Terms : Hide Images
| 5867381797 | Personal Experience | adds human element, effective way to appeal to Pathos | 0 | |
| 5867381798 | Anecdotes | Stories about yourself & about other people you've observed or been told about | 1 | |
| 5867381799 | Current Events | Knowing what's happening locally, nationally, and globally | 2 | |
| 5867381800 | Historical Information | Verifiable facts that a writer knows from research | 3 | |
| 5867381801 | Expert Opinion | Someone who has published research on a topic or whose job or experience gives them specialized knowledge | 4 | |
| 5867381802 | Quantitative Evidence | Can be represented in numbers; statistics, surveys, polls, consensus information | 5 | |
| 5867381803 | Ad Hominem | an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. | 6 | |
| 5867381804 | Argument from Authority | the conclusion rests on a statement made by some presumed authority or witness. | 7 | |
| 5867381805 | Appeal to ignorance | Assumption that whatever cannot be proven false must be true (or vice versa). | 8 | |
| 5867381806 | Begging the question | someone assumes that parts of what the person claims to be proving are proven facts | 9 | |
| 5867381807 | Hasty generalization | drawing conclusions based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence | 10 | |
| 5867381808 | Straw man argument | consists of an oversimplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack | 11 | |
| 5867381809 | Sentimental appeals | appeal to the hearts of readers/listeners so that they forget to use their minds. | 12 | |
| 5867381810 | Scare tactics | using fear, panic, or prejudice to win an emotional argument | 13 | |
| 5867381811 | Bandwagon appeals | agree with a position because everyone else does | 14 | |
| 5867381812 | Equivocation | telling part of the truth, while deliberately hiding the entire truth | 15 | |
| 5867381813 | Faulty analogy | misleading comparison between two things | 16 | |
| 5867381814 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Although the term is not frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 17 | |
| 5867381815 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. | 18 | |
| 5867381816 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 19 | |
| 5867381817 | Anaphora | One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. | 20 | |
| 5867381818 | Anecdote | A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person. | 21 | |
| 5867381819 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. A question from the 2001 AP test as an example follows: "But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never absolutely novel to the meanest of minds; it exists eternally, by way of germ of latent principle, in the lowest as in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted." | 22 | |
| 5867381820 | Antimetabole | Repetition of words in reverse order. | 23 | |
| 5867381821 | Antithesis | Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Antithesis creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas. | 24 | |
| 5867381822 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) It can be a memorable summation of the author's point | 25 | |
| 5867381823 | Archaic Diction | Old-fashioned or outdated choice of words. | 26 | |
| 5867381824 | Aristotelian Triangle | A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship between the speaker, the audience, and the subject. Synonymous with the rhetorical triangle. | 27 | |
| 5867381825 | Asyndeton | Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account. Asyndetic lists can be more emphatic than if a final conjunction were used. | 28 | |
| 5867381826 | Audience | The listener, viewer, or reader of a text. | 29 | |
| 5867381827 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. | 30 | |
| 5867381828 | Connotation | The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions or attitudes | 31 | |
| 5867381829 | Context | The circumstances and other conditions surrounding a text. | 32 | |
| 5867381830 | Counterargument | An opposing argument to the argument advocated by the speaker. | 33 | |
| 5867381831 | Cumulative Sentence | A sentence which completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds or adds on. Also called a loose sentence. | 34 | |
| 5867381832 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. | 35 | |
| 5867381833 | Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author's style. | 36 | |
| 5867381834 | Didactic | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 37 | |
| 5867381835 | Ethos | Persuasion by means of the depicting the trustworthy character of the author. | 38 | |
| 5867381836 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. | 39 | |
| 5867381837 | Generic Conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. | 40 | |
| 5867381838 | Hortative Sentence | A sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action. | 41 | |
| 5867381839 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. | 42 | |
| 5867381840 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. | 43 | |
| 5867381841 | Imperative Sentence | Sentence used to command or enjoin. | 44 | |
| 5867381842 | Inversion | Inverted order of words in a sentence. | 45 | |
| 5867381843 | Juxtaposition | The placement of two highly contrasting phrases near each other to emphasize their differences. | 46 | |
| 5867381844 | Logos | Persuasion by means of logical reasoning. | 47 | |
| 5867381845 | Metaphor | A direct comparison between two dissimilar subjects. | 48 | |
| 5867381846 | Oxymoron | The deliberate juxtaposition of two contrasting words. | 49 | |
| 5867381847 | Parallelism | Two or more adjacent phrases with similar grammatical structure. | 50 | |
| 5867381848 | Pathos | Persuasion by means of exploiting the reader's emotions. | 51 | |
| 5867381849 | Periodic Sentence | A sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end. | 52 | |
| 5867381850 | Personification | Assignment of human characteristics or behavior to non-human entities. | 53 | |
| 5867381851 | Polemic | An aggressive argument which generally establishes superiority and does not acknowledge the counterargument. | 54 | |
| 5867381852 | Propaganda | The spread of ideas and information to further a cause. Often carries a negative connotation. | 55 | |
| 5867381853 | Purpose | The goal of the speaker. | 56 | |
| 5867381854 | Refutation | A denial of the validity of the counterargument. | 57 | |
| 5867381855 | Rhetoric | The art of finding means to persuade an audience. | 58 | |
| 5867381856 | Rhetorical appeals | Rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience. Includes ethos, pathos, and logos. | 59 | |
| 5867381857 | Rhetorical Question | A question which is asked to effect a point rather than to solicit an answer. | 60 | |
| 5867381858 | Rhetorical Triangle | A diagram which illustrates the interrelationship between the speaker, the audience, and the subject. Synonymous with the Aristotelian Triangle. | 61 | |
| 5867381859 | SOAPS | A mnemonic device which stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. | 62 | |
| 5867381860 | Speaker | The person or group who creates a text. | 63 | |
| 5867381861 | Subject | The topic of a text. | 64 | |
| 5867381862 | Synecdoche | Figure of speech that uses a part to represent a whole. | 65 | |
| 5867381863 | Syntax | The proper grammatical structure of a text. | 66 | |
| 5867381864 | Zeugma | Use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous, meanings. | 67 | |
| 5867381865 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Although the term is not frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 68 | |
| 5867381866 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. | 69 | |
| 5867381867 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 70 | |
| 5867381868 | Anaphora | One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. | 71 | |
| 5867381869 | Anecdote | A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person. | 72 | |
| 5867381870 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. A question from the 2001 AP test as an example follows: "But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never absolutely novel to the meanest of minds; it exists eternally, by way of germ of latent principle, in the lowest as in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted." | 73 | |
| 5867381871 | Antimetabole | Repetition of words in reverse order. | 74 | |
| 5867381872 | Antithesis | Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Antithesis creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas. | 75 | |
| 5867381873 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) It can be a memorable summation of the author's point | 76 | |
| 5867381874 | Archaic Diction | Old-fashioned or outdated choice of words. | 77 | |
| 5867381875 | Aristotelian Triangle | A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship between the speaker, the audience, and the subject. Synonymous with the rhetorical triangle. | 78 | |
| 5867381876 | Asyndeton | Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account. Asyndetic lists can be more emphatic than if a final conjunction were used. | 79 | |
| 5867381877 | Audience | The listener, viewer, or reader of a text. | 80 | |
| 5867381878 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. | 81 | |
| 5867381879 | Connotation | The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions or attitudes | 82 | |
| 5867381880 | Context | The circumstances and other conditions surrounding a text. | 83 | |
| 5867381881 | Counterargument | An opposing argument to the argument advocated by the speaker. | 84 | |
| 5867381882 | Cumulative Sentence | A sentence which completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds or adds on. Also called a loose sentence. | 85 | |
| 5867381883 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. | 86 | |
| 5867381884 | Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author's style. | 87 | |
| 5867381885 | Didactic | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 88 | |
| 5867381886 | Ethos | Persuasion by means of the depicting the trustworthy character of the author. | 89 | |
| 5867381887 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. | 90 | |
| 5867381888 | Generic Conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. | 91 | |
| 5867381889 | Hortative Sentence | A sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action. | 92 | |
| 5867381890 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. | 93 | |
| 5867381891 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. | 94 | |
| 5867381892 | Imperative Sentence | Sentence used to command or enjoin. | 95 | |
| 5867381893 | Inversion | Inverted order of words in a sentence. | 96 | |
| 5867381894 | Juxtaposition | The placement of two highly contrasting phrases near each other to emphasize their differences. | 97 | |
| 5867381895 | Logos | Persuasion by means of logical reasoning. | 98 | |
| 5867381896 | Metaphor | A direct comparison between two dissimilar subjects. | 99 | |
| 5867381897 | Oxymoron | The deliberate juxtaposition of two contrasting words. | 100 | |
| 5867381898 | Parallelism | Two or more adjacent phrases with similar grammatical structure. | 101 | |
| 5867381899 | Pathos | Persuasion by means of exploiting the reader's emotions. | 102 | |
| 5867381900 | Periodic Sentence | A sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end. | 103 | |
| 5867381901 | Personification | Assignment of human characteristics or behavior to non-human entities. | 104 | |
| 5867381902 | Polemic | An aggressive argument which generally establishes superiority and does not acknowledge the counterargument. | 105 | |
| 5867381903 | Propaganda | The spread of ideas and information to further a cause. Often carries a negative connotation. | 106 | |
| 5867381904 | Purpose | The goal of the speaker. | 107 | |
| 5867381905 | Refutation | A denial of the validity of the counterargument. | 108 | |
| 5867381906 | Rhetoric | The art of finding means to persuade an audience. | 109 | |
| 5867381907 | Rhetorical appeals | Rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience. Includes ethos, pathos, and logos. | 110 | |
| 5867381908 | Rhetorical Question | A question which is asked to effect a point rather than to solicit an answer. | 111 | |
| 5867381909 | Rhetorical Triangle | A diagram which illustrates the interrelationship between the speaker, the audience, and the subject. Synonymous with the Aristotelian Triangle. | 112 | |
| 5867381910 | SOAPS | A mnemonic device which stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. | 113 | |
| 5867381911 | Speaker | The person or group who creates a text. | 114 | |
| 5867381912 | Subject | The topic of a text. | 115 | |
| 5867381913 | Synecdoche | Figure of speech that uses a part to represent a whole. | 116 | |
| 5867381914 | Syntax | The proper grammatical structure of a text. | 117 | |
| 5867381915 | Zeugma | Use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different, often incongruous, meanings. | 118 |
