Lang & Comp Test #1 AP Vocab

Allusion

a reference to something well-known | “He’s a real Romeo.”

Anecdote

a short personal story | “When I was 10, I broke my arm.”

Colloquial

informal everyday language | “gonna” instead of “going to”

Connotation

emotional meaning of a word | “cheap” sounds negative, “affordable” sounds positive

Denotation

dictionary meaning of a word | “snake” = a reptile

Jargon

special language used by a group | “CPU” in computer science

Diction

word choice | using “furious” instead of “mad”

Didactic

meant to teach a lesson | a story teaching honesty

Allegory

story with a hidden meaning | Animal Farm = Russian Revolution

Aphorism

short wise saying | “Actions speak louder than words”

Ellipsis

leaving out words | “When in doubt, don’t.”

Euphemism

softer way to say something harsh | “passed away” instead of “died”

Exigence

reason something is written | a speech after a tragedy

Figurative Language

language not meant literally | “Time is a thief”

Analogy

comparison to explain something | “The heart is like a pump”

Idiom

phrase with special meaning | “Break a leg” = good luck

Metonymy

replacing something with a related word | “The White House said…”

Synecdoche

part represents the whole | “All hands on deck”

Synesthesia

mixing senses | “a loud color”

Invective

harsh or insulting language | calling someone “a corrupt liar”

Juxtaposition

placing opposites side by side | rich vs poor in one scene

Paradox

seems false but is true | “Less is more”

Parallelism

repeated sentence structure | “I came, I saw, I conquered”

Anaphora

repeating words at the beginning | “We will fight… We will work…”

Chiasmus

reversed structure | “Ask not what your country can do for you…”

Antithesis

strong contrast | “best of times, worst of times”

Zeugma (Syllepsis)

one word applies to two meanings | “She lost her keys and her temper”

Parody

humorous imitation | Scary Movie

Polysyndeton

using many conjunctions | “and jumped and ran and yelled”

Rhetoric

art of persuasion | political speeches

Rhetorical Question

question not meant to be answered | “Do you really think that’s fair?”

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

speaker, audience, message | teacher talking to students

Syntax

sentence structure | short sentences for drama

Style

how something is written | formal vs casual

Tone

writer’s attitude | angry, sarcastic, hopeful

Litotes

understatement using “not” | “not bad”

Argument

claim supported by reasons | school should start later because teens need sleep

Aristotle’s Appeals

ethos = credibility, pathos = emotion, logos = logic | doctor, sad story, statistics

Fallacy

error in reasoning | “Everyone does it, so it’s right”

Appositive

noun that renames another noun | “My brother, a teacher…”

Syllogism

logical argument | All humans die. I am human. I will die.

Voice

personality of the writer | funny or serious voice

Assertion

a claim | “Homework is bad for students”