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AP Language and Composition: The Language of Composition General Terms Flashcards

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5840975053rhetorical appealsRhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling. The three major appeals are the ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion).0
5840975054ethosGreek for "character." Speakers appeal to ethos to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy to speak on a given topic. Ethos is established by both who you are and what you say.1
5840975055counterargumentAn opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward. Rather than ignoring a counterargument, a strong writer will usually address it through the process of concession and refutation.2
5840975056concession (concede)An acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. In a strong argument, a concession is usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument.3
5840975057refutation (refute)A denial of the validity of an opposing argument. In order to sound reasonable, refutations often follow a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.4
5840975058logosGreek for "embodied thought." Speakers appeal to logos or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up.5
5840975059connatationMeanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation. Connotations are usually positive or negative, and they can greatly affect the author's tone.6
5840975060pathosGreek for "suffering" or "experience." Speakers appeal to pathos to emotionally motivate their audience. More specific appeals to pathos might play on the audience's values, desires, and hopes, on the one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other.7
5840975061Aristotelian Triangle(Rhetorical Triangle) a diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and the subject in determining a text.8
5840975062audiencethe listener, viewer, or reader of a text. Most texts are likely to have multiple audiences9
5840975063contextIn the circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.10
5840975064occasionThe time and place a speech is given or a piece is written.11
5840975065personaGreek for "mask." The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience.12
5840975066polemicGreek for "hostile." An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others. Polemics generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit.13
5840975067propagandaThe spread of ideas and information to further a cause. In its negative sense, propaganda is the use of rumors, lies, disinformation, and scare tactics in order to damage or promote a cause.14
5840975068purposeThe goal the speaker wants to achieve.15
5840975069rhetoricAs Aristotle defined the term, "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." In other words, it is the art of finding ways to persuade an audience.16
5840975070SOAPSA mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. It is a handy way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation.17
5840975071speakerThe person or group who creates a text. This might be a politician who delivers a speech, a commentator who writes an article, an artist who draws a political cartoon, or even a company that commissions an advertisement.18
5840975072subjectThe topic of a text. What the text is about.19
5840975073textWhile this terms generally means the written word, in the humanities it has come to mean any cultural product that can be "read"-meaning not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated. This includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, political cartoons, fine art, photography, performances, fashion, cultural trends, and much more.20
5840975074dictionthe speaker's choice of words21
5840975075syntaxhow the words are arranged22
5840975076tonethe speaker's attitude toward's the subject as revealed by his or her choice of language23
5840975077moodthe feeling created by the work24
5840975078metaphorFigure of speech that compares two things without using like or as.25
5840975079similesfigure of speech that compares two things using like or as26
5840975080personificationAttribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or idea.27
5840975081hyperboleexaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken seriously28
5840975082parallelismSimilarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.29
5840975083juxtapositionPlacement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences.30
5840975084antithesisOpposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction.31
5840975085compound sentencea sentence with more than one subject or predicate32
5840975086complex sentencea sentence containing a subordinate clause or clauses33
5840975087periodic sentenceSentence whose main clause is withheld until the end.34
5840975088cumulative sentenceSentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on.35
5840975089imperative sentenceSentence used to command or enjoin.36
5840975090pacingHow fast a story unfolds. Do they reveal details quickly or slowly? How does he or she build suspense?37
5840975091figures of speecha word or phrase used in a nonliteral sense to add rhetorical force to a spoken or written passage38
5840975092zeugmaUse of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous meanings.39
5840975093satirethe use of irony or sarcasm to criticize40
5840975094anaphoraRepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.41
5840975095hortative sentenceSentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action.42
5840975096alliterationRepetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence.43
5840975097allusionBrief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art.44
5840975098antimetaboleRepetition of words in reverse order.45
5840975099archaic dictionOld-fashioned or outdated choice of words.46
5840975100AsyndetonOmission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.47
5840975101inversionInverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order).48
5840975102oxymoronParadoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one another.49
5840975103rhetorical questionFigure of speech in form of a question posed for the rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer.50
5840975104synedocheFigure of speech that uses a part to represent a whole.51
5840975105imagerywhen a writer attempts to describe something that appeals to our five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing)52
5840975106argumentA process of reasoned inquiry; a persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from claim to conclusion.53
5840975107Rogerian ArgumentsDeveloped by psychiatrist Carl Rogers, Rogerian arguments are based on the assumption that having a understanding of an opposing position is essential to responding to it persuasively and refuting it in a way that is accommodating rather than alienating.54
5840975108claimAlso called an assertion or a proposition, a claim states the argument's main idea or position. A claim differs from a topic or subject in that a claim has to be arguable.55
5840975109claim of factA claim of fact asserts that something is true or not true.56
5840975110claim of valueA claim of value argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong.57
5840975111claim of policyA claim of policy proposes a change.58
5840975112closed thesisA closed thesis is a statement of the main idea of the argument that also previews the major points the writer intends to make.59
5840975113open thesisAn open thesis statement is one that does not list all the points the writer intends to cover in an essay.60
5840975114counterargument thesisa summary of the counterargument, usually qualified by although or but, precedes the writer's opinion61
5840975115logical fallacy (fallacy)Logical fallacies are potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in an argument. They often arise from a failure to make a logical connection between the claim and the evidence used to support it.62
5840975116red herringwhen a speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion63
5840975117ad hominemLatin for "to the man," this fallacy refers to the specific diversionary tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker. If you argue that a park in your community should not be renovated because the person supporting it was arrested during a domestic dispute, then you are guilty of ad hominem.64
5840975118faulty analogyA fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares two things that are not comparable. For instance, to argue that because we put animals who are in irreversible pain out of their misery, we should do the same for people, asks the reader to ignore significant and profound differences between animals and people.65
5840975119straw manA fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea.66
5840975120either/or (false dilemma)A fallacy in which the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.67
5840975121hasty generalizationA fallacy in which conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence.68
5840975122circular reasoningA fallacy in which the writer repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence.69
5840975123first-hand evidenceEvidence based on something that the writer knows, whether it's from personal experience, observations, or general knowledge of events.70
5840975124second-hand evidenceEvidence that is accessed through research, reading, and investigation. It includes factual and historical information, expert opinion, and quantitative data.71
5840975125post hoc ergo propter hocThis fallacy is Latin for "after which therefore because of which," meaning that it is incorrect to always claim that something is a clause just because it happened earlier. One may loosely summarize this fallacy by saying that correlation does not simply imply causation.72
5840975126appeal to false authorityThis fallacy occurs when someone who has no expertise to speak on a issue is cited as an authority. A TV star, for instance, is not a medical expert, even though pharmaceutical advertisements often use celebrity endorsements.73
5840975127quantitative evidenceQuantitative evidence includes things that can be measured, cited, counted, or otherwise represented in numbers-for instance, statistics, surveys, polls, census information.74
5840975128ad populum (bandwagon appeal)This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do."75
5840975129introduction (exordium)Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion.76
5840975130narration (narratio)Provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing.77
5840975131confirmation (confirmatio)Usually the major part of the text, the confirmation includes the proof needed to make the writer's case.78
5840975132refutation (refutatio)Addresses the counterargument. It is a bridge between the writer's proof and conclusion.79
5840975133conclusion (peroratio)Brings the essay to a satisfying close.80
5840975134inductionFrom the Latin inducere, "to lead into"; a logical process whereby the writer reasons from particulars to universals, using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion, which is also called generalization.81
5840975135deductionDeduction is a logical process whereby one reaches a conclusion by starting with a general principal or universal truth (a major premise). The process of deduction usually demonstrated in the form of a syllogism.82
5840975136syllogismA logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion.83
5840975137Toulmin modelAn approach to analyzing and constructing arguments created by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin in his book The Uses of Argument (1985). The Toulmin model can be stated as a template: Because (evidence as support), therefore (claim), since (warrant or assumption), on account of (backing), unless (reservation).84
5840975138warrantIn the Toulmin model, the warrant expresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience.85
5840975139assumptionIn the Toulmin model, the warrant expresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience.86
5840975140backingIn the Toulmin model, backing consists of further assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority.87
5840975141qualifierIn the Toulmin model, the qualifier uses words like usually, probably, maybe, in most cases, and most likely to temper the claim, making it less absolute.88
5840975142reservationIn the Toulmin model, a reservation explains the terms and conditions necessitated by the qualifier.89
5840975143rebuttalIn the Toulmin model, a rebuttal gives voice to possible objections.90
5840975144begging the questionA fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt. It "begs" a question whether the support itself is sound.91
5840975145the classical orationFive-part argument structure used by classical rhetoricians. The five parts are: -introduction (exordium) -narration (narratio) -confirmation (confirmatio) -refutation (refutatio) -conclusion (peroratio)92

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