AP Lang exam terms

Connotation

Connotation

The secondary, implied, or suggested meaning of a word. The word “weasel” suggests negativity—a tendency to lie or cheat or steal. 

Denotation

the actual, literal meaning of the word. Weasel simply means a slender, carnivorous mammal.

Diction

a writer or speaker’s choice of words. Synonymous with style. Choosing the words “lied about” rather than “mistakenly stated” is a choice in this.

Syntax

The grammatical order in which words are placed. It might be broken for effect.

Tone

The attitude the writer takes towards her subject, or in her writing. When describing tone, we use adjectives: angry, sarcastic, solemn, playful, timid, etc.

Parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases or clauses. “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.”

Periodic sentence

One in which the writer builds suspense by beginning with subordinate elements and postponing the main clause. “His composure shaken, his confidence broken, his limbs twitching, his walrus angry, he wondered if he would ever ask out another girl.”

Cumulative sentence

one in which the subordinate elements come at the end to call attention to them. “He learned to fix cars from Alice McMahon, an elderly spinster who used to party with Volvo mechanics.”

Antithesis

Opposition or contrast of words or ideas within a balanced sentence. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” These words much be truly opposites: night/day, hot/cold, life/death, etc.

Analogy

a comparison of similar things—usually using something familiar to explain something unfamiliar. Water pipes for electrical circuits.

Qualification (in argument or logic)

A restriction in meaning or application. “Subject A’s premise would work very well under a totalitarian government, but in a democratic government, the premise seems unlikely to succeed.”

Logical Fallacies

Incorrect reasoning (often intentional) in argument. Often exploit emotional triggers in the anticipated audience. EX. Argument: Cutting people is a crime. Surgeons cut people. Therefore, surgeons are criminals.

Metaphor

comparison not using like or as. Or, a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, esp. something abstract

Simile

comparison using like or as

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. An address to someone or something that cannot answer.

Allusion

an indirect reference to something outside the text—usually another work of art. “Don't be a scrooge.” (Notice there's no mention of Charles Dickens or the title, A Christmas Carol? It’s an indirect reference.)

Hyperbole

Obvious and intentional exaggeration—for rhetoric

Understatement

Where the speaker deliberately portrays the situation as less serious or important than it really is. "It's just a flesh wound." (Black Knight, after having both arms cut off, in Monty Python’s the Holy Grail)

Paradox

a seemingly contradictory assertion that may have some truth in it. Ex. “What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young” (George Bernard Shaw). Ex. War is peace; Freedom is slavery; Ignorance is strength. (George Orwell, 1984)

Epithet

a descriptive word, phrase or title: ex. “Frederick the Great,” It can also mean name calling.

Euphemism

using a more polite term for a coarse or unpleasant term

Extended metaphor

often the basis for an entire poem. “Love is a rose... blush as petals…steadfast as the stem…spiteful as thorns…enduring as roots….”

Metonymy

a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another with which it is associated (“The white house said today”—meaning, the press secretary of the current administration said);

Synecdoche

The use of a part of something to represent the whole.(“Ten sails crossed the sea” –meaning, ten ships crossed the ocean)

Alliteration

repetition of initial sounds » The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells").

Onomatopoeia

the use of a word whose sound imitates the act or thing it names. The “buzzing” of a bee, for example, or the sound, “boom.”

Irony

when the literal meaning is opposite the actual meaning

Juxtapose/juxtaposition

an act or instance of placing things/words/concepts close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. A horrible troll holding a beautiful orchid, for example.

Anaphora

repetition of the initial word or phrase in a series of clauses or phrases for emphasis and rhythm. “War is the enemy. War is the murder of children. War is the ravager of marriages. War is the destroyer of culture.”

Aphorism

pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” (almost synonymous with epigram—but not paradoxical or necessarily poetic)

Syllogism

a logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) in inferred from two others (the premises). It’s a form of deductive reasoning. It goes like this:  (1)All dogs are mammals. (2) Mingo is a dog. (3) Therefore, Mingo is a mammal

Allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.

Simple Sentence

subject-verb (I went to the store.)

Compound Sentence

2 independent clauses joined by a conjunction (I went to the store, and I bought candy.)

Complex Sentence

independent clause and dependent clause (While traveling to the store, I saw my friend.)

Compound-complex Sentence

2 independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (While traveling to the store, I saw my friend, and she gave me money for candy.)

Antecedents

a word, phrase, clause, or sentence, to which another word (especially a pronoun) refers. “Mike lost his penguin and he can't find it.”

Nostalgia

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.

Enumeration

 the listing of things; to list one thing after another in prose.

Dichotomy

a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. “There doesn't need to be a dichotomy between religion and science.”

Rhetoric

the art of effective communication

Synthesis

the combination of more than one item into a coherent whole. In writing, this means putting more than one source together to make a whole paper (argument, research paper, etc.)

Conventions

the format and style that is expected in that particular genre. This includes grammar, spelling, tone...but it also includes formatting (ie. an opinion column has a different heading and format than a research paper.)

Cognitive

Related to thinking and thought processing

Metacognitive

Related to higher-level thinking about cognitive processes

Substantive

having "substance" - important, meaningful, "deep"

Facets

aspects of an argument (Hint, you want to include several facets to create a substantive argument)

Multifaceted

having multiple aspects

Caricature

A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics.

colloquial/colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, they gave a work a conversational, familiar tone. These expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.

denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.

figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things.

homily

This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.