AP Lang Unit 3 Multiple Choice Vocab Words
Ad hominem fallacy
"against a person" part of argumentation and it does not address the soundness of another side's argument, instead it attacks the character of a person who conveys that other side of the argument.
Bandwagon appeal/fallacy
appeal to everyone's sense of wanting to belong or be accepted.
Pathos
appeal to the emotions or interests of the audience
Argumentum Ad Baculum
appeals to false or perceived the threat of force to bring about the acceptance of a conclusion
Slippery slope fallacy
assumes that one action will lead to another similar action that in turn will lead to another and to another, ultimately resulting in something quite undesirable
Tone
attitude or posture of a writer/speaker's expression. Subtext, expression has an understatement
Cumulative sentence
begin with the independent clause and then finishes with a series of modifying constructions
Epanalepsis
beginning of a clause or sentence is repeated at the end of that same clause or sentence, with words intervening.
Subordinate clauses
cannot stand on its own as a sentence
Similes
comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as." Therefore, it is a direct comparison.
perplexed
completely baffled; very puzzled.
Warrant/Toulmin Warrant
creates a common ground with the audience so that they see the support. Acts as a bridge
imagery
description that appeals to our five senses.
Imperative sentence
direct command to someone
Hyperbole
exaggeration or embellishment for effect or the make a point
Favorable
expressing approval.
connotatively charged diction
feelings and emotions that accompany a word.
supplicant
fervently religious person who prays to God for help with a problem, and it can also be someone who begs earnestly for something he or she wants.
Exemplum
figure of amplification using an example, brief or extended real of fictitious, to illustrate a point
oxymoronic/paradoxical language
figure of speech in which two seemingly opposing and contradictory elements are juxtaposed.
Apostrophe
figure of speech sometimes represented by an exclamation, such as "Oh." A writer or speaker, using apostrophe, speaks directly to someone who is not present or is dead, or speaks to an inanimate object.
Complex sentence
focuses on a question of truth or fact, introduced by if or its equivalent
Personification
form of figurative language in which something that is not human is given human characteristics.
sanctioning
give official permission or approval for (an action).
Indifferent
having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned.
Narrative place
how quickly it moves from on event or action to another. Create mood, tone, attitude, and significance of information
mock-heroic
imitating the style of heroic literature in order to satirize an unheroic subject.
Parody
imitation of a particular writer, artist, or genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect
Metaphor
implied comparison between 2 unlike things
false analogy
informal fallacy. It applies to inductive arguments. It is an informal fallacy because the error is about what the argument is about, and not the argument itself
Didactic
intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
Officious
intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering.
Immunity
lack of susceptibility, especially to something unwelcome or harmful.
Ethos
language employed in a text to establish that a writer/speaker is credible
inflated language
language that isn't straightforward but often loaded with doublespeak and confusing terms without much apparent reason for having them
Exclusive Language
language that seeks to alienate, ostracize, and/or exclude others from a group and often create a sense of us vs them
Juxtaposition
literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters, and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem, for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts
Declarative sentence
makes a statement. Communicate or emphasize that the speaker/writer is confident
Conceit
metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way.
mock-objective
might assert the order in which its methods are called, or assert consistency of data across method calls.
Objective
not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.
Flippant
not showing a serious or respectful attitude.
Ellipsis
omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out
Zeugma
one preposition or verb, yokes together 2 other elements that are unrelated
Amenable
open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled.
Antithesis
opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other
Antiphrasis
phrase or word is employed in a way that is opposite to its literal meaning, in order to create an ironic or comic effect.
Argumentum ad Misericordiam
pity or related emotion such as sympathy or compassion is appealed to for the sake of getting a conclusion accepted
Red herring argumentative fallacy
point that has little or nothing to do with the issue being discussed. It serves to distract the audience form the real issue or problem
Rhetorical questions
posed by the speaker or writer not to seek an answer but instead to affirm or deny a point simply by asking a question about it.
supportive
providing encouragement or emotional help.
Inclusive language
reach out to include others in a group. Using pronouns like we, us, everyone
Acquiescent
ready to accept something without protest, or to do what someone else wants.
Motif
recurring symbol which takes on a figurative meaning.
reductio ad absurdum
reduce an argument to absurdity, by drawing conclusions with logical limits, or by showing ridiculous consequences. Reductio ad absurdum in satires breaks down an idea to the point of absurdity.
indefinite pronoun
refers to an unspecified or unidentified person or thing
Syntax
refers to the way in which words and sentences are placed together. Usually in the English language the syntax should follow a pattern of subject-verb-object agreement but sometimes authors play around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic, rhetoric or questioning effect.
reflective
relating to or characterized by deep thought; thoughtful.
Anaphora
repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences for emphasis and rhythm. As a rhetorical device, it is often used to place an emphasis on or draw attention to what is said.
Anadiplosis
repetition in which the last word of one clause or sentence is repeated as the first word of the following clause or sentence.
Epistrophe
repetition of a group of words at the end of successive clauses
Periodic Sentence
sentence beginning with a series of subordinate modifying phrases and clauses, often creating a crescendo effect and then ending with a forceful independent clause.
Syllogism
series of statements in which a logical conclusion is drawn from inarguable premises
Parallelism
set of similarly structured words, phrases, or clauses that appears in a sentence or paragraph
Disdainful
showing contempt or lack of respect.
Contemptuous
showing contempt; scornful.
Colloquial Language
slang or in-formalities in speech or writing
Independent clause
subject and predicate that can stand alone as a sentence
Superlative form adjective
takes a comparison to the highest degree
Generalization
takes in everything and everyone at once, allowing no exceptions.
Logos
text appears well reasoned
status quo
the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political issues.
Asyndeton
the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.
Circumlocution
the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive.
Polysyndeton
use of many conjunctions to separate clauses and phrases
mystified
utterly bewilder or perplex (someone).
Oversimplification
when a writer offers neat and easy solutions for large, complicated problems
either-or fallacy
writer builds an argument upon the assumption that there are only two choices or possible outcomes when actually there are several.
felix culpa (fortunate fall)
A series of miserable events will eventually lead to a happier outcome.
utopic/utopia
an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.
Correctio
The amending of a term or phrase just employed
Antimetabole
The repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order. Often used to place an emphasis on or draw attention to what is said.
Enantiosis
Using opposing or contrary descriptions together, typically in a somewhat paradoxical manner.
Absolute language
When the author uses language that leaves no doubt about a situation or event that exaggerates or overstates a case.
understatement/litotes
a common digure of speech in which the literal sense of what is said falls detectably short of the magnitude of what is being talked about
Analogy
a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
Aphorism
a concise statement, not unlike a maxim of a principle of precept.
Synechdoche
a part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups, or vice versa.
Caesura
a pause near the middle of a line.
Caricature
a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
Pun
a play on words that produces a humorous effect by using a word that suggests two or more meanings, or by exploiting similar sounding words that have different meanings.
Chiasmus
a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form
Anecdote
a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
Metonymy
a thing associated with a person, place, or thing stands in for it
Qualifier
a word or phrase (such as very) that precedes an adjective or adverb, increasing or decreasing the quality signified by the word it modifies.
Concession
act of acknowledging or admitting the validity and or verity of a point made by an opposing viewpoint, even if unwillingly or grudgingly
Bathos
an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.