AP English Language and Composition Terms

Allusion

A casual reference to another work of art

Ambiguity

The state of having multiple meanings; an intentional or unintentional equivocation.

Analogy

A form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode; usually to inject humor or develop a point.

Aphorism

"A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle

Apophasis

Calling attention to something by dismissing it.

Apostrophe

The direct address of a non-person or an absent or imaginary person; may also be a personified abstraction.

Bathos

Overdone or insincere attempts at evoking pity or compassion

Claim

"Also called assertion or proposition

Claim of fact

A claim that asserts something is true or not true.

Claim of policy

A claim that proposes a change.

Claim of value

A claim that argues that something is good or bad

Concession

"The act of granting a particular point or fact that is part of another's argument

Connotation

The extra cultural significance of a word or phrase beyond its literal dictionary definition.

Context

"The circumstances

Counterargument

A set of reasons put forward to oppose an anticipated idea or theory.

Deduction

"A logical process starting with a general principle (major premise)

Denotation

The literal definition of a word.

Diction

Word choice in speech or writing.

Didactic

Teaching a specific lesson or moral; providing a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Ellipsis

"The omission of words or phrases

Epigraph

"A short quotation

Euphemism

"The substitution of a mild

Exigency

"A case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy

Exposition

A mode of expression whose intention is to explain.

Figurative language

"Any language that cannot be taken literally

Genre

"The category into which a literary work fits (drama

Hortative sentence

A sentence that urges or calls to action.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect.

Hypophora

A type of reasoning in which one or more questions are asked and then answered by the same writer or speaker.

Induction

Reasoning from particulars (specific examples) to universals (a conclusion).

Imagery

Word choice designed to appeal to one or more of the five senses.

Verbal irony

Words used are the opposite of the intended meaning.

Situational irony

Events turn out other than as expected.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarity and/or difference.

Litotes

"Understatement using two negative terms

Ad hominem

A logical fallacy in which a writer personally attacks opponents instead of their arguments.

Ad populum (bandwagon appeal)

A logical fallacy in which a claim is supported merely by its popularity.

Appeal to false authority

A logical fallacy in which an author cites someone with no expertise to comment on the issue.

Circular reasoning

A logical fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim instead of providing evidence (begging the question).

Either/or (false dilemma)

A logical fallacy presenting two extreme options as the only possible choices.

Faulty analogy

A logical fallacy comparing two things that are not truly comparable.

Hasty generalization

A logical fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached after inadequate evidence.

Non-sequitur

A logical fallacy in which one statement is not logically connected to another.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

"A logical fallacy implying that because one thing follows another

Red herring

A logical fallacy in which a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue.

Straw man

A logical fallacy in which a writer argues against a claim nobody actually holds or that is universally considered weak.

Metanoia

"The qualification of a statement to either diminish or strengthen its tone

Narrative

A mode of expression whose intention is to tell a story.

Paradox

The expression of seemingly contrary ideas that have an underlying truth or coexistence.

Parody

"The close imitation of style

Pedantic

"Overly scholarly

First person point of view

"The voice is a part of the action

Second person point of view

"Referring to the audience

Third person point of view

"Written from an outside perspective using pronouns he

Polemic

A piece of writing in which the author argues with hostility and generally does not concede that opposing opinions have merit.

Pun

A humorous play on the multiple meanings of a word or words.

Refutation

Working to prove an argument false.

Rhetoric

The art of effective or persuasive communication.

Logos

"A rhetorical appeal pertaining to logic and reasoning; the content of the message."

Pathos

"A rhetorical appeal concerned with reaching an audience emotionally

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal in which the author establishes their trustworthiness and credibility.

Rhetorical question

"A question asked solely to produce an effect

Satire

"A work that critically portrays human behavior in an extreme or humorous way

Sentential adverbs

"Single words or brief phrases (however

Syllogism

"A logical argument in the form: All A is C; all B is A; therefore all B is C."

Symbol

An object or action that is what it is and also takes on special significance for literary or rhetorical effect.

Theme

What an artistic work suggests about life.

Thesis

"The expression of the author's point

Tone

The author's attitude as conveyed through their writing.

Transition

"A word

Understatement

A statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said.

Wit

"The use of language that surprises and delights through particularly perceptive

Alliteration

"The repetition of sounds

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive clauses.

Antimetabole / Chiasmus

Repetition of words in reverse order.

Antistrophe (Epistrophe)

Repetition of a word or phrase at the close of successive clauses.

Antithesis

"Opposition or contrast of ideas or words in a parallel construction."

Asyndeton

"The absence of conjunctions

Inversion

The reversal of normal word order for rhetorical effect.

Loose sentence

"A sentence in which the most important idea comes first

Parallelism

The framing of words

Periodic sentence

"A sentence in which critical meaning comes only at the end

Polysyndeton

The insertion of conjunctions before each word or phrase in a list.

Repetition

Speaking or writing something again for rhetorical effect.

Syntax

The way an author arranges words and phrases into sentences.

Zeugma

"The use of a word in a grammatically similar way that produces different meanings