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