AP Language and Logic Terms

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering rhetoric, diction, argument structure, and logic principles from the lecture notes.

Active Voice

A sentence structure where the subject of the sentence performs the action, usually considered the preferred style.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something with which the reader or audience is expected to be familiar.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of an event or an episode that is relevant to the point being made, often used to develop a point or inject some humor.

Comic relief

When a humorous scene is inserted to lighten the mood.

Diction

Word choice and a critical aspect of style.

Colloquialism

Ordinary or familiar conversational diction common to a specific region or group of people; plain, everyday speech.

Connotation

The implied meaning of a word.

Denotation

The dictionary meaning or exact meaning of a word.

Argument

A piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion.

Premise

A statement offered as a reason to support a conclusion.

Conclusion

The end result of the argument, which should be supported by reasons or premises.

Aristotle's appeals

The balance of the three types of appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.

Concession

Accepting at least a part or all of an opposing argument.

Conditional statement

An if-then statement that has two parts: an antecedent and a consequent. Often used as the premise of an argument.

Counterexample

An example that runs counter to, or opposite to, a generalization, which makes it false.

Deductive argument

An argument where the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion, as long as the premises are true.

Sound argument

A deductive argument that meets two requirements: the line of reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid, and the premises are true.

Valid argument

An argument where the conclusion logically follows from the premises, making it impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false.