AP Language Vocabulary Terms

A list of brief de nitions for grammatical, literary, and rhetorical terms that have appeared on the multiple-choice and essay portions of the AP* English Language and Composition exam.

Ad Hominem

An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack.

Allegory

Extending a metaphor so that objects, persons, and actions in a text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text.

Alliteration

The repetition of an initial consonant sound.

Allusion

A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event—real or fictional.

Ambiguity

The presence of two or more possible meanings in any passage.

Analogy

Reasoning or arguing from parallel cases.

Anaphora

The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.

Antecedent

The noun or noun phrase referred to by a pronoun.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

Aphorism

A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion. A brief statement of a principle.

Apostrophe

A rhetorical term for breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing.

Appeal to Authority

A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution.

Appeal to Ignorance

A fallacy that uses an opponent's inability to disprove a conclusion as proof of the conclusion's correctness.

Argument

A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood.

Assonance

The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.

Character

An individual (usually a person) in a narrative (usually a work of fiction or creative nonfiction).

Chiasmus

A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.

Circular Argument

An argument that commits the logical fallacy of assuming what it is attempting to prove.

Claim

An arguable statement, which may be a claim of fact, value, or policy.

Colloquial

Characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English.

Concession

An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point.

Confirmation

The main part of a text in which logical arguments in support of a position are elaborated.

Connotation

The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry.

Coordination

The grammatical connection of two or more ideas to give them equal emphasis and importance. Contrast with subordination.

Deduction

A method of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises.

Denotation

The direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings.

Dialect

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary.

Diction

The choice and use of words in speech or writing. A way of speaking usually assessed in terms of prevailing standards of pronunciation and elocution.

Epitaph

A short inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone or monument. A statement or speech commemorating someone who has died: a funeral oration.

Ethos

A persuasive appeal based on the projected character of the speaker or narrator.

Eulogy

A formal expression of praise for someone who has recently died.

Euphemism

The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.

Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

Fallacy

An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.

Figurative Language

Language in which figures of speech (such as metaphors, similes, and hyperbole) freely occur.

Hasty Generalization

A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement.

Imagery

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses.

Invective

Denunciatory or abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something.

Irony

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is directly contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

Jargon

The specialized language of a professional, occupational, or other group, often meaningless to outsiders.

Loose Sentence

A sentence structure in which a main clause is followed by subordinate phrases and clauses. Contrast with periodic sentence.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty").

Onomatopoeia

The formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.

Paradox

A statement that appears to contradict itself.

Parallelism

The similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Parody

A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.

Pathos

The means of persuasion that appeals to the audience's emotions.

Periodic Sentence

A long and frequently involved sentence, marked by suspended syntax, in which the sense is not completed until the final word--usually with an emphatic climax.

Personification

A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.

Point of View

The perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information.

Refutation

The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view.

Repetition

An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage--dwelling on a point.

Rhetoric

The study and practice of effective communication.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

Sarcasm

A mocking, often ironic or satirical remark.

Satire

A text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity.

Simile

A figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by "like" or "as"

Style

Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament speech or writing; broadly, as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing.

Syllogism

A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

Syntax

The study of the rules that govern the way words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. The arrangement of words in a sentence.

Thesis

The main idea of an essay or report, often written as a single declarative sentence.

Tone

A writer's attitude toward the subject and audience. Tone is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality.

Transition

The connection between two parts of a piece of writing, contributing to coherence.

Understatement

A figure of speech in which a writer deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

Voice

The quality of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice). The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator.

Refutation

The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view.

Repetition

An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage--dwelling on a point.

Rhetoric

The study and practice of effective communication.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

Sarcasm

A mocking, often ironic or satirical remark.

Satire

A text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity.