling that the word inside has been changed and is not a part of the original, most often used to change a pronoun or verb tense in a quotation

Claim

Also called an assertion or proposition, states the argument's main idea or position and must be arguable

Claim of fact

Asserts that something is true or not true

Claim of policy

Proposes a change

Claim of value

Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong

Classical oration

Five part argument structures used by classical rhetoricians

Introduction

Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion, announces subject and purpose, and appeals to ethos to establish credibility

Narration

Also known as exposition today, provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand or establishes why it is a problem that needs addressing

Confirmation

Usually the major part of the text, develops the proof through evidence to support the writer's claims

Refutation

Addresses the counterargument, acting as a bridge between the writer's proof and conclusion

Conclusion

Brings the essay to a satisfying close

Coherence

The quality of a paragraph where the ideas flow logically, one thought leading to the next

Colloquial language

An expression or language construction appropriate for casual informal speaking or writing

Commentary

An explanation of why the evidence and/or quotations are important to the development of a line of reasoning and how they support the thesis

Concession

An acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

Concrete

A term that refers to a specific, particular thing, as opposed to a broad concept; opposite of abstract

Connotation

Meanings or associations that readers bring to words beyond their dictionary definitions, or denotations

Counterargument

An opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward

Credibility

The believability of a source

Dash

A form of punctuation that adds another thought to a sentence like a bridge, or interjects/interrupts a thought into a sentence

Deduction

A logical process that reaches a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth (major premise) and applying it to a specific case, usually demonstrated in a syllogism

Denotation

The literal definition of a word, often referred to as the "dictionary definition"

Diction

A writer's choice of words, including precise denotations and connotations, abstract/concrete, formal/informal, or literal/figurative choices

Ellipses

A series of dots that can signal something is missing from a quote from a source

Evidence

Support for a claim or argument

Analogies

Evidence that makes comparisons between two unrelated things as a way to clarify one of them

Anecdotes

Evidence drawn from stories about other people that the writer has observed, been told about, or researched

Current events

Evidence drawn from what is happening locally, nationally, and globally

Expert opinion

Evidence based on the knowledge of experts whose jobs and/or experiences give them specialized, credible knowledge

Historical information

Verifiable facts that a writer knows from research, providing background and context as well as helping establish ethos

Personal experience

Evidence drawn from the writer's own experience

Personal observations

Evidence the writer has seen but not necessarily experienced

Qualitative evidence

Evidence supported by reason, tradition, or precedent

Quantitative evidence

Includes things that can be measured, cited, counted, or otherwise represented in numbers, such as statistics, surveys, polls, experiment results, and census information

Testimony

An expression of how the writer or someone the writer is citing feels about a personal experience or personal observation

First hand evidence

Evidence based on something the writer knows, whether from personal experience, observation, or general knowledge of events

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or an ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point

Hyphen

Connects words together, making them into one combo-word cluster

Imagery

A description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, or sounds, appealing to the senses with literal or figurative language

Induction

From the Latin word inducere ("to lead into"), a logical process of reasoning from particulars to universals, using specific cases in order to draw a generalization

Inversion

Inverted order of words in a sentence, usually a variation of the subject-verb-object order

Irony

An incongruity between expectation and reality

Dramatic Irony

Tension created by the contrast between what a character or writer says or thinks and what the audience knows to be true

Situational Irony

A pointed discrepancy between what seems fitting or expected and what actually happens

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech occurring when a speaker or character says one thing but means something else or when what is said is the opposite of what is expected

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side for the sake of comparison or contrast

Line of reasoning

The connections between the claims in the writer's argument and the evidence presented to support them

Logical fallacies

Potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in an argument arising from a failure to make a logical connection between claim and evidence

Ad hominem

Latin for "to the man," refers to the specific diversionary tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker

Ad populum

This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do"

Appeal to false authority

This fallacy occurs when someone who has no expertise to speak on an issue is cited as an authority

Begging the question

A fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt, "begging" a question whether the support itself is sound

Circular reasoning

A fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence

Either or fallacy

Fallacy in which the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices

Equivocation

A fallacy that uses a term with two or more meanings in an attempt to misrepresent or deceive

Faulty analogy

A fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares two things that are not comparable

Hasty generalization

A fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence

Post Hoc fallacy

Latin for "after which therefore because of which," claiming incorrectly that something is a cause simply because it happened earlier

Red Herring

A type of logical fallacy wherein the speaker relies on distraction to derail an argument, usually by skipping to a new or irrelevant topic

Straw man

A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea

Metaphor

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

Methods of development

Modes of expression writers use to achieve their purpose, acting as reasoning patterns to develop and organize arguments

Cause and effect

A method of development that relies on an analysis of the causes that lead to a certain effect or the effects that result from a cause

Comparison and contrast

Juxtaposing two things to highlight their similarities and differences, useful in explaining distinctions between concepts

Definition

A method of development that conveys details about a concept, an event, or an object to advance an argument

Description

A method of development that evokes the senses by painting a picture of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels

Narration (Method of development)

A method of development that tells a story or recounts a series of real life events, usually governed by chronology

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere created by a text

Oxymoron

A paradox made up of two seemingly contradictory words

Paradox

A statement or situation that seems contradictory but actually reveals a surprising, hidden, or ironic truth

Parallel Structure

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

Parenthetical

A clause or phrase interrupting a sentence to provide information that is typically not essential to understand the writer's main point

Passive voice

A sentence employs passive voice when the subject does not act but rather is acted on

Persona

Greek for mask; the face or character that a speaker or writer shows to the audience

Personification

Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea

Perspective

A writer's view of a topic based on that writer's background, interest, and expertise

Polemic

Greek for hostile; an aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others

Position

A statement of a writer's perspective on a topic that articulates an arguable claim

Propaganda

The spread of ideas and information to further a cause using rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics in order to damage or promote a cause

Pun

A play on words deriving humor from replacing a word with another of similar pronunciation/spelling, or using a single word with multiple meanings

Qualified argument

An argument that is not absolute, acknowledging merits of an opposing view while developing a stronger case for its own position

Qualifier

Words like usually, probably, maybe, in most cases, and most likely that temper claims to make them less absolute

Rebuttal

Presents a contrasting perspective on an argument or its evidence, proposing that some or all of a competing position is unfounded

Refutation (Denial)

A denial of the validity of an opposing argument, often following a concession

Rhetoric

Aristotle defined rhetoric as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion; the art of finding ways to persuade an audience

Rhetorical appeals

Rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important: ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion)

Ethos

Greek for "character"; appeals to ethos demonstrate credibility and trustworthiness to speak on a given topic