AP LANG VOCAB

Abstract

Something you cannot physically see, touch, hear, smell, or taste; an idea without a specific physical form.

Adage

A common saying that teaches a lesson or gives advice.

Allegory

A story where characters, objects, or events represent deeper ideas or lessons.

Alliteration

Repeating the same beginning sound or letter in words close together.

Allusion

A brief, indirect reference to a famous person, event, place, book, or other piece of history.

Ambiguity

When something has two or more possible meanings.

Analogy

Comparing two different things to show how they are similar in some way.

Anaphora

Repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of several sentences or clauses.

Anecdote

A short story about an interesting or memorable event.

Antithesis

Putting opposite or contrasting ideas next to each other, often using a similar sentence structure.

Aphorism

A short, clever statement that expresses a general truth or lesson.

Argument

A claim or position that is supported with evidence and reasoning.

Assertion

A strong or confident statement.

Assumption

Something you believe is true without having proof.

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions like 'and' or 'or' between words or phrases.

Attitude

The writer or speaker’s feelings or opinion about the subject, shown through their tone.

Audience

The people a writer or speaker is trying to reach.

Bias

A preference or prejudice toward one side of an issue.

Cite/Citation

Giving credit to the source where information, words, or ideas came from.

Claim

A statement or position that someone argues for and supports with evidence.

Colloquialism

Informal, everyday language people commonly use when talking.

Comic Relief

A funny scene, joke, or story placed in a serious situation to make the mood lighter.

Common Ground

Beliefs, values, or opinions that two or more people agree on.

Concession

Admitting that an opposing argument or point has some truth.

Concrete

Something that can be experienced with your senses and has a specific, physical form.

Connotation

The feelings or ideas a word suggests beyond its literal meaning.

Context

The surrounding words, events, or circumstances that help you understand something.

Counterargument

An argument that opposes or challenges your main argument.

Deduction

Using a general idea or rule to reach a conclusion about something specific.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

An author’s choice of words.

Didactic

Writing that is meant to teach a lesson, moral, or way of thinking.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something that a character does not know.

Ellipsis

Leaving out a word or phrase on purpose to create a certain effect.

Epigram

A short, clever, and memorable statement.

Ethos

Persuading someone by showing credibility, trustworthiness, or good character.

Euphemism

A nicer or less offensive way of saying something unpleasant.

Exigence

The event or problem that causes a writer to respond or write about something.

Idiom

A common phrase whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of its words.

Imply/Implication

To suggest or hint at something without directly saying it.

Induction

Using specific examples to reach a general conclusion.

Invective

A strong, harsh, and insulting verbal attack.

Irony (Situational)

When what actually happens is different from or opposite of what you expected.

Juxtaposition

Putting two contrasting things side by side to emphasize their differences.

Logos

Persuading through logic, facts, evidence, and reasoning.

Major Premise

The general statement in a syllogism.

Minor Premise

The specific statement in a syllogism.

Motif

A repeated image, symbol, idea, or pattern that helps develop a theme.

Occasion

The specific time, place, and situation in which a text is written.

Oxymoron

Two words with opposite meanings placed together.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory or impossible but actually contains a truth.

Parallelism / Parallel Structure

Using the same grammatical pattern for similar ideas.

Parody

Copying and exaggerating someone’s work or style to make it funny or ridiculous.

Pathos

Persuading by appealing to emotions or feelings.

Premise

A belief, fact, or statement that an argument is based on.

Propaganda

Information designed mainly to influence people’s opinions, rather than simply give them facts.

Pun

A joke that uses a word with multiple meanings or similar sounds to create humor.

Purpose

The writer’s reason or goal for creating a text.

Refute

To prove that an argument or claim is wrong, weak, or irrelevant.

Rhetoric

The art of using speaking or writing effectively and persuasively.

Rhetorical Modes

Different ways writers organize and develop ideas, such as comparison, cause/effect, narration, description, and argumentation.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to make a point or create an effect, not to get an actual answer.

Rhetorical Situation

The circumstances surrounding a piece of writing: speaker, purpose, audience, context, exigence, choices, appeals, and tone.

Sarcasm

Using words that appear to mean one thing but are meant to mock or make fun of someone or something.

Satire

Using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize a person, problem, or society.

Semantics

The meaning of words, phrases, and sentences.

Sentence Variety

Using different sentence lengths and structures to make writing more interesting and effective.

Sound Argument

An argument where the reasoning is valid and the premises are true.

Style

The unique way a writer uses and organizes words, sentences, and figures of speech.

Subject

The main topic that a piece of writing is about.

Syllogism

A logical argument that uses a major premise + minor premise → conclusion.

Symbol / Symbolism

When something represents a larger or deeper idea.

Synecdoche

Using a part of something to represent the whole thing.

Syntax

The way words are arranged to form sentences.

Synthesis

Combining information or ideas from two or more sources to create a larger understanding.

Thesis Statement

A clear statement of the main argument or central idea of a piece of writing.

Understatement

Making something seem less important, serious, or extreme than it really is.

Vernacular

The everyday language or dialect used by a particular group or community.

Voice

The unique personality, style, and tone that comes through in a writer’s writing.