AP Language and Composition Terms

Alliteration

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

Allusion

Making a brief reference to the cultural canon

Analogy

Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple

Anecdote

Offering a brief narrative episode

Aristotelian appeals

Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them

Attitude

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

Audience

Who the author is directing his or her message towards

Bias

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

Coherence

A logical bridge between words, sentences, and paragraphs

Commentary

A discussion and analysis of evidence in relation to the claim

Concession

Agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point (but not in the larger argument)

Connotation

The implied meaning of a word

Conventions

The rules of writing that govern how to communicate clearly and consistently

Counterargument

The argument(s) against the author's position

Credibility

The quality of being believable or worthy of trust

Deductive reasoning

A form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific case

Denotation

The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word

Diction

Word choice

Didactic

A text with an instructive purpose, often moral

Ethos

A credible and trustworthy source

Euphemism

Referring to something with a veiled phrase instead of saying it directly

Extended metaphor

A version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs

Exigence

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

Figurative language

The use of language in a non-literal way; i.e. metaphor, simile, etc.

Generalization

A statement that makes a broad claim about a group or concept based on limited evidence

Genre

The specific type of work being presented

Hyperbole

Overstating a situation for humorous or dramatic effect

Idiom

A commonly used phrase that signifies something very different than its literal meaning

Imagery

Any descriptive language used to evoke a vivid sense or image of something; includes figurative language

Inductive reasoning

Making a generalization based on specific evidence at hand

Irony

When the opposite of what you expect to happen does (Verbal, Situational, Dramatic)

Juxtaposition

Placing two very different things together for effect

Line of reasoning

The logical progression of ideas and claims an author uses to support their central argument or thesis

Logos

Appealing to someone’s sense of concrete facts and logic

Loose sentence

The main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent clauses and phrases

Paradox

A phrase or assertation that appears to contradict itself (but the contradiction itself may have its own meaning)

Parallelism

Repeated structural elements in a sentence

Parenthetical element

words, phrases, or clauses that provide additional information or clarification in a sentence but are not essential to its main meaning

Parody

Using the form of something to mimic and make fun of it

Pathos

An Aristotelian appeal. Involves appealing to someone’s emotions

Periodic sentence

The main idea (independent clause) is not completed until the end of the sentence. The writer begins with subordinate elements (dependent clauses and phrases) and postpones the main clause

Personification

Giving human characteristics to a nonhuman object or idea

Process analysis

Explaining step by step how to do something or how something is done. 2 types: informative and directive

Pronoun antecedent

The word the pronoun stands for