AP Language and Composition Vocabulary Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key literary devices, rhetorical strategies, and grammatical concepts from the AP Language and Composition notes.

Active Voice

The subject of the sentence performs the action.

Ad hominem

Latin for "against the man". When a writer personally attacks opponents; an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, feeling rather than intellect.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text or common media) with which the readers are supposed to be familiar.

Analogy

Comparison to directly parallel case, argues that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of 2+ sentences in row. Deliberate form of repetition, helps make the writer's point more coherent.

Antecedent

Word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Antithesis

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or ideas.

Aphorism

Brief statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle, can be a memorable summation of author's point; often equated as synonym with "adage" or "saying" or "proverb".

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.

Appositive

A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning.

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity.

Causal Relationship

Writer asserts that one thing results from another to show how one thing produces or brings about another.

Clause

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

Colloquial

Ordinary or familiar type of conversation.

Colloquialism

A common or familiar type of saying.

Complex Sentence

A sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause (or only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause).

Concession

Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint. Used to regroup and restate your position, taking the concession into account.

Connotation

The associations suggested by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning.

Consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

Coordination

Combining sentences/clauses into one single sentence to give both clauses equal importance.

Deduction

Moving from general statements we accept as true, to an inevitable conclusion.

Denotation

To signify or stand as a name for. The explicit meaning of a word.

Description

A phrase that recreates, invents, or visually presents a person, idea, or thing.

Diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style.

Didactic

A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Ellipsis

The deliberate omission of a word from prose done for effect by the author.

Epigraph

A quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of theme.

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

Explication

The act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Attention to close reading and figurative language.

Exposition

Explain/analyze info by presenting idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion.

False Analogy

When two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them.

Figurative Language

A word or words that are inaccurate literally but call to mind sensation or evoke reactions.

Genre

Major category into which a literary work fits. Basic divisions: prose, poetry, and drama.

Homily

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

Hyperbole

Figurative language that exaggerates, often used in comedy, or to create irony.

Image

Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind, usually involving the 5 senses.

Induction

The process of reasoning from premises that constitute good, but not absolutely certain, reasons to a conclusion that is probably correct.

Invective

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

Imperative sentence

Issues a command.

Verbal irony

When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.

Dramatic irony

When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out.

Situational irony

Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie where it's funny how things turn out.

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.

Loose Sentence

A complex sentence in which the main clause/idea comes first/at the beginning and the subordinate clause/less important elements follow.

Metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for another, suggesting some similarity.

Mood

The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).

Non-sequitur

Statement that does not logically follow another.

Oxymoron

A rhetorical antithesis where apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox.

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement which is actually true; an idea which embeds a contradiction.

Parallelism

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other or repeats patterns two or more times.

Parenthetical Idea

Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence as an aside.

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.

Passive Voice

The subject of the sentence receives the action.

Pedantic

Observing strict adherence to formal rules or literal meaning at the expense of a wider view, or an author's tone that is overly scholarly and academic.

Periodic Sentence

A sentence in which the main clause (or main idea) comes last, after subordinate elements.

Persona

The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story.

Predicate Adjective

An adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb, is in the predicate, and modifies the subject.

Predicate Nominative

A noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject, follows a linking verb, and is located in the predicate of the sentence.

Qualification

Redefining your argument so that it no longer conflicts with the valid claim of an opposing viewpoint.

Refutation

When the writer musters relevant opposing arguments.

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication.

Sarcasm

A generally bitter comment that is ironically worded.

Simple sentence

Contains one independent clause.

Compound sentence

Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

Compound-complex sentence

Contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Balanced Sentence

One in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale.

Style

The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes.

Subordination

Taking less important ideas and placing them in dependent clauses, and focusing the reader's attention on the main important idea in the independent clause.

Subordinate Clause

A word group that contains both a subject and a verb, but unlike the independent clause, cannot stand alone and does not express a complete thought.

Syllogism

A deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises—the first one "major" the second one "minor"—that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.

Syntax

Grammatical arrangement of words.

Tone

Writer's attitude toward subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization.

Vernacular

1. Language or dialect of a particular country, clan, or group. 2. Plain everyday speech.