AP Lang Terminology

All of the AP Lang terms Mr. Boesch is forcing me to memorize

Ab Ovo

The truest beginning of events in a chronological narrative.

Ad hominem

A faulty argument based on the adversary's failings rather than the merits of the case.

Allegory

The use of character or story elements symbolically to represent abstract concepts.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds in neighboring words, especially initial consonant sounds.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to a commonly known phenomenon such as an event or literary work.

Ambiguity

The presence of multiple meanings in a word, phrase, or passage.

Amplification

The repetition of a word or expression while adding detail to emphasize its importance.

Analogy

A comparison between two different things that highlights some form of similarity.

Anadiplosis

The repetition of a word that ends one clause at the beginning of the next.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Antistrophe

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

Antithesis

The contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction.

Aphorism

A terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle.

Appositive

A noun phrase that provides additional information about a preceding noun.

Aporia

Expression of doubt regarding what to think, say, or do.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.

Archaism

The use of an older or obsolete form.

Assonance

The repetition of the same vowel sound in closely placed words.

Asyndeton

The absence of conjunctions between phrases, clauses, or words.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work.

Bandwagon

A logical fallacy based on the assumption that the majority opinion is always valid.

Caricature

A verbal description that exaggerates a person's distinctive features for comedic effect.

Catachresis

The misuse or strained use of words, often for rhetorical effect.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical figure in which the structure of the second part is reversed in relation to the first.

Circular argumentation

An argument that assumes what it is attempting to prove.

Clause

A grammatical unit containing a subject and a verb.

Colloquialism

Informal language or slang used in speech or writing.

Commoratio

The repetition of the same point several times using different wording.

Complementizer

A word used to introduce a dependent clause.

Compounding

The combining of two or more words to create a new term.

Conceit

An extended metaphor or surprising analogy between dissimilar objects.

Concession

An admission in an argument that opposing points have validity.

Conjunction

Words that connect phrases, clauses, or words.

Connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word.

Declarative sentence

A sentence that states information, as opposed to questioning or commanding.

Deduction

The method of reasoning from the general to the specific.

Denotation

The strict, literal definition of a word.

Diacope

Repetition of a word or phrase with an intervening word or phrase.

Diction

The choice of words in speech or writing.

Didactic

Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction.

Dirimens Copulatio

Mentioning a balancing or opposing fact to prevent an argument from being one-sided.

Distinctio

Explicit reference to the various meanings of a word to remove ambiguity.

Doxa

The domain of opinion or belief, in contrast to certainty.

Either/or fallacy

A logical error that presents only two choices in an argument.

Ellipses

The omission of a word, phrase, or clause from a quoted passage, shown by three periods.

Enallage

Intentional misuse of grammar for effect.

Encomium

A tribute glorifying a person, event, or idea in prose or verse.

Enumeratio

Dividing a subject into parts, often listing causes, effects, or details.

Epigraph

A quote at the beginning of a text that hints at its theme.

Epimone

Frequent repetition of a phrase or question for emphasis.

Epiplexis

Rhetorical questioning used to shame or chide the audience.

Episteme

The domain of true knowledge in classical rhetoric.

Epizeuxis

The repetition of a word for emphasis with no intervening words.

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal based on the speaker's credibility.

Euphemism

A milder or less direct way of saying something unpleasant.

Exhortation

Communication that strongly urges the audience to take action.

Exigence

The motivation for a writer to create a text.

Expletive

A word or phrase used for emphasis in a sentence.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor that is developed at length throughout a work.

False authority

A fallacy that uses respected names to persuade without evidence.

Figurative language

Language not intended to be taken literally, often imaginative.

Figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language.

Fragment

An incomplete sentence that lacks an independent clause.

Generic conventions

Traditions that help define a genre.

Genre

The major category in which a literary work fits.

Gerund

A noun formed from a verb and ending in -ing.

Guilt by association

Discrediting an idea based on unfavorable associations.

Hasty generalization

Drawing a conclusion from insufficient evidence.

Homily

A serious talk or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for effect.

Hypophora

Asking a question and then answering it, often at length.

Illocutionary force

The intention behind a speaker's utterance.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Imperative sentence

A sentence that gives a command or instruction.

Induction

Reasoning from specific instances to a general conclusion.

Inference

Drawing a reasonable conclusion from the available information.

Infinitive Phrase

A phrase beginning with an infinitive, including objects/modifiers.

Interrogative sentence

A sentence that asks a question.

Invective

A verbal attack using strong, abusive language.

Irony

The contrast between expectations and reality.

Juxtaposition

Side-by-side comparison of two or more subjects.

Kenning

A metaphoric phrase used as a synonym for a common noun.

Litotes

An understatement that affirms by negating the opposite.

Logos

Rhetorical appeals based on logic and reasoning.

Loose sentence

A sentence with the main idea presented first followed by modifiers.

Metabasis

A transitional summary of what has been said and what will follow.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlike things.

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one object with that of another closely related.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created by a literary work.

Narrative

The storytelling of events or series of events.

Nonce word

A word created for a specific occasion.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a truth.

Parallelism

The framing of words, phrases, or sentences for similarity.

Parody

An imitation of the style of a particular writer or genre for comic effect.

Pathos

An emotional appeal used in rhetoric.

Pedantic

Overly scholarly language, often intended to show off.

Periodic sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning at the end.