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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.
Note 
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