AP Lang Vocab List 6

synecdoche

figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole

• ex: Jack got some new wheels (car), I can’t wait to get back out on the waves (ocean)

thesis

the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning or position. expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively, and thoroughly a writer has proved it

tone

similar to mood, describes the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. easier to determine in spoken language than in written language

• ex: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, somber

transition

word or phrase that links different ideas, used especially in expository and argumentative writing, they effectively signal a shift from one idea to another

• ex: furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly, on the contrary

trope

artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas, a figure of speech involving a “turn” or change of sense other than its proper or literal one.

• ex: synecdoche, metaphor, metonymy, personification, hyperbole, litotes, irony, oxymoron, onmatopoeia

understatement

ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is, can frequently be humorous and emphatic

*opposite of hyperbole

• ex: it’s just a scratch (they are bleeding heavily)

undertone

an attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece, a cheery surface may be grim underneath

• ex: William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” from the Songs of Innocence is grim underneath

vernacular

language or dialect of a particular country, or regional clan or group, that is plainer and more everyday than formal

• ex: saying “y’all” instead of “you all”

unreliable narrator

an untrustworthy or naive commentator on events and characters in a story

• ex: Greg Heffley in Diary of a Wimpy Kid

wit

in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. this type of statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker’s verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. it usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. originally meaning basic understanding, it evolved to include speed of understanding and finally grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception

zeugma

a trope, one word (noun or main verb) governs two other words not related in meaning

• ex: he fished for trout and compliments, she broke his car and his heart