AP Lang Words to Describe Writing

Active Voice

Active Voice

noun. opposite of passive voice; essentially any sentence with an active verb “I do my homework” (active) “my homework is done” (passive)

Ambiguity

noun. The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness example: “we both saw her duck”

Anthology

noun. a published collection of poems or other pieces of writing

Aphorism

noun. a brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth “the early bird gets the worm”

Archetype

noun. a perfect example’ an original model pattern or model “the damsel in distress” is a vulnerable archetype

Aside

noun. a remark that is not directly related to the main topic of discussion ex. characters in The Office breaking the fourth wall and talking to the camera or addressing the audience directly.

Assertion

noun. a statement made as part of an argument

Concede

verb. admit that something is true after first denying or resisting it

Connotation

noun. the moods/associations/implications of a word of phrase, as opposed to its exact meaning “house vs. home”

Denotation

noun. the literal meaning of a word; the dictionary definition antonym of connotative

Didactic

adj. intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as a motive “The Boy who Cried Wolf”

Discourse

noun. a formal discussion of a topic in speech or writing ex. Vesper Flights on nature

Ellipsis

noun. three dots “…” that indicate words have been left out of a quotation, can also be used to create suspense

Esoteric

adj.  intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest ex. video #20 of Matpat’s FNAF lore

Etymology

noun. the study of the origin of words and their historical uses

Euphemism

adj. a safer or nicer word for something others find inappropriate or disturbing “passed away vs. died”

Expository

adj. intended to explain or describe something ex. Dr. Doofensmirtz giving his backstory

Exposé

noun. a report of the facts about something, especially journalistic reports that reveal something scandalous

Fallacy

noun. a failure of logical reasoning

Independent Clause

noun. a clause that can stand alone as a sentence; must have noun and verb ex. in “he likes cakes but not pies” it’s “he likes cakes”

Jargon

noun. a pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people ex. for doctors, specific names of procedures

Journal

noun. a newspaper or magazine that deals with a particular subject or professional activity

Loose Sentence

noun. an independent clause followed by all sorts of debris, usually dependent clauses. A sentence with a subject and main verb up front followed by other modifications

Passive Voice

noun. the opposite of active voice; in this voice, something happens to someone “A cake is made vs. I made a cake”

Pejorative

adj. describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone ex. slurs

Periodic Sentence

noun. a sentence with several dependent clauses that precede the independent clause. Lots of modifiers with the main verb and subject at the end “With low taxes, beautiful views and a mild climate, this city is a great place to live”

Periodical

noun. a magazine, newspaper or journal published at regular intervals

Persona

noun. the person who is understood to be speaking (or thinking or writing) a particular work ex. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games

Ponderous

adj. extremely dull

Predicate

noun. the formal term for the verb that conveys the meaning or carries the action of the sentence “Jack IS DISGUSTING”

Premise

noun. another word for a claim; a statement of truth, at least to the person making the argument

Prosaic

adj. unimaginative; dull

Prose

noun. writing that is not poetry

Rhetorical Shift

noun. this occurs when the author of an essay significantly alters his or her diction, syntax, or both. Indicated by the change in mood, style, focus or language

Simple Sentence

noun. an independent clause; has a subject and a verb

Syntax

noun. the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

Synthesis

noun. a union of a variety of sources to achieve a common end ex. citing multiple sources in an essay

Tone

noun. the manner in which a writer expresses their attitude toward the subject and audience

Trope

noun. a significant or recurrent theme; a motif

Volume

noun. a book or edition forming part of a work or series