AP Lang Vocabulary 1

Ad Hoc

For a particular purpose only

Ad Infinitum

Again and again in the same way, forever

Babbitt

Any average, conforming American with no imagination.

Beau Geste

Any grand gesture, statement, or act of sacrifice for another

Claim

What an arguer is trying to prove

Warrant

A general assumption that establishes a connection between the claim and the Evidence/support - the underlying logic

De jure

Enforced by the law.

De facto

It is only in practice not in the law.

Fait Accompli

Something that is done and cannot be changed.

Big Brother

Any government practice that tries to dictate, eavesdrop, or gather personal information on its population.

Captain Bligh

A person who is cruel, unreasonable, and tyrannical.

Rhetoric

The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing.

Exigence

An issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak.

Ergo

Therefore

Byronic

Used to describe a character who is flawed but has a great passion and exhibits disrespect for social institutions and is self-destructive.

Catch-22

A no-win situation. A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions.

Logos

The rhetorical appeal for logic and reason.

Ethos

The rhetorical appeal to character credibility and trustworthiness - connection to the audience.

Pathos

The rhetorical appeal that supports an argument emotionally.

De riguer

Required by etiquette or current fashion.

In loco parentis

In the position or place of a parent.

Boswell

Alludes to someone who is a devoted biographer.

Brave New World

Refers to a regimented, technological world without a heart or soul.

Cataloging

Making a list of ideas using parallel structure.

Paradox

Statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true. A long oxymoron in other words.

In toto

Totally; altogether; unanimous

Non compos mentis

Not of sound mind so legally not responsible; mentally incompetent

Cheshire Cat

Fictional Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Had a mischievous grin that coined the phrase “grinning like a [name]”.

Dickensian

Reminiscent of the environments and situations of poverty and social injustice, and other aspects of Victorian England.

Allusion

A reference in a literary work to something well-known.

Motif

A recurring element that has symbolic meaning in a story.

Non sequitur

A statement(as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said.

Per diem

For each day, by the day.

Dog in the manger

Someone who spitefully prevents people from having something that he has no use for.

Don Juan

A Spanish legendary man known for seducing women and fighting their men, describes a womanizer today.

Extended Metaphor

A direct comparison that is continued or referred to several times withing the literary work.

Analogy

A simile with a story.

Post Mortem

After death.

Quid pro quo

bartering, something for something else - no money exchanges

Dorian Gray

Refers to somebody who does whatever it takes to look or stay young.

Elmer Gantry

A corrupt evangelist, minister.

Tone

A general feeling the author portrays.

Irony

Saying something that implies a meaning in opposition to its literal meaning (situational) when the action taken have an effect exactly opposite from what is expected.

Status Quo

The existing condition, the general state of things.

Volte-face

An abrupt and complete reversal of attitude, opinion, or position.

Faulknerian

Like the novels and short stories [author name] which usually take place in the US South and include tragedy of circumstance.

Faustian

A person willing to sacrifice integrity to get what he wants.

In media res

Starts in the middle of the action.

Rhetorical Question.

A question asked for merely effect with no answer expected.

Magnum Opus

Refers to the largest, and perhaps best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a person.

Veni, vidi, vici

I came; I saw; I conquered - Famous words from Julius caesar.

Heart of Darkness

The Evil which exists in all humans.

Holy Grail

An unattainable or difficult goal.

Antithesis

Contrast of ideas by means of parallel structure of words.

Parallel Structure

The repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence pr within a work.