AP Lang Vocab Cards

Vocab Cards for AP Lang.

Abstract Language

Language that refers to things that are intangible and perceived through the mind (eg love beauty peace etc.)

Active Voice

The type of voice where the subject of the sentence performs the action.

Allusion

An indirect of brief reference to a well-known person, event, story, etc; this reference can be literary, historical, religious, mythological, etc.

Analogy

A comparison of two things (that are similar in some way) which helps to explain something complex by comparing it to something more simple.

Anaphora

repeating a word or set of words (phrase) at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences for emphasis.

Anthropomorphism

A type of personification that gives human characteristics to inanimate objects (especially) animals.

Antithesis

Two contrasting ideas are juxtaposed through parallel structure.

Aphorism

A brief cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.

Argumentation

Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments.

Asydenton

When an author deliberately leaves out conjunctions usually to emphasize a point of add drama.

Audience

The listenener, viewer, or reader of a text.

Bombast

Pompous or pretentious talk or writing; impressive but meaningless language.

Circumlocution

Talking in circles; an indirect way of expressing something; trying to avoid a subject.

Colloquialism

A word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing. (eg. y’all, ain’t)

Compare and contrast

Discussing the similarities and differences between two things to further some persuasive or illustrative purpose.

Concrete language

Language that refers to tangible things that can be described using thee five senses.

Connotation

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning or dictionary definition.

Counterargument

The argument(s) against the author’s position.

Deductive reasoning

A form of logical reasoning where you start with a few general ideas, called premises, and apply them to a specific situation; recognized rules, laws, theories, and other widely accepted truths are used to prove that a conclusion is right (includes syllogism) (if A=b and C=A, then B=C)

Dehumanization

Degrading people and making them appear as less than human, usually done to villainize an enemy.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

A writer’s or speaker’s choice of words

Eponym

A person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc, is named or thought to be named (eg, the Elizabethan era was named for Queen Elizabeth I)

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal in which the author seeks to establish someone or something’s credibility or trustworthiness (Aristotelian appeal)

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant.

Exigence

An issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to speak or write, it is also sometimes referred to as the occasion.

Exposition

A type of writing that is intended to explain or give background information.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length or detail, occurring throughout paragraphs or a text.

Figurative language

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to express ideas in fresh, imaginative ways (eg, metaphors, similes, hyperbole, etc.)

Hyperbole

An exaggeration (sometimes an extreme one.)

Hypophoria

When an author/speaker poses a question to the audience, but then answers it immediately.

Imagery

Descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses to create a vivid sensory experience.

Inductive reasoning

Uses a set of specific observations to reach an overarching conclusion; a few particular premises create a pattern which gives way to a broad idea that is likely true (but can be false)

Jargon

Vocabulary distinctive to a particular group of people or profession.

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side to present a comparison or contrast.

Kairos

Refers to the timeliness of an argument; Greek for “right time” or “opportunity”

Literal language

Language that means exactly what it says, it is not metaphorical, symbolic, or ironic.

Logos

An appeal to logic or reason by using facts, sound reasoning, examples, statistics, etc. (Aristotelian appeal)

Malapropism

The unintentional misuse of a word by confusing it with one that sounds similar (eg, Get the fire distinguisher!)

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it, but not part of it. (eg, referring to a royal as “the crown”)

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Narrative

A story

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase (eg, pretty ugly.)

Panegyric

A public speech or public text delivered in high praise of a person or thing.

Paradox

A statement that seems to be self-contradictory but may include a latent truth often used to make a reader think over an idea in an innovative way.

Parallel structure

Repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to highlight importance or similarity.

Passive voice

The type of voice where the subject of the sentence receives the action.

Pathos

A rhetorical appeal to someone’s emotions; the author or writer uses loaded words to evoke a certain emotion in the audience or reader (Aristotelian appeal)

Periodic sentence

A long, grammatically correct sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.

Personification

When an inanimate objects, idea, or animal is described as having human characteristics.

Point of view

A particular attitude or way of considering a matter.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of many conjunctions, usually to emphasize a point.

Pun

A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.

Purpose

The goal the speaker or author wants to achieve.

Repetition

Repeating sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis.

Rhetoric

The use of spoken or written word(or a visual medium) to convey your ideas and convince an audience.

Rhetorical context

The circumstances in which a test is written, including the intended audience, the author’s aim or purpose in writing, and the audience’s preexisting ideas and opinions; anything beyond the specific words of text that may be relevant to understand the meaning of the text.

Rhetorical fallacy

Reasoning that makes an argument invalid or a belief based on an unsound argument.

Rhetorical question

When an author/speaker poses a question to the audience, but no real answer is expected and the author does not state an answer; usually designed to emphasize a point or make the audience think about a topic.

Rhetorical triangle

The relationship between the author, the audience, the text/message, and the context.

Satire

The use of humor, Irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Simile

Comparing two things using “like” or “as”

Speaker

The person who delivers a text can also be the persona adopted by the author to deliver their message (may or may not actually be the same person as the author.

Style

The author’s own personal approach to rhetoric in the piece; similar to voice.

Syllogism

A deductive form of reasoning in which a conclusion is inferred from two premises (eg, Jaime is a teenager. Teenagers love pizza, thus Jaime must love pizza.)

Symbol

A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract,

Synecdoche

A figure of speech that refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts (eg, referring to driving a car as “getting behind the wheel”)

Syntax

The way sentences are grammatically constructed

Synthesis

Combining sources or ideas in a coherent way in the purpose of a larger point.

Tone

The author’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, event, person, etc.

Understatement

The opposite of exaggeration; a technique for developing irony and/or humor where a writer/speaker makes something appear less severe, important, etc. Than is really is.

Verbal irony

Occurs when a speaker or writer says one thing while meaning the opposite.

Metaphor

A comparison of two things without using “like” or “as”