AP Language and Composition Term Set 1

Alliteration

Using words with the same first letter repeatedly close together in a phrase or sentence.

EX: "She purchased the pretty purple parka."

Allusion

Making a brief reference to the cultural canon—e.g. the Bible, Shakespeare, classical mythology, etc.

EX: "Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, George was not good at resisting temptation."

Analogy

Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple.

EX: "An amateur playing in a professional game is like an ibex stepping into a lion's den."

Anecdote

Offering a brief narrative episode. This device can serve many functions in a text—for example, introducing an issue, serving as evidence, to illustrate a point, and so on.

EX: "When I went to buy my morning coffee, I ran into an old friend. He told me he had won the lottery and he was about to buy a yacht. Two months later I heard he had declared bankruptcy."

Aristotelian appeals

Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos, logos, and pathos.

EX: See ethos, logos and pathos.

Attitude

The writer's personal views or feelings about the subject at hand.

EX: Difficult to convey in a short example, but something like "the deplorable state of this school" would convey that the author has a negative attitude towards the school.

Audience

Who the author is directing his or her message towards

EX: When you create a resume, your audience is potential employers.

Bias

A tendency to favor or disfavor a person, thing, or idea, which can lead to prejudice or unfairness.

EX: A health study that only includes participants from urban areas may not accurately represent the health concerns of rural populations.

Coherence

A logical bridge between words, sentences, and paragraphs

EX: Credit cards are convenient, but dangerous. People often get them in order to make large purchases easily without saving up lots of money in advance. This is especially helpful for purchases like cars, kitchen appliances, etc., that you may need to get without delay. However, this convenience comes at a high price: interest rates. The more money you put on your credit card, the more the bank or credit union will charge you for that convenience. If you’re not careful, credit card debt can quickly break the bank and leave you in very dire economic circumstances!

Commentary

A discussion and analysis of evidence in relation to the claim

EX: Recent studies indicate that climate change is projected to reduce crop yields by as much as 30% in some regions by 2050 (Smith et al., 2022). This statistic underscores the urgent need for adaptive farming practices to ensure food security. As temperatures rise and weather patterns become increasingly erratic, farmers face unprecedented challenges.