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

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8167110896rhetorical 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
8167110897ethosGreek 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
8167110898counterargumentAn 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
8167110899concession (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
8167110900refutation (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
8167110901logosGreek 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
8167110902connotationMeanings 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
8167110903pathosGreek 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
8167110904Rhetorical TriangleA diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and the subject in determining a text.8
8167110905audienceThe listener, viewer, or reader of a text. Most texts are likely to have multiple audiences9
8167110906contextThe circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.10
8167110907occasionThe time and place a speech is given or a piece is written.11
8167110908personaGreek for "mask." The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience.12
8167110909polemicGreek 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
8167110910propagandaThe 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
8167110911purposeThe goal the speaker wants to achieve.15
8167110912rhetoricAs 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
8167110913SOAPSToneA mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Speaker, and Tone. It is a handy way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation.17
8167110914speakerThe 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
8167110915subjectThe topic of a text; what the text is about.19
8167110916textWhile 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
8167110917dictionThe speaker's choice of words21
8167110918syntaxHow the words are arranged22
8167110919toneThe speaker's attitude toward's the subject as revealed by his or her choice of language23
8167110920moodHow the work makes the reader feel.24
8167110921metaphorFigure of speech that compares two things without using like or as; says one thing IS another.25
8167110922similesFigure of speech that compares two things using like or as.26
8167110923personificationAttribution of a human quality to an inanimate object or idea.27
8167110924hyperboleExaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken seriously28
8167110925parallelismSimilarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.29
8167110926juxtapositionPlacement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences.30
8167110927antithesisOpposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction.31
8167110928compound sentenceA sentence with more than one subject or predicate32
8167110929complex sentenceA sentence containing a subordinate clause or clauses33
8167110930periodic sentenceSentence whose main clause is withheld until the end.34
8167110931cumulative sentenceSentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on.35
8167110932imperative sentenceSentence used to command or enjoin.36
8167110933pacingHow fast a story unfolds. Does the author reveal details quickly or slowly? How does he or she build suspense?37
8167110934figures of speechA word or phrase used in a nonliteral sense to add rhetorical force to a spoken or written passage38
8167110935zeugmaUse of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous meanings.39
8167110936satireThe use of irony or sarcasm to criticize40
8167110937anaphoraRepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.41
8167110938hortative sentenceSentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action.42
8167110939alliterationRepetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence.43
8167110940allusionBrief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art.44
8167110941antimetaboleRepetition of words in reverse order.45
8167110942archaic dictionOld-fashioned or outdated choice of words.46
8167110943AsyndetonOmission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.47
8167110944inversionInverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order).48
8167110945oxymoronParadoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one another.49
8167110946rhetorical questionFigure of speech in form of a question posed for the rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer.50
8167110947synedocheFigure of speech that uses a part to represent a whole.51
8167110948imageryWhen a writer describes something using language that appeals to our five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing)52
8167110949argumentA process of reasoned inquiry; a persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from claim to conclusion.53
8167110950Rogerian 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
8167110951claimAlso 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
8167110952claim of factA claim of fact asserts that something is true or not true.56
8167110953claim of valueA claim of value argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong.57
8167110954claim of policyA claim of policy proposes a change.58
8167110955closed 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
8167110956open thesisAn open thesis statement is one that does not list all the points the writer intends to cover in an essay.60
8167110957counterargument thesisa summary of the counterargument, usually qualified by although or but, precedes the writer's opinion61
8167110958logical 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
8167110959red herringWhen a speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion63
8167110960ad 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
8167110961faulty 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
8167110962straw manA fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea.66
8167110963either/or (false dilemma)A fallacy in which the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.67
8167110964hasty generalizationA fallacy in which conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence.68
8167110965circular reasoningA fallacy in which the writer repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence.69
8167110966first-hand evidenceEvidence based on something that the writer knows, whether it's from personal experience, observations, or general knowledge of events.70
8167110967second-hand evidenceEvidence that is accessed through research, reading, and investigation. It includes factual and historical information, expert opinion, and quantitative data.71
8167110968post 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
8167110969appeal 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
8167110970quantitative evidenceQuantitative evidence includes things that can be measured, cited, counted, or otherwise represented in numbers-for instance, statistics, surveys, polls, census information.74
8167110971ad 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
8167110972introduction (exordium)Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion.76
8167110973narration (narratio)Provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing.77
8167110974confirmation (confirmatio)Usually the major part of the text, the confirmation includes the proof needed to make the writer's case.78
8167110975refutation (refutatio)Addresses the counterargument. It is a bridge between the writer's proof and conclusion.79
8167110976conclusion (peroratio)Brings the essay to a satisfying close.80
8167110977inductionFrom 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
8167110978deductionDeduction 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
8167110979syllogismA logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion.83
8167110980Toulmin 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
8167110981warrantIn the Toulmin model, the warrant expresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience.85
8167110982assumptionIn the Toulmin model, the warrant expresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience.86
8167110983backingIn the Toulmin model, backing consists of further assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority.87
8167110984qualifierIn 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
8167110985reservationIn the Toulmin model, a reservation explains the terms and conditions necessitated by the qualifier.89
8167110986rebuttalIn the Toulmin model, a rebuttal gives voice to possible objections.90
8167110987begging 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
8167110988the 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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