Paper 1 Vocabulary

Absolute Words

Words that are extremely specific or definitive.

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person instead of the issue; a type of propaganda used to manipulate.

Anaphora

Repetition at the start of successive clauses or lines.

Anecdote

A brief story used to illustrate a point or claim.

Antithesis

Words or ideas that oppose each other.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions.

Bandwagon Appeal

Taps into people's desire to belong and join the crowd; a type of propaganda.

Bias

An author's opinion or preference, which can be explicit or implicit.

Buzz Words

Words that are popular and useful in influencing people.

Card Stacking

Piling up carefully selected information instead of showing the whole picture; a type of propaganda.

Colloquial Language

Informal, casual language.

Connotation

What a word suggests or makes you think of.

Contrast

Difference between things.

Declarative Sentence

A sentence that makes a statement.

Direct Address

Speaking directly to the audience, often with 'you'.

Emotive Language

Words or phrases meant to evoke emotion.

Enumeration

To mention separately as if in counting or listing.

Ethos

An appeal to credibility, making an audience trust you in order to persuade them.

Explicit vs Implicit Claims

Explicit claims are directly stated; implicit claims require readers to infer.

False Dichotomy

Claiming that there are only two sides to an issue; a type of propaganda.

Figurative Language

Language that is not literal.

Glittering Generality

Using broad appealing words to fool an audience.

Hierarchy

A system of organization with categories and subcategories.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration.

Imagery

Descriptive language (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory).

Imperative Statement

A sentence that gives a command.

Inclusive Pronoun

A pronoun that invites the reader in (e.g., we, us).

Interactive Features

Clickable items on a webpage.

Inverted Syntax

When natural word order is reversed.

Jargon

Language used by a particular group or profession.

Juxtaposition

Making one idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite.

Logos

An appeal to logic, reasoning with an audience in order to persuade them.

Metaphor

Comparing two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

Modal Verbs

Small verbs that measure certainty and strength.

Name Calling

Discrediting people and ideas by linking them to negative words.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion, making the audience feel something in order to persuade them.

Personification

Giving human attributes to inanimate entities.

Polysyndeton

Excessive use of conjunctions.

Refutation

Denying the validity of an opposing argument.

Rhetorical Question

A question that does not expect an answer.

Rule of Three

Grouping together three words, ideas, or phrases.

Semantic Field of Diction

When an author uses a pattern of words that all relate to a similar topic or feeling.

Simile

Comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Simple Solution

Offering a basic answer to a complex problem; a form of manipulation.

Slang

Very informal language, usually reserved for speaking.

Subtext

The unspoken or implied meaning behind someone’s words.

Superlative

Words of highest degree.

Synthetic Personalization

When an author tries to develop a relationship with the reader.

Testimonial

The words of a respected person/celebrity, used to influence an audience.

Tone vs. Mood

Tone is the author's attitude; mood is the emotion the author wants readers to feel.

Transfer

When a symbol that carries respect is used to make something look better.

Truncated Syntax

A form of short sentence that is incomplete in some way.

Typography

The style of printed words (look at font, size, bold, italics, underline, etc.).