AP Lang List 2 Vocab

argument

engaging in the process of persuasive discourse or reasoned inquiry

assertion

the main idea of a persuasive discourse, also known as thesis, proposal, or claim

claim

a common term for the main idea or  thesis of a persuasive discourse

claim of fact

persuasive discourse that asserts something is true or not true such as  "Hail storms cause billions of dollars worth of damage in Colorado each year"

claim of policy

persuasive discourse that proposes an action or change such as "Insurance companies and municipalities in Colorado should work together to encourage citizens their property in more effective ways to reduce the costs of insurance claims for hail damage in Colorado.

claim of value

persuasive discourse that proposes something is good or bad, right or wrong such as "It would be worthwhile to fund additional research to determine ways to mitigate hail damage in Colorado's most populated areas.

claim of definition

part of persuasive discourse that clarifies the meaning of a term such as "For purposes of this discussion,  term 'severe hail storm' will be defined as stipulated in under the guidelines of the National Weather Service."

claim of effect

an aspect of persuasive discourse that proposes the result of specific actions, circumstances, and/or conditions such as "Costly insurance claims during each hail season in Colorado results in significant increases in insurance premiums for all Colorado homeowners.

closed thesis

the statement of the main idea of a persuasive discourse that also previews the writer's major points such as "Financially debilitating increases in homeowners insurance premiums for Colorado property owners can generally be linked to crime, neglect, and severe weather such as hailstorms.

open thesis

the statement of the main idea of a persuasive discourse that makes an assertion but does not list all the points a writer intends to cover such as "Numerous factors contribute to financially debilitating increases in homeowners insurance premiums for Colorado property owners."

first hand evidence

evidence based on something the writer knows such as personal experiences, anecdotes, current events

second hand evidence

evidence accessed through research, reading, and investigation such as facts, historical information, expert opinion

quantitative evidence

evidence that can be measured, counted, or otherwise represented in numbers such as statistics, polls, surveys, enumerations

counterargument

opposing persuasive discourse that runs against or as an alternative to the one the speaker is proposing such as "Although wildfires have proven devastating to several Colorado communities, hailstorms are statistically more costly."

concession and refutation

the way a strong writer will generally address an opposing or alternative viewpoint.