AP Lang Summer Vocab

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 (real or fictitious) 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 noting 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 construction

archaic diction

old-Fashioned or outdated choice of words.

archetype

a cultural symbol that has become universally understood and recognized (a mentor/sage, the jester/trickster)

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. exs. who wrote it, what expertise is behind it

bias

a prejudice or preconceived notion that prevents a person from approaching a topic in a neutral or objective way. usually has negative connotation

brackets

[] signal that the word in brackets has been changed and is not a part of the original. most often used to change pronoun or verb tense in a quotation

claim

also called an assertion or proposition. states the arguments main idea or position. differs from a topic or subject bc [this term] has to 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 structure used by classical rhetoricians. intro, narration, confirmatin, refutation, conclusion

introduction

introduces the reader to the subject under discussion. speaker typically announces the subject and purpose and appeals to ethos to establish credibility

narration

aka exposition. provides factual info and background material on the subject at hand or establishes why the subject is a problem needing addressing

confirmation

usually the major part of the text, this develops the proof through evidence to suppor the writer's claims

refutation

addresses the counterargument. it is a bridge between the writer's proof and conclusions

conclusion

brings the essay to a satisfying close

coherence

the quality of a paragraph where the ideas flow logically, one though 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 reasioning and how they support the thesis

concession

an acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. in a strong argument, is usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument

concrete

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

connotation

meanings or associations that readers bring to words beyond their dictionary definitions, or denotations. can be positive or negative and often affect the author's tone

counterargument

an opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. rather than ignoring [this term], a strong writer will usually address it through concession and refutation

credibility

the believability of a source

dash

a form of punctuation that adds another thought to 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 (minor premise)

denotation

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

diction

writer's choice of words.

ellipses

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

analogies

evidence that makes comparisons between 2 unrelated things as a way to clarify one of them

anecdotes

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

current events

evidence drawn from what is happening locally, nationally, and globally. (may contain bias)

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. this kind of evidence can provide background and context for current issues as well as establish ethos

personal experience

evidence drawn from the writer's own edxperience

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, counter, or otherwise represented in numbers. sometimes through verbal explanations and often through graphs, charts or tables

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

imagery

a description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, or sounds. may use literal or figurative language to appear to the senses

induction

a logical process of reasoning from particulars to universals using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion (aka generalization)

inversion

inverted order of words in a sentence. usually a variation of the subject

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 that occurs when a speaker or character says one thing but means something else or when what is said is the opposite of what is expected creating a noticeable incongruity. (sarcasm as an ex.)

juxtaposition

placing 2 things side by side for the sake of comparison or contrast. writers sometimes use incongruous [this word]s to produce verbal irony

line of reasoning

the connections brtween the claims in a writer's argument and the evidence presented to support them

logical fallacies

potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in an argument

ad hominem

this fallacy 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 "everyone'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. ex. a TV Star giving pharmaceutical ads

begging the question

a fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt. it "begs" 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. "You can't give me a C, I'm an A student"

either-or fallacy

The speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.

equivocation

a fallacy tat uses a term with two or more meanings in an attempt to misrepresent or deceive. (ex. "we will bring our enemies to justice, or we will bring justice to them")

faulty analogy

fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares two things that are incomparable. ("bc we put animals in irreversable pain out of misery means we should do the same for people) (animals and people are incomparable in this sense)

hasty generalization

fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence. "smoking isn't bad for you, my great aunt smoked a pack a day and lived to 90"

post-hoc fallacy

fallacy that claims something is a cause because it happened before (loosely summarized as correlation ≠ causation)

red herring

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

fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example 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 purposes. each of these modes is a way of thinking — a reasoning pattern that develops and organizes the reasoning of the writer’s argument

cause and effect

method of development that relies on an analysis of the causes that lead to a certain offect or conversely, the effects that result from a cause

comparison and contrast

juxtaposing 2 things to highlight their similarities and differences. is useful in explaining distinctions that differentiate between 2 seemingly similar concepts or ideas

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, smells, sounds, tastes, or feels.

narration

a method of development that tells a story or recounts a series of real

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 info that is typically inessential to understanding the writer's main point, but still helps writers achieve their purpose or speak to the audience's needs

passive voice

a sentence employs this when the subject doesn't act, but rather is acted on. "some shoes were bought by me" instead of "i bought some shoes"

persona

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, interests, and expertise. writers may hold the same position on a topic yet have different [this word] (see position)

polemic

an aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others. generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit

position

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

propaganda

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

pun

a play on words that derives its humor from the replacement of one word with another that has a similar pronunciation or spelling but different meaning (also from use of single word that has >1 meaning)

qualified argument

an argument that is not absolute. it acknowledges the merits of an opposing view but develops a stronger case for its own position

qualifier

words like usually, probably, maybe, in most cases, most likely that are used to temper claims making 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

a denial of the validity of an opposing argument. in order to sound reasonable, it follows a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

rhetoric

aristotle def: the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion."

the art of persuasion

rhetorical appeals

rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling (3 major are ethos, logos, and pathos)

ethos

greek for character. writers and speakers appeal to this to demonstrate that they are credbile and trustworthy to speak on a given topic. is established by both who the speaker is and what the speaker says.

logos

writers and speakers appeal to this or reason by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up