AP Lang List of Terms
independent clause
a clause that can stand by itself as a simple sentence, contains a subject and a predicate and makes sense by itself
assertion
a confident and forceful statement of a fact or belief
hyperbole
a figure of speech in which an author obviously and purposefully exaggerates to an extreme
antithesis
a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition - when two opposites are introduced together for contrasting effect
erotema
a question that is asked without expecting an answer because the answer is strongly implied
allusion
a reference to something else - writer mentions some other work, or refers to an earlier part of the current work
allegory
a story within a story - it has a "surface story" and another story hidden underneath
synesthesia
a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters, or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense, like hearing, sight, smell, and touch at a given time
rhetoric
a technique of using language effectively and persuasively in written form; employs various methods to convince, influence or please an audience
anecdote
a very short story that is significant to the topic at hand usually adding personal knowledge or experiences
denotation
a word or things literal meaning or main definition
polemic
aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another
subordinate clause
aka dependent clause; typically introduced by a conjunction, that forms a part of and is dependent on a main clause
antecedent
an expression that gives its meaning to a proform ex: the dog at the shelter is loud and energetic but we still love him
litotes
an understatement in which a positive statement is expressed by negating it opposite
logos
appeal to logic and reason
counterargument
argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory developed in another argument
concession
argument strategy where a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of the opponents point
rhetorical quesiton
asked just for effect, or to lay emphasis on some point being discussed when no real answer is expected
rebuttal
attempt to disprove, contradict, or argue to overcome an opposing reasoning and evidence to destroy the effect of the previous one
pathetic fallacy
attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of nature
aphorism
brief saying that expresses a opinion or wisdom without flowery language
consonance
combination of consistently copied consonants; when the same consonant appears repeatedly in a line or sentence creating a rhythmic effect
metaphor
common figure of speech that makes a comparison (without using like or as) of two unrelated objects
diaskeue
descriptions that are graphic, and are in the manner that would arouse emotions
pathos
designated to inspire emotions from readers
fallacy
erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention
meiosis
euphemistic figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that is less significant than it really is
connotation
feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal meaning
conduplicato
figure of repetition in which the key word or words in one phrase, clause, or sentence is/are repeated at or near the beginning of successive sentences
understatement
figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situtation seem less important than that really is
synecdoche
figure of speech in which a part of something is used to signify the whole or vise-versa; allows for a smaller component of something to stand for the larger whole
zeugma
figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or adjective applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas
personificatoin
figure of speech in which an idea or thing is given human attributes and/ or feelings or is spoken as if it were human
anastrophe
figure of speech in which the normal work order of the subject, the verb, and the object is changed
hysteron proteron
figure of speech in which which should come last is put first
oxymoron
figure of speech pairing two words together that are opposing; creates impression enhancing a conflict, and even entertaining
metonymy
figure of speech that replaces words with a related or associated word; typically part of a larger whole
ethos
focuses attention on the writers or speaker's trustworthiness, establishes credibility
chiasmus
grammatical structure that inverts the previous phrase; saying one thing, and then say something very similar but flipped around
phrase
grammatical term, which is a group of words, functions as a meaningful part or unit with a clause or sentence
clause
group of words that contains both a subject and predicate, there are two types: independent and dependent
speaker
in writing it is the voice that speaks behind the scene, tells the writer's feelings or the situation in poetry, the writer isn't always the speaker, they could be writing from a different pov
imagery
language used by writers to create images in the mind of the reader
audience
listeners or spectators of a speech or performance or the intended leadership for a piece of writing
satire
literary device for the artful ridicule of a folly or vice as a means of exposing or correcting it; generally subject is human fraitily as it manifests in people's behavior ideas as well as societal institutions or other creations
analogy
literary technique in which two unrelated objects are compared for their shared qualities
anticipation of objection
making an effort to see the other's viewpoints by making an effort actually stating the other viewpoints
red herring
misleading or false clue that leads readers down the wrong path or otherwise distract them from what is actually going on
archaism
old word or expression that is no longer used with its original meaning or is only used in specific fields of study
refutation
part of an argument where a speaker or writer encounters contradicting povs
juxtaposition
placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences
euphamism
polite, mild, phrases which substitute unpleasant ways of saying something sad or uncomfortable
apostrophe
punctuation mark used to indicate possession or the omission of letters or numbers
kairos
refers to making exactly the right time to say or do a particular
diction
refers to word choice and phrasing in any written or spoken text aka pronunciation
parallelism
repetition of grammatical elements in writing and speaking, influences he grammatical structure of sentences but can impact the meaning of thoughts, can be a figure of speech, featuring the repetition of a word for emphasis, or can be used to create a parallel position between opposite ideas through grammatical elements as a means of emphasizing contrast
assonance
repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences
mesodiplosis
repetition of the same word or words in the middle of successive sentences
antimetabole
repetition of words in successive clauses
paralipsis
rhetoric device in which an idea is deliberately suggested through a brief treatment of a subject, while most of the significant points are omitted
apophasis
rhetorical device wherein the speaker or writer brings up a subject by either denying it or denying that is should be brought up
praeteritio
rhetorical term for the argumentative strategy of calling attention to a point by seeming to disregard it
tricolon
rhetorical term that consists of three parallel clauses, phrases, or words that happen to come in quick succession without any interruption
periodic sentence
sentence in which the completion of the main clause is left to the end, thus creating an effect of suspense
syntax
set of rules in a language, dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought
asyndeton
skipping one or more conjunction which are usually used in a series of phrases
symbol
something that stands for or suggests something else; represents something beyond literal meaning
propaganda
spreading of rumors, false information, or an idea in order to influence the opinion of society
paradox
statement that appears at first to be contradictory, but upon reflection then makes sense; used to engage the reader to discover an underlying logic
polysndeton
stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect
persona
the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others
subject
the first part in a sentence about which the second part, the predicate, tells something; performs the actoin or indicates what or whom the sentence is about
anadiplosis
the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause
style
the way a writer writes, technique that an individual author uses in their writing; depends upon syntax, word choice, and tone
occasion
time and place of the piece; the context that prompted the writing
simile
two essentially dissimilar objects or concepts are compared with one another through the use of like or as
figurative language
use of words in a way that deviates from the conventional order and meaning in order to convey a complicated meaning
anaphora
when a certain word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of clauses or sentences that follow each other
epistrophe
when a certain word or phrase is repeated at the end of sentences or clauses that follow each other
irony/ironic
when there are two contradicting meanings of the same situation, event, image, sentence, phrase, or story; refers to the difference between expectations and reality
colloquial/ colloquialism
word or phrase that is not form or literary; typically used in familiar conversation
figure of speech
word or phrase using figurative language; rely on implied or suggested meaning rather than the dictionary definition
onomatopoeia
word which imitates the natural sound of a thing; creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described
alliteration
words that begin with the same sound are placed close together - repetition of sounds