AP Lang Vocabulary

Invention

The author's subtle shift of perspective
A new way of looking at the same thing.

arrangement

the order in which events are placed

Memory

The ability to access information
The ability to assess the social situation
to know the historical context of the situation

Style

The author's unique manipulation of rhetorical devices

Delivery

The genre of the presentation

paradigm

The accepted belief of a system

Levels of Diction

Formal (high)- Addressing a highly educated audience
Standard (middle)- Used when addressing a well educated audience
Informal (low)- Used when addressing a familiar or specific audience

Syntax

The analysis of sentence construction

(Syntax) Loose

Main Idea comes first

(Syntax) Periodic

main idea comes last

(Syntax) Parallelism

similarly constructed clauses or snetences

(Syntax) Antithesis

balance of opposites

Tone

the author's attitude toward the subject

Exigence

The circumstance, the context/situation surrounding the piece topic
Related to exigency (urgent need or demand)
- the reason that makes the message
- paradigms are accepted within the existence
OCCASION in SOAPSTone

Purpose

What the author wants the audience to know

Message

The main idea of the text/prose
the chief point the author makes about the subject, to which all other details and ideas relate
the merit of a ________ is dependent on its inventiveness

Rhetoric Triangle

Author, argument, audience

Connotation

Nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

Allegory

using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Apostrophe

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

Alliteration

the repetition of sounds, especially the initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

colloquial/colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, _________ give a work a conversational, familiar tone. _________expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.

hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

Diction

Related to style, ______ refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

generic conventions

This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. ________ include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.

homily

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

Euphemism

From the Greek for "good speech," ________ are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The _________ may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example of ________

didactic

From the Greek, _______ literally means "teaching." _______words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing,especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

figurative language

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

Denotation

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

Imagery

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

Metonymy

A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

Oxymoron

From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," ___ is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." TYPICALLY SIDE BY SIDE

Parallelism

Also referred to as ______ construction or ________ structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity....") The effects of ______ are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm. Adapted from V. Stevenson, Patrick Henry High School, and Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms

irony/ironic

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true

mood

This term has two distinct technical meanings in English writing. The first meaning is grammatical and deals with verbal units and a speaker's attitude. The second meaning is literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.

paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words

invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.

Anaphora

One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the BEGINNING of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.

Sarcasm

from the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," ___ involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device.

Polyseyndeton

the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted

asyndenton

lack of conjunctions

isocolon

A succession of clauses of approximately equal length and corresponding structure

Narration

writing that tells a story, and incorporates descriptive elements (imagery, metaphors, similes)

Description

Illustrative, appeals to the 5 senses, establishes mood

Exemplification

a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by using one or more particular cases, or examples, to illustrate or explain a general point or an abstract concept

comparison and contrast

A mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared and contrasted.

Classification and Division

a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by division, which is the process of breaking a whole into parts, and classification, which is the often subsequent process of sorting individual items into categories

definition

The process of explaining a word, object, or idea in such a way that the reader knows precisely what the writer means. ________ may cover denotations and/or connotations

Process Analysis

A method of paragraph or essay development by which a writer explains step by step how something is done or how to do something.

cause and effect

Analyzing the causes that lead to a certain effect, or, the effects that result from a cause

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

Prose

one of the major divisions of genre, _____ refers to fiction and nonfiction including all its forms. In ____ the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry the poet determines the length of the line.

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, this term distorts or exaggerates distinctive features of the original.

Rhetoric

From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

epistrophe

the opposite of anaphora, a repetition at the end of successive clauses. "They saw no evil, they spoke no evil, and they heard no evil."

Satire

A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the ______: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. It is thought-provoking and insightful about the human condition.

semantics

The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.

syllogism

From the Greek for "reckoning together," a __ is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. Ex: Major premise: All men are mortal.//Minor premise: Socrates is a man// Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is immortal.

Trope

an artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas; a use of the word in a sense other than its proper or literal one. Common types include: metaphor, synecdoche, metonymy, personification, hyperbole, litotes, irony, oxymoron, onomatopoeia, etc.

understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact, presents something as less significant than it is. The opposite of hyperbole, but like it in creating emphasis

Invention

The author's subtle shift of perspective
A new way of looking at the same thing.

arrangement

the order in which events are placed

Memory

The ability to access information
The ability to assess the social situation
to know the historical context of the situation

Style

The author's unique manipulation of rhetorical devices

Delivery

The genre of the presentation

paradigm

The accepted belief of a system

Levels of Diction

Formal (high)- Addressing a highly educated audience
Standard (middle)- Used when addressing a well educated audience
Informal (low)- Used when addressing a familiar or specific audience

Syntax

The analysis of sentence construction

(Syntax) Loose

Main Idea comes first

(Syntax) Periodic

main idea comes last

(Syntax) Parallelism

similarly constructed clauses or snetences

(Syntax) Antithesis

balance of opposites

Tone

the author's attitude toward the subject

Exigence

The circumstance, the context/situation surrounding the piece topic
Related to exigency (urgent need or demand)
- the reason that makes the message
- paradigms are accepted within the existence
OCCASION in SOAPSTone

Purpose

What the author wants the audience to know

Message

The main idea of the text/prose
the chief point the author makes about the subject, to which all other details and ideas relate
the merit of a ________ is dependent on its inventiveness

Rhetoric Triangle

Author, argument, audience

Connotation

Nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

Allegory

using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Apostrophe

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

Alliteration

the repetition of sounds, especially the initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.