AP Lang Unit 1-4 Key Terms
Subject - The literal topic or issue addressed in a text.
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Purpose - The goal that a writer hopes to accomplish within a text (e.g., to persuade, narrate, explain, evaluate).
Introduction - The opening of an argument that engages the audience, establishes the writer’s purpose, and provides context for the subject.
Conclusion - The ending of an argument that brings unity and closure to the reasoning.
Evidence - Information, details, and/or data used to support a reason within an argument.
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Reasons - A sub-claim that justifies and validates an argument’s claim.
Definition - A method of development that explains a word, subject, or concept.
Analogy - The presentation of two things as similar based on common attributes, often used to explain an unfamiliar subject using objects and concepts that are more familiar to an audience.
Negation - A strategy for definition that uses contrast to explain what something is not.
Diction/Word Choice - The specific word choices writers make to convey their ideas.
Ambiguity - Language or writing that is imprecise or vague, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Antecedent - The original noun that is replaced by a pronoun
Modifier - Any word, phrase, or clause that qualifies, clarifies, or specifies another word, phrase, or clause.
Jargon - Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Colloquialisms = slang terms, regional expressions, and other informal language.
Unit 3:
Claim = A writer’s defensible position that includes a unifying idea and perspective about the subject
Thesis = The formal expression of a writer’s claim (idea and perspective) about a subject.
Rhetorical situation= The strategic and intentional decisions a writer makes to achieve specific effects.
Exigence = The part of a rhetorical situation that inspires, stimulates, or provokes a writer to create a text.
Message = The writer’s claim (idea and perspective) that is developed with reasoning and evidence.
Purpose = The goal that a writer hopes to accomplish within a text (e.g., to persuade, narrate, explain, evaluate)
Position = the side that a writer takes on the subject of an argument.
Perspective = A writer’s stance about an idea related to a subject; the lens through which a subject is viewed.
Reasons =A sub-claim that justifies and validates an argument’s claim.
Epiphanies = A moment of sudden revelation, insight, or awareness.
Figurative language =Comparisons (analogies, metaphors, similes, personifications) that draw upon concrete objects to represent abstract ideas.
Tone = A writer’s attitude toward the subject expressed through diction, syntax, and other elements of style.
Denotations = The relatively neutral dictionary definition of a word.
Connotations = The sensory, emotional, or cultural associations of a word.
Persuasive = A rhetorical purpose that asks the audience to think or act in a specific way.
Valid = The outcome that results when all of the reasons justify a claim within an argument.
Credibility = The audience’s trust in the writer’s authority, honesty, and perspective.
Relevant evidence = Information that directly supports the reasons and claims of an argument.
Sufficient evidence = The inclusion of enough relevant information and data to support a line of reasoning.
Typical evidence = Evidence that is representative of a population or issue.
Accurate evidence = Verifiable information or data that can be confirmed by other credible sources.
Line of reasoning = The sequence of reasons that work together to support the unifying idea and perspective of a writer’s argument.
Induction = An organizational strategy that moves from specific observations to broad generalizations.
Deduction = An organizational strategy that begins with a broad generalization and moves to specific observations.
Syntax/Syntactical choices - The specific selection and arrangement of sentences within a text.
Juxtaposition - The specific selection and arrangement of sentences within a text.
Antithesis - A contrast of ideas presented in parallel grammatical structure.
Parallel structure - The repetition of words or phrases in similar syntax (or word order) to emphasize the equality between words, subjects, and ideas.
Rhetorical Questions - A syntactical device that a writer uses to compel the audience to pause and reflect rather than respond with a literal answer.
Repetition - A rhetorical strategy in which a writer uses a word, phrase, sentence, or other element two or more times for effect or emphasis.
Fragment - A broken thought or idea, or an incomplete part of a sentence used intentionally for emphasis.
Context - The time, place, and occasion that a text was created, delivered, or read.
Synthesis - An argument that integrates multiple sources to support a claim.
Unifying Idea - A single abstract concept that controls a line of reasoning.
Sources - A person or organization from which information is taken and used to support or refute reasons in an argument.
Expository arguments - A rhetorical purpose that gives an explanation of a subject, often through definition, process, or causality.
Process Analysis - A method of development that explains how something works, how to do something, or how something is/was done.
Transitions - Words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs that illustrate relationships among ideas and contribute to coherence.
Coherence - A writer’s strategy to illustrate the relationship between sentences, paragraphs, information, and ideas within a text.
Style - The cumulative effect of a writer’s choices, including diction, syntax, tone, and other elements of writing.
Imagery - The written expression of a sensory experience, such as sound, sight, smell, touch, or taste.