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Useful Key Terms for the AP English Language and Composition Exam

Vocabulary Importance

• The AP English Language and Composition exam focuses more on composition than language. However, vocabulary should not be overlooked.
• Enhancing vocabulary is essential for improving reading and writing skills, making it easier to answer questions on the test.
• Familiarizing with helpful terms can aid in understanding reading passages and writing essays.
• Recommendations: Mark unknown words and create flashcards to facilitate learning.

Tips for Learning New Words

• Flashcards: Craft personalized flashcards with the word on one side and its definition on the other. Include a memorable sentence beneath the definition for better retention. Practice regularly, such as during commutes.
• The Image Approach: Associate new words with vivid and wild imagery to cement their meanings in your memory. For instance, envisioning people voting at a McDonald’s when learning the word "enfranchise" (which means "to give the right to vote") aids retention through creative imagery.
• Mnemonics: Utilize mnemonic devices like rhymes or songs to remember words. A memorable line, such as “In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” illustrates how mnemonic devices can facilitate retention.

Word Groups and Definitions

Group 1: Assertions and Communication

• Assertion (uh SUR shun): A declaration or statement.
    - Example: "We could not believe John’s assertion that he had never seen Star Wars."
• Cogent (KOH jent): Convincing; reasonable.
    - Example: "Christina’s argument was so cogent that even her opponents had to agree with her."
• Coherent (koh HEER ent): Logically connected.
    - Example: "The old prospector’s story was not coherent; he rambled on about different things that had nothing to do with one another."
• Cohesive (koh HEE siv): Condition of sticking together.
    - Example: "Eric’s essay was cohesive because each point flowed nicely into the next."
• Didactic (dye DAK tik): Intended to instruct.
    - Example: "The videos were entertaining and didactic because they amused and instructed the children."
• Discourse (DIS kors): Verbal expression or exchange; conversation.
    - Example: "Their discourse varied widely; they discussed everything from Chaucer to ice fishing."
• Eloquence (EH lo kwens): The ability to speak vividly or persuasively.
    - Example: "Cicero’s eloquence is legendary; his speeches were well-crafted and convincing."
• Fluid (FLOO id): Easily flowing.
    - Example: "The two old friends’ conversation was fluid; each of them was able to respond quickly and easily to what the other had to say."
• Implication (im pli KAY shun): The act of suggesting or hinting.
    - Example: "When your mother asks, 'Were you raised in a barn?' the implication is that you should close the door."
• Lucid (LOO sid): Easily understood; clear.
    - Example: "Our teacher does a good job because he provides lucid explanations of difficult concepts."
• Rhetoric (RET uh rik): The art of using language effectively and persuasively.
    - Example: "Because they are expected to make speeches, most politicians and lawyers are well-versed in the art of rhetoric."

Group 2: Objectivity and Judgment

• Arbiter (AHR bih ter): A judge who decides a disputed issue.
    - Example: "An arbiter was hired to settle the Major League Baseball strike because the owners and players could not come to an agreement."
• Biased (BYE ist): Prejudiced.
    - Example: "Judges should not be biased; rather they should weigh the evidence fairly before making up their minds."
• Exculpate (EKS kul payt): To free from guilt or blame.
    - Example: "When the gold coins discovered in his closet were found to be fake, Dr. Rideau was exculpated and the search for the real thief continued."
• Impartial (im PAR shul): Not in favor of one side or the other; unbiased.
    - Example: "The umpire had a hard time remaining impartial; his son was pitching for the home team, and this made it difficult to call the game fairly."
• Incontrovertible (in kahn truh VERT uh bul): Not able to be denied or disputed.
    - Example: "The videotape of the robbery provided incontrovertible evidence against the suspect—he was obviously guilty."
• Integrity (in TEG rit ee): Trustworthiness; completeness.
    - Example: "The integrity of the witness was called into question when her dislike for the defendant was revealed—some jurors suspected that she was not being entirely truthful."
• Objectivity (ahb jek TIV ih tee): Treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices.
    - Example: "It is important that judges hear all cases with objectivity, so that their personal feelings do not affect their decision."
• Plausible (PLAWZ ih bul): Seemingly valid or acceptable; credible.
    - Example: "Keith’s excuse that he missed school yesterday because he was captured by space aliens was not very plausible."
• Substantiated (sub STAN shee ay tid): Supported with proof or evidence; verified.
    - Example: "The fingerprint evidence substantiated the detective’s claim that the suspect had been at the scene of the crime."
• Vindicated (VIN duh kayt id): Freed from blame.
    - Example: "Mrs. Layton was finally vindicated after her husband admitted to the crime."

Group 3: Negative Traits and Attitudes

• Condescending (kahn de SEND ing): Treating people as weak or inferior.
    - Example: "Robert always looked down on his sister and treated her in a condescending manner."
• Contemptuous (kun TEMP choo us): Feeling hatred; scornful.
    - Example: "She was so contemptuous of people who wore fur that she sprayed red paint on them."
• Despotic (des PAHT ik): Exercising absolute power; tyrannical.
    - Example: "He was a despotic ruler whose every law was enforced with threats of violence or death."
• Dictatorial (dik tuh TOR ee ul): Domineering; oppressively overbearing.
    - Example: "The coach had a dictatorial manner and expected people to do whatever he demanded."
• Disdain (dis DAYN):
    - (n.) Contempt; scorn.
    - (v.) To regard or treat with contempt; to look down on.
    - Example: (n.) "I felt nothing but disdain for the person who stole my lunch—what a jerk!" (v.) "A self-proclaimed gourmand, he disdains to eat any meal that comes in a box."
• Haughty (HAW tee): Arrogant; vainly proud.
    - Example: "His haughty manner made it clear that he thought he was better than everyone else."
• Imperious (im PEER ee us): Arrogantly domineering or overbearing.
    - Example: "She had a very imperious way about her; she was bossy and treated everyone as if they were beneath her."
• Patronizing (PAY truh ny zing): Treating in a condescending manner.
    - Example: "Patrick had such a patronizing attitude that he treated everyone around him like a bunch of little kids."

Group 4: Complexity and Difficulty

• Convoluted (kahn vuh LOO tid): Intricate; complex.
    - Example: "The directions were so convoluted that we drove all around the city and got lost."
• Cryptic (KRIP tik): Difficult to comprehend.
    - Example: "The writing on the walls of the tomb was cryptic; none of the scientists understood it."
• Futile (FEW tul): Having no useful purpose; pointless.
    - Example: "It is futile to try to explain the difference between right and wrong to your pet."
• Impede (im PEED): To slow the progress of.
    - Example: "The retreating army constructed barbed-wire fences and destroyed bridges to impede the advance of the enemy."
• Obscure (ahb SKYUR):
    - (adj.) Relatively unknown.
    - (v.) To conceal or make indistinct.
    - Example: (adj.) "Scott constantly makes references to obscure cult films, and no one ever gets his jokes." (v.) "The man in front of me was so tall that his head obscured my view of the movie."
• Quandary (KWAHN dree): A state of uncertainty or perplexity.
    - Example: "Ann was in a quandary because she had no soap with which to do her laundry."

Group 5: Weaknesses and Sadness

• Indolent (IN duh lunt): Lazy.
    - Example: "Mr. Lan said his students were indolent because they had not done their homework."
• Insipid (in SIP id): Uninteresting; unchallenging.
    - Example: "That insipid movie was so boring and predictable."
• Lament (luh MENT): To express grief for; to mourn.
    - Example: "After Beowulf was killed by the dragon, the Geats wept and lamented his fate."
• Listless (LIST luss): Lacking energy.
    - Example: "Because he is accustomed to an active lifestyle, Mark feels listless when he has nothing to do."
• Melancholy (MEL un kaw lee): Sadness; depression.
    - Example: "Joy fell into a state of melancholy when her cell phone fell into the pool."
• Torpor (TOR per): Laziness; inactivity; dullness.
    - Example: "The hot and humid day filled everyone with an activity-halting torpor."

Group 6: Relationships and Differences

• Alliance (uh LIE uhns): A union of two or more groups.
    - Example: "The two countries formed an alliance to stand against their common enemy."
• Disparity (dis PAR uh tee): Inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference.
    - Example: "There is a great disparity between rich and poor in many nations."
• Impinge (im PINJ): Hinder; interfere with.
    - Example: "By not allowing the students to publish a newspaper, the school was impinging upon their right to free speech."
• Sanction (SANK shun):
    - (n.) An economic or military measure put in place to punish another country.
    - (v.) To give official authorization or approval.
    - Example: (n.) "In 1962, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Cuba to protest Fidel Castro’s dictatorship; travel and trade between the countries are severely restricted to this day." (v.) "The students were happy when the principal agreed to sanction the use of calculators in math classes."
• Servile (SER vile): Submissive; like a servant.
    - Example: "Cameron’s servile behavior finally ended when he decided to stand up to his older brother."
• Suppressed (suh PREST): Subdued; kept from being circulated.
    - Example: "The author’s book was suppressed because the dictator thought it was too critical of his regime."

Group 7: Enhancement and Improvement

• Embellish (em BELL ish): To beautify by ornamenting; to decorate.
    - Example: "We embellished the account of our vacation by including descriptions of the many colorful people and places we visited."
• Florid (FLOHR id): Describing flowery or elaborate speech.
    - Example: "The candidate’s speech was so florid that although no one could understand what he was talking about, they all agreed that he sounded good saying it."
• Opulent (AHP yuh lunt): Exhibiting a display of great wealth.
    - Example: "Dances at the king’s palace are always very opulent affairs because no expense is spared."
• Ornate (or NAYT): Elaborately decorated.
    - Example: "The carved wood was so ornate that you could examine it several times and still notice things you had not seen before."
• Ostentatious (ah sten TAY shus): Describing a showy or pretentious display.
    - Example: "Whenever the millionaire gave a party, the elaborate decorations and enormous amounts of food were always part of his ostentatious display of wealth."
• Poignant (POYN yunt): Profoundly moving; touching.
    - Example: "The most poignant part of the movie was when the father finally made peace with his son."

Group 8: Intense Emotions and Reactions

• Ebullience (ih BULL yuns): Intense enthusiasm.
    - Example: "A sense of ebullience swept over the crowd when the beloved underdog won the championship."
• Effusive (eh FYOO siv): Emotionally unrestrained; gushy.
    - Example: "Halle Berry was effusive in her thanks after winning the Oscar; she even burst into tears."
• Egregious (uh GREE jus): Conspicuously bad or offensive.
    - Example: "Forgetting to sterilize surgical tools before an operation would be an egregious error."
• Flagrant (FLAY grunt): Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable.
    - Example: "His throwing the pie at his teacher was a flagrant sign of disrespect."
• Frenetic (freh NEH tik): Wildly excited or active.
    - Example: "The pace at the busy office was frenetic; Megan never had a moment to catch her breath."

Group 9: Alleviation and Help

• Alleviate (uh LEEV ee ayt): To ease a pain or burden.
    - Example: "John took aspirin to alleviate the pain from the headache he got after taking the SAT."
• Asylum (uh SY lum): A place of retreat or security.
    - Example: "The soldiers sought asylum from the bombs in the underground shelter."
• Auspicious (aw SPISH us): Favorable; promising.
    - Example: "Our trip to the beach had an auspicious start; the rain stopped just as we started the car."
• Benevolent (buh NEH vuh lunt): Well-meaning; generous.
    - Example: "She was a kind and benevolent queen who was concerned about her subjects’ well-being."
• Benign (buh NINE): Kind and gentle.
    - Example: "Uncle Charlie is a benign and friendly man who is always willing to help."
• Mollify (MAHL uh fye): To calm or soothe.
    - Example: "Anna’s apology for scaring her brother did not mollify him; he was mad at her all day."
• Reclamation (rek luh MAY shun): The act of making something useful again.
    - Example: "Thanks to the reclamation project, the once unusable land became a productive farm."

Group 10: Doubt and Deception

• Dubious (DOO bee us): Doubtful; of unlikely authenticity.
    - Example: "Jerry’s claim that he could fly like Superman seemed dubious—we didn’t believe it."
• Fabricated (FAB ruh kay tid): Made; concocted to deceive.
    - Example: "Fabio fabricated the story that he used to play drums for Metallica; he had never actually held drumsticks in his life."
• Hypocrisy (hih PAHK ruh see): The practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity.
    - Example: "People who claim to be vegetarian but eat chicken and fish are guilty of hypocrisy."
• Slander (SLAN der): False charges and malicious oral statements about someone.
    - Example: "After the radio host stated that Monica was a space alien, she sued him for slander."
• Spurious (SPUR ee us): Not genuine.
    - Example: "The sportscaster made a spurious claim when he said that the San Antonio Spurs were undefeated."

Group 11: Shrewdness and Cunning

• Astute (uh STOOT): Shrewd; clever.
    - Example: "Kevin is financially astute; he never falls for the tricks that credit card companies play."
• Clandestine (klan DES tin): Secretive.
    - Example: "The spies planned a clandestine maneuver that depended on its secrecy to work."
• Coup (KOO): A brilliantly executed plan.
    - Example: "It was quite a coup when I talked the salesperson into selling me this valuable cuckoo clock for five dollars."
• Disingenuous (dis in JEN yoo us): Not straightforward; crafty.
    - Example: "Mr. Gelman was rather disingenuous; although he seemed to be simply asking about your health, he was really trying to figure out why you’d been absent."

Group 12: Tricks and Deception

• Ruse (ROOZ): A crafty trick.
    - Example: "The offer of a free cruise was merely a ruse to get people to listen to their sales pitch."
• Stratagem (STRAT uh jem): A clever trick used to deceive or outwit.
    - Example: "Planting microphones in the gangster’s home was a clever, but illegal, stratagem."
• Surreptitiously (sur ep TISH us lee): Done by secretive means.
    - Example: "Matt drank the cough syrup surreptitiously because he didn’t want anyone to know that he was sick."
• Wary (WAIR ee): On guard.
    - Example: "My father becomes wary whenever a salesman calls him on the phone; he knows that many crooks use the phone so that they can’t be charged with mail fraud."
• Wily (WYE lee): Cunning.
    - Example: "Each year, a new batch of wily campers devised ways to torture the cabin leader."

Group 13: Ambivalence and Uncertainty

• Ambiguous (am BIG yoo us): Open to more than one interpretation.
    - Example: "His eyes were an ambiguous color: some thought they were brown, and some thought they were green."
• Ambivalent (am BIH vuh lunt): Simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain.
    - Example: "She had ambivalent feelings about her dance class: on one hand, she enjoyed the exercise, but on the other hand, she thought the choice of dances could be more interesting."
• Apathetic (a puh THEH tik): Feeling or showing little emotion.
    - Example: "When the defendant was found guilty on all charges, her face remained expressionless and she appeared to be entirely apathetic."
• Arbitrary (AR bih trayr ee): Determined by impulse rather than reason.
    - Example: "The principal made the arbitrary decision that students could not wear hats in school without offering any logical reason for the rule."

Group 14: Dedication and Effort

• Assiduous (uh SID yoo us): Hard-working.
    - Example: "Spending hours in the hot sun digging out every tiny weed, Sidney tended her garden with assiduous attention."
• Compelling (kuhm PEL ing): Forceful; urgently demanding attention.
    - Example: "By ignoring the problems in the city, the mayor gave people a very compelling reason to vote him out of office."
• Diligent (DIL uh jent): Marked by painstaking effort; hard-working.
    - Example: "With a lot of diligent effort, they were able to finish the model airplane in record time."
• Dogged (DOG id): Stubbornly persevering.
    - Example: "Her first attempts ended in failure, but her dogged efforts ultimately resulted in success."
• Endure (en DUR): To put up with; to survive a hardship.
    - Example: "It was difficult to endure the incredibly boring lecture given in class the other day."
• Intrepid (in TREH pid): Courageous; fearless.
    - Example: "The intrepid young soldier scaled the wall and attacked the enemy forces despite being outnumbered 50 to 1."
• Maverick (MAV uh rik): One who is independent and resists adherence to a group.
    - Example: "In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise was a maverick; he often broke the rules and did things his own way."
• Obdurate (AHB dur ut): Stubborn; inflexible.
    - Example: "Leanna was so obdurate that she was unable to change her way of thinking on even the most minor issues."
• Obstinate (AHB stin ut): Stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action.
    - Example: "Even though he begged them constantly, Jeremy’s parents were obstinate in their refusal to buy him a Wii™."
• Proliferate (pro LIF er ayt): To grow or increase rapidly.
    - Example: "Because the number of cell phones has proliferated in recent years, many new area codes have been created to handle the demand for phone numbers."

Group 15: Growth and Cooperation

• Tenacity (ten ASS uh tee): Persistence.
    - Example: "With his overwhelming tenacity, Clark was finally able to interview Zac Efron for the school newspaper."
• Vitality (vy TA lih tee): Energy; power to survive.
    - Example: "After a few days of rest, the exhausted mountain climber regained his usual vitality."

Group 16: Adaptation and Change

• Assimilation (uh sim il AY shun): To absorb; to make similar.
    - Example: "For immigrants new to a country, assimilation can often be difficult."
• Consensus (kun SEN sus): General agreement.
    - Example: "After much debate, the committee came to a consensus, although they differed on minor points."
• Context (KAHN tekst): Circumstances of a situation; environment.
    - Example: "The senator complained that his statements had been taken out of context and were therefore misleading; he said that if the newspaper had printed the rest of his speech, it would have explained the statements in question."
• Derived (de RYVD): Copied or adapted from a source.
    - Example: "Many AP English Language and Composition questions are derived from older questions—the details may have been changed, but the same basic concept is being tested."
• Incumbent (in KUM bent): Imposed as a duty; obligatory.
    - Example: "Since you are the host, it is incumbent upon you to see that everyone is having fun."
• Inevitable (in EV ih tuh bul): Certain to happen; unavoidable.
    - Example: "Gaining a little extra weight during the wintertime is inevitable, especially after the holidays."
• Malleable (MAL ee uh bul): Easily shaped or formed; easily influenced.
    - Example: "Gold is malleable; it is easy to work with and can be hammered into very thin sheets."
• Subdue (sub DOO): To restrain; to hold back.
    - Example: "The referee had to subdue the players from the opposing teams; each accused the other of cheating."

Group 17: Understanding and Meaning

• Acquired (uh KWY erd): Developed or learned; not naturally occurring.
    - Example: "A love of opera is an acquired taste; almost nobody likes it the first time they hear it."
• Conception (kun SEP shun): The ability to form or understand an idea.
    - Example: "Most people have no conception of the enormous amount of genetic information present in a single living cell."
• Conviction (kun VIK shun): A fixed or strong belief.
    - Example: "Although he privately held onto his convictions, threats by the church caused Galileo to publicly denounce his theory that the Earth orbited the sun."
• Dogmatic (dog MAT ik): Stubbornly adhering to unproved beliefs.
    - Example: "Doug was dogmatic in his belief that exercising frequently boosts one’s immune system."
• Enlightening (en LITE uh ning): Informative; contributing to one’s awareness.
    - Example: "The Rosetta Stone was enlightening because it allowed linguists to begin to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs, which had previously been a mystery."
• Impression (im PREH shun): A feeling or understanding resulting from an experience.
    - Example: "It was my impression that I was supposed to throw a curve ball, but I must have been wrong because the catcher didn’t expect it."
• Intuition (in too ISH un): The power of knowing things without thinking; sharp insight.
    - Example: "Sherlock Holmes often relied upon his intuition to solve the most complex cases."
• Misconception (mis kun SEP shun): An incorrect understanding or interpretation.
    - Example: "His belief that storks bring babies was just one of his many misconceptions."
• Perception (per SEP shun): Awareness; insight.
    - Example: "The detective’s perception of people’s hidden feelings makes it easy for him to catch liars."
• Perspective (per SPEK tiv): Point of view.
    - Example: "People from the North and South viewed the Civil War from different perspectives—each side’s circumstances made it difficult for them to understand the other side."

Group 18: Innate Qualities and Changes

• Profound (pro FOWND): Having great depth or seriousness.
    - Example: "There was a profound silence during the ceremony in honor of those who died during World War II."
• Inherent (in HER ent): Inborn; built-in.
    - Example: "One of the inherent weaknesses of the AP English Language and Composition Exam is that a multiple-choice test, by definition, cannot allow students to be creative in their answers."
• Innate (in AYT): Possessed from birth; inborn.
    - Example: "Cats have an innate ability to see well in the dark; they are born with this skill and do not need to develop it."
• Inveterate (in VET uh rit): Long established; deep-rooted; habitual.
    - Example: "Stan has always had trouble telling the truth; in fact, he’s an inveterate liar."
• Omnipotent (om NIP uh tent): All-powerful.
    - Example: "He liked to think that he was an omnipotent manager, but he really had very little control over anything."
• Proximity (prahk SIM ih tee): Closeness.
    - Example: "I try to sit far away from Roxy—I don’t like sitting in proximity to her because she wears too much perfume."

Group 19: Transition and Movement

• Elusive (il OO siv): Difficult to capture, as in something fleeting.
    - Example: "The girl’s expression was elusive; the painter had a hard time recreating it on the canvas."
• Emigrate (EM ih grayt): To leave one country or region and settle in another.
    - Example: "Many Jews left Russia and emigrated to Israel after it was founded in 1948."
• Transient (TRAN zhi unt): Passing away with time; passing from one place to another.
    - Example: "Jack Dawson enjoyed his transient lifestyle; with nothing but the clothes on his back and the air in his lungs, he was free to travel wherever he wanted."
• Transitory (TRAN zih tor ee): Short-lived or temporary.
    - Example: "The sadness she felt was only transitory; the next day her mood improved."

Group 20: Friendly Traits

• Affable (AF uh bul): Easy-going; friendly.
    - Example: "We enjoyed spending time with Mr. Lee because he was such a pleasant, affable man."
• Amenable (uh MEN uh bul): Responsive; agreeable.
    - Example: "Because we had been working hard all day, the group seemed amenable to my suggestion that we all go home early."
• Camaraderie (kahm RAH duh ree): Goodwill between friends.
    - Example: "There was great camaraderie among the members of the team; they were friends both on and off the field."
• Cordial (KOR jul): Friendly; sincere.
    - Example: "Upon my arrival at camp, I received a warm and cordial greeting from the counselors."
• Facetious (fuh SEE shus): Treating a serious issue with inappropriate humor; flippant.
    - Example: "He lost his job when he made a facetious remark to his boss."

Group 21: Aesthetic Qualities

• Aesthetic (es THET ik): Having to do with the appreciation of beauty.
    - Example: "The arrangement of paintings in the museum was due to aesthetic considerations; as long as the paintings looked good together, it didn’t matter who painted them or when they were painted."
• Anthology (an THAH luh jee): A collection of literary pieces.
    - Example: "This anthology contains all of William Shakespeare’s sonnets, but none of his plays."
• Contemporary (kun TEM puh rer ee): Current; modern; from the same time.
    - Example: "Contemporary music is very different from the music of the 1920s."
• Dilettante (dih luh TAHNT): One with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge.
    - Example: "You can’t trust Betsy’s opinion because she’s just a dilettante who doesn’t understand the subtleties of the painting."

Group 22: Artistic Representations

• Eclectic (uh KLEK tik): Made up of a variety of sources or styles.
    - Example: "Lou’s taste in music is eclectic; he listens to everything from rap to polka."
• Excerpt (EK serpt): A selected part of a passage or scene.
    - Example: "We read the excerpt from Romeo and Juliet in which Juliet says, 'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?'
• Genre (ZHAHN ruh): Describing a category or artistic endeavor.
    - Example: "Gene enjoyed only science-fiction movies; in fact, he never went to see anything that was not in that genre."
• Medley (MED lee): An assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces.
    - Example: "At the concert, the band played a medley of songs from its first album, cutting an hour’s worth of music down to five minutes."
• Mural (MYUR ul): A large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface.
    - Example: "The mural on the wall of the library showed the signing of the Declaration of Independence."
• Narrative (NAR uh tiv):
    - (adj.) Characterized by the telling of a story.
    - (n.) A story.
    - Example: (n.) "Tony gave us a running narrative of the game, since he was the only one who could see over the fence." (adj.) "Narrative non-fiction is a very popular genre."
• Parody (PAR uh dee): An artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect.
    - Example: "The Onion is a satirical publication that is a parody of other, nonsatirical newspapers that give real, true news."
• Realism (REE uh liz um): Artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy.
    - Example: "His photographs have a stark realism that conveys the true horror of the war."
• Virtuoso (ver choo OH so): A tremendously skilled artist.
    - Example: "Some people say that J Mascis is a guitar virtuoso because of his amazing work in Dinosaur Jr.—others say that his music is just noise."

Group 23: Appropriateness and Politeness

• Decorous (DEK er us): Proper; marked by good taste.
    - Example: "The class was well-behaved and the substitute was grateful for their decorous conduct."
• Equanimity (ee kwuh NIH muh tee): The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure.
    - Example: "She showed great equanimity; she did not panic even in the face of catastrophe."
• Modest (MAH dist): Quiet or humble in manner or appearance.
    - Example: "Although Mr. Phillips is well-off financially, he lives in a modest, simple home."
• Propriety (pruh PRY uh tee): Appropriateness of behavior.
    - Example: "Anyone who blows his nose on the tablecloth has no sense of propriety."
• Prudent (PROO dunt): Exercising good judgment or common sense.
    - Example: "It wouldn’t be prudent to act until you’ve considered every possible outcome."
• Serene (suh REEN): Calm.
    - Example: "The quiet seaside resort provided a much-needed vacation in a serene locale."
• Staid (STAYD): Unemotional; serious.
    - Example: "Mr. Carver had such a staid demeanor that he remained calm while everyone else celebrated the team’s amazing victory."
• Stoic (STOH ihk): Indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive.
    - Example: "Not one to complain, Jason was stoic in accepting his punishment."

Group 24: Disapproval and Malice

• Condemn (kun DEM): To express strong disapproval of; denounce.
    - Example: "Homer Simpson condemned Mayor Quimby for allowing the schoolchildren to drink spoiled milk; he was outraged and let the mayor know it."
• Discredit (dis CRED it): To cause to be doubted.
    - Example: "The claim that pi is exactly equal to 3 can be discredited simply by careful measurement."
• Disparage (dis PAR uj): To speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle.
    - Example: "Glen disparaged Wanda’s work as being careless and unoriginal."
• Pejorative (puh JOR uh tiv): Describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone.
    - Example: "Teachers should refrain from using such pejorative terms as numbskull when dealing with students who need encouragement."

Group 25: Trickery and Harm

• Plagiarism (PLAY juh riz um): The act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one’s own.
    - Example: "The author was accused of plagiarism when an older manuscript was discovered that contained passages that she had used, word for word, in her own book."
• Vilify (VIL uh fye): To make vicious statements about.
    - Example: "Chad issued a series of pamphlets that did nothing but vilify his opponent, but his cruel accusations were not enough to win him the election."

Group 26: Abruptness and Sarcasm

• Brusque (BRUSK): Rudely abrupt.
    - Example: "Mr. Weird was a brusque teacher who didn’t take time to talk to, or listen to, his students."
• Caustic (KAW stik): Bitingly sarcastic or witty.
    - Example: "He had a very caustic wit, and he seldom told a joke without offending someone."
• Fractious (FRAK shus): Quarrelsome; unruly.
    - Example: "Leonard was a fractious child who disagreed with everything and refused to listen."
• Incorrigible (in KOR ij uh bul): Unable to be reformed.
    - Example: "She is absolutely incorrigible; no matter how many times you punish her, she goes right ahead and misbehaves."
• Ingrate (IN grayt): An ungrateful person.
    - Example: "It is a true ingrate who can accept favor after favor and never offer any thanks."
• Insolent (IN suh lunt): Insulting in manner or speech.
    - Example: "It was extremely insolent of him to stick his tongue out at the principal."
• Notorious (noh TOR ee us): Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous.
    - Example: "Al Capone was a notorious gangster in the 1930s; he was feared throughout America."
• Pugnacious (pug NAY shus): Combative; belligerent.
    - Example: "Lorenzo was a pugnacious child who settled his differences by fighting with people."
• Reprehensible (rep ree HEN si bul): Worthy of blame.
    - Example: "It was reprehensible of the girls to spit their gum in their teacher’s water bottle; they had detention for a week."

Group 27: Harmful Effects and Negative Relations

• Deleterious (del uh TEER ee us): Having a harmful effect; injurious.
    - Example: "Although it may seem unlikely, taking too many vitamins can actually have a deleterious effect on your health."
• Enmity (EN muh tee): Mutual hatred or ill-will.
    - Example: "There was a great enmity between the opposing generals, and each wanted to destroy the other."
• Heinous (HAY nus): Hatefully evil; abominable.
    - Example: "To murder someone in cold blood is a heinous crime."
• Malfeasance (mal FEEZ uns): Wrongdoing, misconduct.
    - Example: "The senator was accused of malfeasance after he was caught taking bribes."
• Malice (MAL is): Extreme ill-will or spite.
    - Example: "It was clear that he was acting with malice when he disconnected the brakes in his business partner’s car."
• Putrid (PYOO trid): Rotten.
    - Example: "He threw his lunch in the bottom of his locker every day and it was a putrid mess by the end of the year—rotten bananas, moldy sandwiches, and curdled milk were some of the more disgusting ingredients."
• Rancorous (RANK er us): Hateful; marked by deep-seated ill-will.
    - Example: "They had such a rancorous relationship that no one could believe they had ever gotten along."
• Toxic (TAHK sik): Poisonous.
    - Example: "Since many chemicals are toxic, drinking from random flasks in the chemistry lab could be hazardous to your health."

Group 28: Old-Fashioned and Outdated Concepts

• Archaic (ar KAY ik): Characteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned.
    - Example: "'How dost thou?' is an archaic way of saying, 'How are you?'
• Hackneyed (HACK need): Worn out through overuse; trite.
    - Example: "All my mom could offer in the way of advice were these hackneyed old phrases that I’d heard a hundred times before."

Group 29: Historical Contexts

• Medieval (med EE vul): Referring to the Middle Ages; old-fashioned.
    - Example: "His ideas about fashion were positively medieval; he thought that a man should always wear a coat and tie and a woman should always wear a dress."
• Obsolete (ahb suh LEET): No longer in use; old-fashioned.
    - Example: "Eight-track tape players are obsolete because music isn’t recorded in that format anymore."

Group 30: Dullness and Predictability

• Austere (aw STEER): Without decoration; strict.
    - Example: "The gray walls and bare floors provided a very austere setting."
• Mediocrity (mee dee AH krih tee): The state or quality of being average; of moderate to low quality.
    - Example: "Salieri said that he was the patron saint of mediocrity because his work could never measure up to Mozart’s."
• Mundane (mun DAYN): Commonplace; ordinary.
    - Example: "We hated going to class every day because it was so mundane; we never did anything interesting."
• Ponderous (PAHN duh rus): Extremely dull.
    - Example: "The 700-page book on the anatomy of the flea was so ponderous that I could not read more than one paragraph."
• Prosaic (pro ZAY ik): Unimaginative; dull.
    - Example: "Rebecca made a prosaic mosaic—it consisted of only one tile."
• Sedentary (SEH dun tair ee): Not migratory; settled.
    - Example: "Galatea led a sedentary existence; she never even left her home unless she had to."

Group 31: Anxiety and Fear

• Apprehension (a preh HEN shun): Anxiety or fear about the future.
    - Example: "In the 1960s, my grandmother felt apprehension about nuclear war, so my grandfather built a bomb shelter in the backyard to calm her fears."
• Harbinger (HAR bin jer): Something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner.
    - Example: "When it is going to rain, insects fly lower, so cows lie down to get away from them; therefore, the sight of cows lying down is a harbinger of rain."

Group 32: Threats and Warnings

• Ominous (AH min us): Menacing; threatening.
    - Example: "The rattling under the hood sounded ominous because we were miles from the nearest town and would have been stranded if the car had broken down."
• Premonition (prem uh NISH un): A feeling about the future.
    - Example: "Luckily, my premonition that I would break my neck skiing was unfounded; unluckily, I broke my leg."
• Timorous (TIM uh rus): Timid; fearful about the future.
    - Example: "Tiny Tim was timorous; he was afraid that one day he would be crushed by a giant."
• Trepidation (trep uh DAY shun): Uncertainty; apprehension.
    - Example: "We approached Mrs. Fielding with trepidation because we didn’t know how she would react to our request for a field trip."

Group 33: Introduction and Novelty

• Innovative (IN no vay tiv): Introducing something new.
    - Example: "The shop on the corner has become known for its innovative use of fruit on its pizzas."
• Naive (nah YEEV): Lacking sophistication.
    - Example: "It was naive of him to think that he could write a novel in one afternoon."
• Nascent (NAY sunt): Coming into existence; emerging.
    - Example: "If you study Coldplay’s first album, you can see their nascent abilities that were brought to maturity by their second album."
• Novel (NAH vul): Strikingly new or unusual.
    - Example: "Sharon’s novel approach to the problem stunned the scientific community; no one had ever thought to apply game theory to genetics."
• Novice (NAH vis): A beginner.
    - Example: "Having only played chess a couple of times, Barry was a novice compared with the contestants who had been playing all their lives."

Group 34: Sincerity and Openness

• Candor (KAN der): Sincerity; openness.
    - Example: "It’s refreshing to hear Lora’s honesty and candor—when asked about her English teacher, she said, 'I can’t stand her!'"
• Frank (FRANK): Open and sincere in expression; straightforward.
    - Example: "When Jim lost my calculator, he was frank with me; he admitted to losing it without trying to make up some excuse."

Group 35: Environmental Terms

• Arid (AYR id): Describing a dry, rainless climate.
    - Example: "Since they receive little rain, deserts are known for their arid climates."
• Conflagration (kahn fluh GRAY shun): A widespread fire.
    - Example: "In dry weather conditions, even the smallest spark can start the biggest conflagration."
• Nocturnal (nok TER nul): Of or occurring in the night.
    - Example: "Owls are nocturnal animals because they sleep during the day and hunt at night."
• Sonorous (SAH nuh rus): Producing a deep or full sound.
    - Example: "My father’s sonorous snoring keeps me up all night unless I close my door and wear earplugs."

Group 36: Quantity and Abundance

• Ample (AM pul): Describing a large amount of something.
    - Example: "Because no one else wanted to try the new soda, Andy was able to have an ample sample."
• Comprehensive (kahm prih HEN siv): Large in scope or content.
    - Example: "The final exam was comprehensive, covering everything that we had learned that year."
• Copious (KOH pee us): Plentiful; having a large quantity.
    - Example: "She had taken copious notes during class, using up five large notebooks."

Group 37: Spreading and Flowing

• Permeated (PER mee ay tid): Spread or flowing throughout.
    - Example: "On the warm summer night, the smell of jasmine permeated the air."
• Pervasive (per VAY siv): Dispersed throughout.
    - Example: "In this part of town, graffiti is pervasive—it’s everywhere."
• Prodigious (pruh DIJ us): Enormous.
    - Example: "The shattered vase required a prodigious amount of glue to repair."
• Replete (ruh PLEET): Abundantly supplied; filled to capacity.
    - Example: "After a successful night of trick-or-treating, Dee’s bag was replete with Halloween candy."

Group 38: Listing and Organization

• Catalog (KAT uh log): (v.) To make an itemized list of.
    - Example: "He decided to catalog his expenses for the week, hoping that this list would show him where he could cut back his spending."
• Exemplary (eg ZEM pluh ree): Commendable; worthy of imitation.
    - Example: "Jay’s behavior was exemplary; his parents wished that his brother, Al, were more like him."
• Facile (FAS ul): Done or achieved with little effort; easy.
    - Example: "Last night’s math homework was such a facile task that I was done in ten minutes."
• Fastidious (fas TID ee us): Possessing careful attention to detail; difficult to please.
    - Example: "She was a very fastidious person and liked to have everything just so."
• Hierarchy (HY er ar kee): A group organized by rank.
    - Example: "With each promotion raising him higher, Archie moved up in his company’s hierarchy."
• Idealize (eye DEE uh lyze): To consider perfect.
    - Example: "The fans had idealized the new star pitcher; they had such unrealistically high expectations that they were bound to be disappointed."
• Laudatory (LAW duh tor ee): Giving praise.
    - Example: "The principal’s speech was laudatory, congratulating the students on their AP exam scores."

Group 39: Diligence and Practicality

• Meticulous (muh TIK yuh lus): Extremely careful and precise.
    - Example: "The plastic surgeon was meticulous; he didn’t want to leave any scars."
• Paramount (PAR uh mount): Of chief concern or importance.
    - Example: "The workers had many minor complaints, but the paramount reason for their unhappiness was the low pay."
• Pragmatic (prag MAT ik): Practical.
    - Example: "Never one for wild and unrealistic schemes, Amy took a pragmatic approach to research."
• Solvent (SAHL vunt): Able to pay one’s debts.
    - Example: "After five years of losing money, the business has finally solved its financial problems and become solvent."
• Venerated (VEN er ay tid): Highly respected.
    - Example: "Princess Diana was venerated for her dedication to banning land mines around the world; people today still sing her praises."

Group 40: Abstract and Conceptual Terms

• Abstract (ab STRAKT): Not applied to actual objects.
    - Example: "'Justice' is an abstract concept because it is merely an idea."
• Alienated (AY lee en ay tid): Removed or disassociated from (friends, family, or homeland).
    - Example: "Rudolph felt alienated from the other reindeer because they never let him join in their reindeer games."
• Anachronism (an A krun ism): Something out of place in time or sequence.
    - Example: "The audience couldn’t tell if it was a stylistic choice or an anachronism when the character in the period drama used their cellphone."
• Anthropomorphism (an thrah puh MOR fizm): The attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature.
    - Example: "Beatrix Potter is known for her children’s books filled with anthropomorphism; Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, and Samuel Whiskers are all animal characters with very human qualities."

Group 41: Literary Devices and Functions

• Apology (uh PAWL uh gee): Defense of an idea.
    - Example: "Du Bellay wrote an apology in which he justified the use of French in place of Latin."
• Apparatus (app uh RAT us): Equipment; a group of machines.
    - Example: "The storeroom behind the physics lab was filled with a cumbersome apparatus that has since been replaced by a much smaller and more accurate piece of equipment."
• Apposition (app uh ZIH shun): A grammar construction in which a noun (or noun phrase) is placed with another as an explanation.
    - Example: "Apposition, the grammatical construction used here, is a popular way to describe a term using nouns rather than adjectives."
• Archetype (AR keh type): A perfect example; an original pattern or model.
    - Example: "Steve enjoyed stealing candy from babies, tripping elderly women in crosswalks, and pilfering money from the Save the Children charity jar; he was the archetype of pure evil."
• Brittle (BRIT ul): Easily broken when subjected to pressure.
    - Example: "That antique vase is so brittle that it may break at any moment."
• Chiasmus (ky AZ muss): An inversion in the second of two parallel phrases.
    - Example: "John F. Kennedy’s 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country' is an example of chiasmus."
• Gesticulating (jes TIK yeh lay ting): Making gestures while speaking.
    - Example: "The commencement speaker’s gesticulating hands were quite distracting; the students had stopped listening to her words and were now counting the number of times she made awkward gestures."
• Hypothetical (hye puh THET ih kul): Existing only as an assumption or speculation.
    - Example: "Heather wondered why her class had to study hypothetical cases when they had actual case histories they could look at."
• Lexicon (LEKS uh kahn): The vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.
    - Example: "Every time I learn a new word, I add it to my lexicon."
• Metonymy (meh TAHN uh mee): A type of figurative language in which one term is substituted for another term with which it is closely associated.
    - Example: "'Today, Capitol Hill (U.S. Congress) voted on the Internet Privacy bill' is an example of metonymy."

Group 42: Contradictions and Literary Analysis

• Oxymoron (ahk see MORE on): An apparent contradiction of terms.
    - Example: "Angela spent her lazy summer afternoon contemplating oxymorons: 'freezer burn,' 'plastic glasses,' and 'deafening silence' were among her favorites."
• Panegyric (pan eh JIR ik): Statement of high praise.
    - Example: "For his senior essay, Boris wrote an eloquent panegyric to his high school; he had truly enjoyed the last four years, and he wanted his teachers to know how much he appreciated them."
• Paradigm (PAR a dym): An example or model.
    - Example: "The current educational paradigm has students engaged in discovery-based learning, whereas the older model had teachers lecturing and students merely taking notes."
• Parallelism (PARE uh lell izm): A grammar construction in which two identical syntactic constructions are used.
    - Example: "On Mondays, Ms. Smith spends her time baking cakes for local charities and knitting socks for the homeless."
• Penitent (PEN ih tunt): Expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds.
    - Example: "His desire to make amends to the people he had wronged indicated that he was truly penitent, so the parole board let him out of prison."
• Period (periodic sentence) (PEER ee uhd): A long, complex, grammatically correct sentence.
    - Example: "While writing his essay, Sam thought he was being very articulate with his long, complex sentences. However, his English teacher disagreed; those lengthy sentences weren’t periods; they were simply rambling run-ons."
• Pernicious (per NIH shus): Causing great harm.
    - Example: "In Mean Girls, the Plastics loved to spread pernicious rumors about their classmates; they effectively ruined the social lives of several students with their nasty gossip."
• Phenomenon (feh NAH meh nahn): An unusual, observable event.
    - Example: "The phenomenon of lightning remained unexplained until scientists discovered electricity."
• Propitious (pruh PIH shus): Presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious.
    - Example: "In Chinese culture, the color red is seen as a sort of propitious omen; red is thought to bring luck."

Group 43: Logical Reasoning and Interpretation

• Rational (RASH un ul): Logical; motivated by reason rather than feeling.
    - Example: "While Joe is more impulsive, Frank is more rational because he thinks things through rather than acting on his feelings."
• Sardonic (sar DAH nik): Disdainfully or ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic.
    - Example: "In Rachel’s group of friends, Estelle was known as the sardonic one; sometimes her sarcastic comments really hurt the other girls."
• Syllogism (syllogistic reasoning) (SIH luh jih zum): A form of deductive reasoning: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.
    - Example: "Humans are mortal (major premise); Seth is human (minor premise); Seth is mortal (conclusion)."
• Synecdoche (sin ECK duh kee): A form of metonymy that’s restricted to cases where a part is used to signify the whole.
    - Example: "A thousand swords came charging toward us from the nearby mountain range; we could hear the angry army as it marched closer and closer."
• Theoretical (thee oh RET ih kul): Lacking application or practical application.
    - Example: "Theoretical physics is concerned with ideas, whereas applied physics is concerned with using ideas."
• Truncated (TRUN kay tid): Shortened; cut off.
    - Example: "The file Chris downloaded from the Internet was truncated; the end of it was missing."