AP lang - section 1 TLOC

rhetoric

Aristotle defined rhetoric as “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” In other words, it is the art of finding ways to persuade an audience.

texts

Cultural products that can be “read”, investigated rather than simply consumed and comprehended

rhetorical situation

The exigence, purpose, audience, writer, context, and message of a text.

occasion

the specific circumstances and events that necessitate the text

rhetorical triangle

A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the writer, audience, and subject of a text

persona

greek for “mask” the face or character that the speaker or writer shows to the audience

subject

the topic of a text, what the text is about

ethos

character and credibility

counter argument

an opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. rather than ignoring a counterargument, a strong writer will usually address it through the process of concession and refutation

concede

an acknowledgment that some or all of an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

refute

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

rebut

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

style

the word choices writers make, the syntactical patterns they create in their writting, and the conventions of grammar and mechanics that they use. these language choices help shape an audiences perception of the work and the effectiveness of its argument

diction

writers choice of words

denotation

the dictionary definition of a word

connotation

meaning or associations that reader bring to words beyond their dictionary definitions/denotations.

modifiers

an adjective, adverb, phrase, or clause that modifies a noun, pronoun, or verb. usually to describe, focus, or qualify

clauses

a group of words containing both a subject and a verb

formal diction

Sticks to gramatical rules and avoids colloquial slang

informal diction

More conversational may include more casual expression

figurative language

language that uses figures of speech; nonliteral language usually evoking strong images. sometimes referred to as metaphorical language (not literal)

metaphor

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

simile

a figure of speech used to explain or clarify an idea by comparing it explicitly to something else using like or as

analogy

a comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things

personification

attribution of lifelike quality to an inanimate object or idea

allusion

brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictions) or to a work of art

syntax

the arrangement of word into phrases, clauses, and sentences (sentence structure) including word order

sentences

made up clauses, at least one of which must be an independent clause

independent clause

a clause that can stand by itself and still make sense

compound sentence

a sentence made up of two independent clauses

complex sentence

a sentence made up of one independent and one dependent clause

coordination

joining parts of sentences to emphasize important ideas, give readers information, and add rhythm to writing (shows ideas are equally as important) (fanboys)

subordination

joining parts of sentences to emphasize important ideas, give readers information, and add rhythm to writing (shows one idea is less important than the other) (until, if)

periodic sentence

Holding main clause until the end

cumulative sentence

Placing main clause at the beginning

parenthetical

a clause or phrase interrupting a sentence to provide information that is typically not essential to understanding the writers main point but still helps writers achieve their purpose or speak to the audiences needs

parallel structure

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

antithesis

contradictory ideas that are juxtaposed, often using parallel grammatical construction

punctuation

symbols used in writing to show to what extent ideas are connected or separated

commas

a form of punctuation that shows separation within a sentence used to set off subordinate clauses, phrases, or item in a list

colons

a form of punctuation often introducing an example

semicolons

a punctuation mark that puts together two sentences; usually the sentences share some meaning

dashes

a form of punctuation that adds another thought to a sentence — like a bridge. also used to interject a thought — an interruption

hyphens

connects words together, making them into a word-cluster

parenthesis

a clause or phrase interrupting a sentence to provide information that is typically not essential to understanding the writers main point but still helps writers achieve their purpose or speak to the audiences needs

tone

a writers or speakers attitude toward the subject conveyed by stylistic and rhetorical choices

shifts

a point in a text that indicates a changes (often a change in the writer or speakers tone or perspective)

irony

an incongruity between expectation and reality

verbal irony

a figure of speech that occurs when a speaker or character says one thing but mean something else or when what s said is the opposite of what is expected. sarcasm is verbal irony used derisively

situational irony

a printed discrepancy between what seems fitting or expected and what actually happens

dramatic irony

Contrast between what a character or writer says/thinks to what the audience knows

hyperbole

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

understement

the presentation or framing of something as less important, urgent, awful, good, powerful, and so on, than it actually is, often for satiric or comical effect; the opposite of hyperboles often used along with this technique and for similar effect

Composition

Arrangement on a page

Foreground

The part of the image nearest to the viewer