AP Lang Vocabulary

1) adage: n. a short common saying expressing conventional wisdom. Similar to a cliché, but without the negative connotation. Ex. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. 2) anaphora: n. repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines. Ex. Sometimes you feel like you’re connecting the dots, and sometimes you feel like it’s one big dot. 3) epistrophe: n. ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words. Ex. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us. 4) euphemism: n. the substitution of a more favorable term for a pejorative or socially delicate term; understatement Ex. I’m not fat, I’m big-boned. 5) hyperbole: n. rhetorical exaggeration, often accomplished via comparisons, similes, and metaphors Ex. If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times… 6) irony: n. words that are meant to convey the opposite of their literal meaning Ex. Water, water everywhere/ but not a drop to drink. Tones 7) abrasive: adj. overly aggressive; tending to annoy or cause ill will Ex. Political conversations seem to move further and further away from any air of civility; more and more they are marked by a hostile, abrasive tone. 8) bemused: adj. bewildered or confused; mildly amused in a detached way Ex. Upon a first trip to Europe, it is common for American tourists to feel bemused when a stranger approaches and kisses them on both cheeks. 9) didactic: adj. intended for instruction; inclined to lecture too much; preachy Ex. A didactic speaker risks losing his audience by coming across as overly preachy. 10) disparaging: adj. tending to belittle or bring reproach upon Ex. The disparaging editorial questioned not only the candidate’s leadership and credentials, it insinuated he was a bad husband and a disloyal friend. 11) indignant: adj. expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust or offensive Ex. Agnes wrote an indignant online review for a restaurant that repeatedly got her order wrong 12) irreverent: adj. without due respect; flippant Ex. Candide is a famously irreverent novel that pokes fun at organized religion, government figures, and human nature. 13) poignant: adj. evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret Ex. Her poignant goodbye speech had her listeners in tears. Action Verbs 14) exemplify: v. to show or illustrate by example Ex. Politicians often incorporate stories of working-class citizens that exemplify American values of initiative, self-reliance, and determination. 15) expand: v. to express in fuller form or detail; develop Ex. Some public speakers live by the motto less is more, while some prefer to expand on their points at great length. 16) imply: v. to indicate or suggest without explicitly stating Ex. He did not come right out and call the senator a racist, but he strongly implied it. 17) juxtapose: v. to place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast Ex. By juxtaposing of the charismatic, industrious Jay Gatsby against the brutish, entitled Tom Buchanan, Fitzgerald steers the reader toward forgiving Gatsby’s criminal activity. 18) propose: v. to offer or suggest for consideration, acceptance, or action Ex. To increase attendance and revenue, I propose that Walk-a-thon henceforth be held on Saturdays. 19) recount: v. to relate or narrate; tell in detail; give the facts or particulars of Ex. Grandparents often seem to recount the same old stories, either forgetting or not caring if we’ve heard them before. 20) underscore: v. to stress or emphasize Ex. In the first public statement since his scandal, Tiger Woods talked little about what happened on the night in question but rather underscored the right to human privacy.