ap lang terms

aphorism

a short sentence that expresses a general truth or moral principle

apophasis

calling attention to something by dismissing it

apostrophe

direct address of an absent/imaginary/non-person

bathos

overdone/insincere attempt at evoking pity or compassion, often in a comedic way

deduction

major premise to minor premise

didactic

intended to teach a specific lesson or moral

epigraph

a short quotation at the beginning of a work to introduce a theme

euphemism

substituting a harsh/offensive term for a mild/indirect one

exposition

intended to explain

hortative sentence (hortation)

call to action

hypophora

a type of reasoning where one or more questions are asked and answered by the same writer/speaker

induction

minor premise to major premise

litotes

understatement that expresses an affirmative statement by stating its opposite

ad hominem

personally attacking the opponent instead of the opponent’s argument

faulty analogy

comparing two things that are not comparable

hasty generalization

a faulty conclusion reached after inadequate evidence

non-sequitur

when one statement isn’t logically connected to another (no correlation)

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

when a writer implies false causation

red herring

when a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue

straw man

when a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds

metanoia

when a writer self-corrects a statement to strengthen/weaken/modify it

narrative

a mode of expression intending to tell a story

paradox

expression of seemingly contrary ideas that have an underlying truth

pedantic

overly scholarly, academic (negative connotation)

polemic (polemical)

one who with hostility and generally doesn’t concede

sentential / conjunctive adverb

words/phrases that emphasize/modify a statement (honestly, certainly, naturally)

syllogism

argument using deductive reasoning