AP Lang Vocab

Anticlimax

A break in the climatic order of events, making the climax less intense.

Deus ex machina

Means 'God from the machine'; the resolution of the plot by some incredibly implausible chance.

Denouement

The falling action of a story.

Foil Character

A character that has similar or drastically different traits than the protagonist, playing off of each other.

Stock Character

A stereotyped character.

Abstract noun

An intangible noun, like 'Love'.

Antecedent

A word referred to by a pronoun.

Active voice

When the subject is performing the verb, e.g., 'I ate the pizza'.

Passive voice

When the subject is acted upon by the verb, e.g., 'The pizza was eaten by me'.

Preposition

A word related to a noun or pronoun; transitional phrase, e.g., 'after the ritual killing'.

Conjunction

A word that joins units of a sentence.

Coordinating conjunction

A type of conjunction; for example, FANBOYS.

Subordinate conjunction

Joins dependent clauses; e.g., 'While I was at the dentist...'

Dangling modifier

A phrase that lacks a clear subject; e.g., 'To be excused from class, a doctor’s note is required'.

Anachronism

A mix-up of history that is either intentional or accidental.

Burlesque

An exaggerated form of comedy.

Canon

Material accepted as officially part of a narrative.

Epigraph

A quotation placed at the beginning of a book or chapter.

Grotesque

Something that possesses bizarre, awkward, or out-of-context qualities.

Realism

Fiction that could have actually occurred.

Romanticism

A literary movement following neoclassicism.

Satire

A work that is humorous but also has a point.

Narrative structure

The chronological order of a story.

Dramatic structure

A composition of scenes, often in verse.

Discursive structure

An organized format resembling an argument.

Style

The arrangement of words that express the author's intent.

Tone

The author's attitude about the subject and how it is presented.

Voice

The overall presence of the author in the text.

Allegory

Extended metaphors representing broader usually taboo concepts.

Analogy

A comparison between unlike things.

Aphorism

A brief statement expressing a truth or moral principle.

Apostrophe

Addressing something that isn’t present as if it were.

Conceit

An elaborate and often extended metaphor.

Dead metaphor

A figure of speech that has lost its original meaning.

Metonymy

A word or phrase that is closely associated with another; e.g., 'The White House said...' the whole refers to a part

Premise

A statement assumed to be true to support a conclusion.

Concession

Accepting part of an opposing viewpoint.

Deductive argument

An argument where premises guarantee the conclusion.

Inductive argument

An argument where premises suggest the likely truth of a conclusion.

Ad Hominem

Attacking the opponent personally instead of addressing the argument.

Appeal to Authority

Arguing that something must be true because an authority says it is.

Bandwagon

Argument that something is true because many people believe it.

Post Hoc

Assuming past events impact present situations without sufficient evidence.

Non Sequitur

An argument where the conclusion does not logically follow the premises.

Slippery slope

Arguing that one small step will lead to a chain of related events.

Fallacy of Accident

Applying a rule to a situation where it does not apply.

Converse Fallacy of Accident

Arguing that exceptions should apply universally.

False Dilemma

Presenting two choices when more exist, or one option is clearly weaker.

Begging the Question

Assuming the conclusion of something.

Appeal to Ignorance

Claiming something is true because it hasn't been proven false.

Observational Selection

Only recognizing evidence that confirms a belief.

Statistics of Small Numbers

Forming conclusions based on a small, non-representative sample.

Strawman

Oversimplifying an argument to make it easier to attack.

Ad Populum

Appealing to biases and prejudices instead of reason.

Appeal to Tradition

Arguing something should continue because it’s always been done.

Slanted Words or Phrases

Using loaded language to sway opinion.

Excluded Middle

Ignoring moderate positions in favor of extremes.

Tu Quoque

Deflecting criticism by pointing out hypocrisy.

Personal Incredulity

Rejecting ideas because they are difficult to understand.

Synecdoche

A part representing the whole; e.g., 'Head of cattle'.

First person central

Narration from the perspective of the main character.

First person peripheral

Narration from a character involved in the story but not the focus.

First person plural

Narration using 'we'.

Cosmic irony

Fate that brings tragic events despite hopeful beginnings.

Simple sentence

A sentence containing one independent clause.

Compound sentence

A sentence containing two independent clauses.

Complex sentence

A sentence containing one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Compound-complex sentence

A sentence containing at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause.

Periodic sentence

A sentence where the main idea comes at the end.

Loose sentence

A sentence where the main idea comes at the beginning.

Telegraphic sentence

A sentence that is less than five words.

Didactic

Intended to teach a lesson or moral.

Gothic

Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, and fear.

Invective

Emotionally violent or abusive language.

Homily

A speech intended to teach a moral lesson.

Formal diction

Language that is serious and elevated.

Informal diction

Casual but polite conversational language.

Colloquial diction

Regional slang or expressions.

Auditory imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to sound.

Olfactory imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to smell.

Kinesthetic imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to movement.

Tactile imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to touch.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds.

Litotes

An understatement that creates an ironic effect.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.

abashed

ashamed or embarrassed

abstruse

difficult to understand

acerbic/acrimonious

tone of harshness of severity

buttress

to reinforce or justify

admonishing

cautioning, scolding, reminding

affectation

writing that is artificial

ardent

intense feeling, passionate

blithe

joyous

censorious

severely critical

contentious

argumentative

curt

rudely brief in speech

derisive

mocking

diffident

unconfident, timid

ebullient

enthusiastic