APLAC

1-32

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events.

Balanced Sentence

Construction in which both halves of the sentence are about the same length and importance.

Begging the Question

Often called circular reasoning, begging the question occurs when the believability of the evidence depends on the believability of the claim. In other words, one assumes a statement to be true when it has not been proven to be so.

Bias

Prejudice or predisposition toward one side of a topic or issue.

Bombast

Inflated language; the use of high-sounding language for a trivial subject.

Caricature

A grotesque likeness of striking characteristics in persons or things.

Chronological Order

Arrangement by the order in which things occur; usually moves from past to present. In reverse chronological order, events are told from present to past.

Cite

To identify a part of a piece of writing as being derived from (paraphrased, summarized) from a source. To fail to cite constitutes plagiarism.

Classification

Arrangement of material into groups; e.g., media classified as print, video, or audio, with representative examples of each.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. In this sample sentence, "Because I practiced hard, my AP scores were high," the independent clause is "my AP scores were high," and the dependent clause is "Because I practiced hard."

Colloquial/Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects and usage. Colloquialisms are to be avoided in formal writing; e.g. Jack was bummed out about his chemistry grade instead of Jack was upset about his chemistry grade.

Connotation

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.

Consonance

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

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Didactic

(from the Greek, "teaching") A term used to describe a work that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of moral or ethical behavior or thinking.

Either/Or Fallacy

Reducing an argument or issue to two polar opposites and ignoring possible alternatives.

Abstract Language

Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places. The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language.

Ad Hominem Argument/Attack

A personal attack on the character or other traits of one's opponent rather than an argument against his/her ideas.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "She sells sea shells..."). Although the term is not used in the multiple choice section of the exam, alliteration may appear in an essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and/or supply a musical sound. Be sure you state why the author wants such an effect!

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. ______ can be historical (like referring to Abraham Lincoln), literary (like referring to Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter), religious (like referring to Noah and the flood) or mythical (like referring to Atlas). There are, of course, many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. ______ implies that either meaning could be correct.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. The comparison is often between two things in which the complex is explained in terms of the simple, or something unfamiliar is associated with something more familiar. The comparison suggests that if the two things are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well. _____ can make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. They may be used effectively to persuade, but logically they prove nothing.

Anaphora

The repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode, frequently personal or biographical. _______ are often inserted into fiction or nonfiction as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences.

Anticlimax

A sudden drop from the dignified or important in thought or expression to the commonplace or trivial, often for humorous effect.

Antimetabole

The repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen the contrast.

Antithesis

A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) An _______ can be a memorable summation of an author's point, or it can be a focusing device at the beginning of the essay.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, a personified abstraction, or sometimes an inanimate object. The effect may add emotional intensity or familiarity. For example, Walt Whitman addresses the assassinated Abraham Lincoln as "O Captain! my Captain!"

Assonance

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

Asyndeton

Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. (The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, ______ speeds up the flow of the sentence.) _______ takes the form of X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z.