AP Lang Terms

AP Lang Vocabulary

aphorism

a brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth

archetype

a perfect example; an original pattern or model (the wise old woman is an archetype)

aside

a remark that is not directly related to the main topic of discussion.

assertion

a statement made as part of an argument

concede

admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.

connotation

the moods/associations/implications of a word or phrase, as opposed to its exact meaning

denotation

the literal meaning of a word; the dictionary definition

active voice

the opposite of passive voice; essentially any sentence with an active verb

ambiguity

the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.

anthology

a published collection of poems or other pieces of writing.

didactic

intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.

discourse

a formal discussion of a topic in speech or writing.

ellipsis

three dots that indicate words have been left out of a quotation; they also can be used to create suspense

esoteric

intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.

etymology

the study of the origin of words and their historical uses

euphemism

a safer or nicer word for something others find inappropriate or unappealing

expository

intended to explain or describe something.

exposé

a report of the facts about something, especially a journalistic report that reveals something scandalous.

fallacy

a failure of logical reasoning

independent clause

a clause that can stand alone as a sentence; it must have a noun and a verb (subject and predicate)

jargon

a pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people

journal

a newspaper or magazine that deals with a particular subject or professional activity.

loose sentence

an independent clause followed by all sorts of debris, usually dependent clauses.

passive voice

the opposite of active voice; in this voice, something happens to someone

pejorative

describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone

periodic sentence

a sentence with several dependent clauses that precede the independent clause.

periodical

a magazine, newspaper or journal published at regular intervals.

persona

the person who is understood to be speaking (or thinking or writing) a particular work.

ponderous

extremely dull

predicate

the formal term for the verb that conveys the meaning or carries the action of the sentence

premise

another word for a claim; a statement of truth, at least to the person making the argument

prosaic

unimaginative; dull

prose

writing that is not poetry

rhetorical shift

this occurs when the author of an essay significantly alters his or her diction, syntax, or both

simple sentence

an independent clause; has a subject and a verb, and that's pretty much it

syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

synthesis

a union of a variety of sources to achieve a common end

tone

the manner in which a writer expresses his/her attitude toward the subject and audience

trope

a significant or recurrent theme; a motif.

volume

a book or edition forming part of a work or series.