Terms : Hide Images
| 4123732495 | Diction | Word Choice. Consider if is the word choice is particularly effective, apt, or clear. | 0 | |
| 4301257400 | Syntax | The ordering of words in a sentence; it describes sentence structure. Manipulating this can enhance an author's meaning, tone, or point of view. | 1 | |
| 4301261854 | Style | The manner of expression. This describes how the author uses language to get his or her point across (e.g., pedantic, scientific, and emotive). | 2 | |
| 4301265896 | Tone | The attitude, mood, or sentiments revealed by the style. This describes how the author seems to be feeling (e.g., optimistic, ironic, and playful). | 3 | |
| 4301269261 | Point of view | The stance revealed by the style and the tone of the writing. This expresses the author's position on the topic discussed. | 4 | |
| 4301274225 | Logos | The appeal to reason and logic. An argument that uses this to persuade needs to provide things like objective evidence, hard facts, statistics, or logical strategies such as "cause and effect" to back up its claim. | 5 | |
| 4301277218 | Ethos | The appeal to the speaker's credibility--whether she is to be believed on the basis of her character and expertise. For example, the prosecution in a murder trial might put a renowned psychiatrist on the stand to testify that the defendant is able to identify right and wrong and is thus capable of standing trial. | 6 | |
| 4301284335 | Pathos | The appeal to the emotions, values, or desires of the audience. Aristotle felt that, although ideally people would be persuaded by logos, they would probably most often be persuaded by their emotions and beliefs instead. This is why, in the same murder trial, a defense attorney might tell the jury about the lonely childhood and difficult life of the defendant... | 7 | |
| 4301290804 | Imagery | Synonymous with "figurative language." In a more restricted sense, this is figurative language that is used to convey a sensory perception (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, or gustatory). | 8 | |
| 4301295359 | Hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration; it is the use of figurative language that significantly exaggerates the facts for effect. In many instances, but certainly not all, this is employed for comic effect. | 9 | |
| 4301299531 | Understatement | Figurative language that presents the facts in a way that makes them appear much less significant than they really are. This is almost always used for comic effect. | 10 | |
| 4301303463 | Simile | A comparison between two unlike objects, in which the two parts are connected with a term such as 'like' or 'as.' | 11 | |
| 4301307186 | Metaphor | A simile without a connecting term such as 'like' or 'as.' Frequently this is used in writing to help the reader to identify with an unfamiliar idea or event more personally or universally; this is an expression of intimacy between the author and the audience. | 12 | |
| 4301310331 | Extended Metaphor | This last for longer than just a phrase or sentence. It is the author's effort to compare two objects or events to one another directly. A word of caution for the exam, however; do not use this in your own AP essays, for many scholars (and many AP graders) believe that this is a poor expository or argumentative technique. | 13 | |
| 4301317493 | Symbol | A word that represents something other than itself. Sometimes it is difficult to determine the difference between this and a metaphor. Remember that a metaphor always contains an implied comparison between two elements. Think about a metaphorical image of a bird and arrows: "The birds are like black arrows flying across the sky." The birds remain the birds, and the arrows remain arrows--the metaphor serves to give us an image of the flight of the birds by suggesting a visualization of arrows. However in the case of this term, the named object really doesn't count. There is no 'lamb'; 'lamb' is merely an object that is meant to conjure up another object or element. | 14 | |
| 4301348886 | Denotation | Refers to a word's primary or literal significance: the dictionary definition of a word. | 15 | |
| 4301351762 | Connotation | Refers to the vast range of other meanings a word suggests. Context (and at times, author's intent) determines which may be appropriate for a word. An author will carefully pick a particular word because of its range of meanings, knowing or hoping the reader will make an additional inference as a result. Some literary critics argue that it is impossible to distinguish between this and denotation. | 16 | |
| 4301359157 | Oxymoron | An apparent contradiction of terms: "I advise you to make haste slowly." Often mistaken as foolish or contradictory, it is possible to make sense of the apparent contradiction. | 17 | |
| 4301364737 | Paradox | An apparent contradiction of ideas or statements and, therefore, closely related to the oxymoron. This is an oxymoron on a larger scale. Example: "The only way to overcome death is to die." | 18 | |
| 4301368626 | Personification | The figurative device in which inanimate objects or concepts are given human qualities. It can enhance our emotional response because we usually attribute more emotional significance to other humans than to things or concepts. | 19 | |
| 4301372568 | Rhetorical Question | A question whose answer is obvious; these types of questions do not need to be answered--and usually are not. They attempt to prove something without actually presenting an argument; sometimes they're used as a form of irony, in which something is stated, but its opposite is meant. | 20 | |
| 4301377732 | Bombast (adjective = bombastic) | Language that is overly rhetorical (pompous), especially when considered in context. Generally speaking, graduation speeches contain this; pedantic people (those who use their language ostentatiously) tend to use this. | 21 | |
| 4301383155 | Pun | A play on words. In general, this either plays on the multiple meanings of a word or replaces one word with another that is similar in sound but very different in meaning. This is almost always used for comic effect. | 22 | |
| 4301386678 | Metonymy | When one term is substituted for another term with which it is closely associated. Example: "The sailors drank a glass of hearty red." | 23 | |
| 4301388852 | Synecdoche | A form of metonymy that's restricted to cases where a part is used to signify the whole. Example: "All hands on deck!" If you struggle to learn this term, for the purpose of this test, you can use metonymy as a catch all term for any situation in which a characteristic of a certain thing is used to represent the thing. | 24 | |
| 4301394448 | Theme | A general idea contained in a text; this may be stated explicitly or only suggested. This is not just an idea; it is the idea that is developed, often over the course of a chapter or an entire book. | 25 | |
| 4301397821 | Aphorism | A concise, pithy statement of an opinion or a general truth. | 26 | |
| 4301400121 | Malapropism | The unintentional use of a word that resembles the word intended but that has a very different meaning. Example: "The girl used a fire distinguisher to put out the blaze." | 27 | |
| 4301404429 | Circumlocution | This has two meanings; be familiar with both. For the purpose of this test, we'll say that one meaning is "talking around the subject" and that the other is "talking around a word." This can be intentionally rhetorical, for instance, addressing your parents. Example: Instead of simply asking them straight out if you may borrow the car, you might say something such as, "I understand that you guys are going to stay in tonight and watch a DVD, right?" On this test, you are more likely to experience "talking around a word," that is, using several words or a phrase in place of a specific or (or specific words). This choice may add more vividness to description. | 28 | |
| 4301419675 | Euphemism | A word or words that are used to avoid employing an unpleasant or offensive term. | 29 | |
| 4301421951 | Verbal Irony | Refers to the process of stating something but meaning the opposite of what is stated. This can refer to that which is used in spoken language as well as in print. In spoken language, intonation is often a clue to intent; however, in writing, it is not possible to imply things though intonation, so there's always a danger that this will be missed. | 30 | |
| 4301429408 | Sarcasm | Verbal irony used with the intent to injure. It's often impossible to discern between irony and this, and more often than not, this is in the ming of the beholder. | 31 | |
| 4301434685 | Situational Irony | Refers to a situation that runs contrary to what was expected. | 32 | |
| 4301437647 | Satire | When something is portrayed in a way that's deliberately distorted to achieve comic effect. Implicit in most of this is the author's desire to critique what is being mocked. | 33 | |
| 4301442405 | Assertion | A declaration or statement | 34 | |
| 4301443333 | Clarity | Clearness in thought or expression | 35 | |
| 4301443966 | Cogent | Convincing or reasonable | 36 | |
| 4301444620 | Coherent | Logically connected | 37 | |
| 4301445601 | Cohesive | Condition of sticking together | 38 | |
| 4301446329 | Didactic | Intended to instruct | 39 | |
| 4301447234 | Discourse | Verbal expression or exchange; conversation | 40 | |
| 4301447802 | Eloquence | The ability to speak vividly or persuasively | 41 | |
| 4301448629 | Emphasize | To give special attention to something; to stress | 42 | |
| 4301449374 | Fluid | Easily flowing | 43 | |
| 4301449954 | Implication | The act of suggesting or hinting | 44 | |
| 4301450492 | Lucid | Easily understood; clear | 45 | |
| 4301451447 | Rhetoric | The art of using language effectively and persuasively | 46 | |
| 4301452345 | Arbiter | A judge who decides a disputed issue | 47 | |
| 4301453293 | Biased | Prejudiced | 48 | |
| 4301453838 | Exculpate | To free from guilt or blame | 49 | |
| 4301454599 | Impartial | Not in favor of one side or the other, unbiased | 50 | |
| 4301455567 | Invontrovertible | Not able to be denied or disputed | 51 | |
| 4301456575 | Integrity | Trustworthiness; completeness | 52 | |
| 4301457578 | Objectivity | Treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices | 53 | |
| 4301460099 | Penitent | Expressing remorse for one's misdeeds | 54 | |
| 4301460790 | Plausible | Seemingly valid or acceptable; credible | 55 | |
| 4301461370 | Substantiated | Supported with proof or evidence | 56 | |
| 4301462484 | Vindicated | Freed from blame | 57 | |
| 4301463154 | Condescending | Treating people as weak or inferior | 58 | |
| 4301463899 | Contemptuous | Feeling hatred; scornful | 59 | |
| 4301464674 | Despotic | Exercising absolute power; tyrannical | 60 | |
| 4301465533 | Dictatorial | Domineering; oppressively overbearing | 61 | |
| 4301466713 | Disdain | (n.) Contempt, scorn; (v.) to regard to treat with contempt; to look down on | 62 | |
| 4301468844 | Haughty | Arrogant; vainly proud | 63 | |
| 4301469299 | Imperious | Arrogantly domineering or overbearing | 64 | |
| 4301470232 | Patronizing | Treating in a condescending manner | 65 | |
| 4301470976 | Convoluted | Intricate; complex | 66 | |
| 4301472375 | Cryptic | Difficult to comprehend | 67 | |
| 4301472839 | Futile | Having no useful purpose; pointless | 68 | |
| 4301473476 | Impede | To slow the progress of | 69 | |
| 4301474001 | Obscure | (adj.) Relatively unknown; (v.) to conceal or make indistinct | 70 | |
| 4301475986 | Quandary | A state of uncertainty or perplexity | 71 | |
| 4301476748 | Indolent | lazy | 72 | |
| 4301477583 | Insipid | Uninteresting; unchallenging | 73 | |
| 4301478236 | Listless | Lacking energy | 74 | |
| 4301478237 | Torpor | Laziness; inactivity; dullness | 75 | |
| 4301479151 | Alienated | Removed or disassociate from (friends, family, or homeland) | 76 | |
| 4301480558 | Alliance | A union of two or more groups | 77 | |
| 4301481090 | Disparity | Inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference | 78 | |
| 4301482040 | Servile | Submissive; like a servant | 79 | |
| 4301482921 | Supressed | Subdued; kept from being circulated | 80 | |
| 4301483772 | Embellish | To make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate | 81 | |
| 4301484828 | Florid | Describing flowery or elaborate speech | 82 | |
| 4301485821 | Opulent | Exhibiting a display of great wealth | 83 | |
| 4301486618 | Ornate | Elaborately decorated | 84 | |
| 4301487081 | Ostentatious | Describing a showy or pretentious display | 85 | |
| 4301487883 | Poignant | Profoundly moving; touching | 86 | |
| 4301488528 | Embullience | Intense enthusiasm | 87 | |
| 4301489219 | Effusive | Emotionally unrestrained; gushy | 88 | |
| 4301490301 | Egregious | Conspicuously bad or offensive | 89 | |
| 4301491491 | Flagrant | Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticable | 90 | |
| 4301492800 | Frenetic | Wildly excited or active | 91 | |
| 4301493408 | Gratutious | Given freely; unearned; unwarranted | 92 | |
| 4301494646 | Superfluous | Extra; unnecessary | 93 | |
| 4301495163 | Alleviate | To ease a pain or burden | 94 | |
| 4301495641 | Asylum | A place of retreat or security | 95 | |
| 4317360216 | Auspicious | Favorable; promising | 96 | |
| 4317364228 | Benevolent | Well meaning; generous | 97 | |
| 4317366194 | Benign | Kind and gentle | 98 | |
| 4317368655 | Mollify | To calm or soothe | 99 | |
| 4317370329 | Reclamation | The act of making something useful again | 100 | |
| 4317372107 | Sanction | To give official authorization or approval | 101 | |
| 4317374676 | Dubious | Doubtful; of unlikely authenticity | 102 | |
| 4317376690 | Fabricated | Made; concocted to deceive | 103 | |
| 4317380208 | Hypocricy | The practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity | 104 | |
| 4317384065 | Slander | False charges and malicious oral statements about someone. | 105 | |
| 4317387445 | Spurious | No genuine | 106 | |
| 4317389227 | Astute | Shrewd; clever | 107 | |
| 4317391638 | Clandestine | Secretive | 108 | |
| 4317394535 | Coup | A brilliantly executed plan | 109 | |
| 4317396448 | Disingenuous | No straightforward; crafty | 110 | |
| 4317399794 | Ruse | A crafty trick | 111 | |
| 4317401397 | Stratagem | A cleaver trick used to deceive or outwit | 112 | |
| 4317407066 | Surreptitiously | Done by secretive means | 113 | |
| 4317421410 | Wary | On guard | 114 | |
| 4317423262 | Wily | Cunning | 115 | |
| 4317425265 | Ambiguous | Open to more than one interpretation | 116 | |
| 4317451655 | Ambivalent | Simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain | 117 | |
| 4317456155 | Apathetic | Feeling or showing little emotion | 118 | |
| 4317458293 | Arbitrary | Determined by impulse rather than reason | 119 | |
| 4317461608 | Capricious | Impulsive and unpredictable | 120 | |
| 4317463245 | Equivocate | To avoid making a definite statement | 121 | |
| 4317465028 | Indifferent | Not caring one way or other | 122 | |
| 4317467262 | Spotaneous | Unplanned; naturally occurring | 123 | |
| 4317469311 | Whimsical | Subject to erratic behavior; unpredictable | 124 | |
| 4317472365 | Inconsequential | Unimportant | 125 | |
| 4317473879 | Superficial | Concerned only with what is on the surface or obvious; shallow | 126 | |
| 4317476337 | Tenuous | Having little substance or strength; shaky; unsure, weak | 127 | |
| 4317479678 | Trivial | Of little importance or significance | 128 | |
| 4317482111 | Assiduous | Hard-working | 129 | |
| 4317483970 | Compelling | Forceful; urgently demanding attention | 130 | |
| 4317486540 | Diligent | Marked by painstaking effort; hard-working | 131 | |
| 4317488881 | Dogged | Stubbornly perservering | 132 | |
| 4317490505 | Endure | To put up with; to survive a hardship | 133 | |
| 4317494519 | Intrepid | Courageous; fearless | 134 | |
| 4317497720 | Maverick | One who is independent and resists adherence to a group | 135 | |
| 4317500728 | Obdurate | Stubborn; inflexible | 136 | |
| 4317502960 | Obstinate | Stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action | 137 | |
| 4317505838 | Proliferate | To grow or increase rapidly | 138 | |
| 4317507901 | Tenacity | Persistence | 139 | |
| 4317509656 | Vitality | Energy; power to survive | 140 | |
| 4317511210 | Assimilation | To absorb; to make similar | 141 | |
| 4317512833 | Consensus | General agreement | 142 | |
| 4317512834 | Context | Circumstances of a situation; environment | 143 | |
| 4317516137 | Derived | Copied or adapted from a source | 144 | |
| 4317517447 | Incumbent | Imposed as a duty; obligatory | 145 | |
| 4317519179 | Inevitable | Imposed as a duty; obligation | 146 | |
| 4317521087 | Malleable | Easily shaped or formed; easily influenced | 147 | |
| 4317523691 | Subdue | To restrain; to hold back | 148 | |
| 4317525674 | Acquired | Developed or learned; not naturally occurring | 149 | |
| 4317528430 | Conception | The ability to form or understand an idea | 150 | |
| 4317529995 | Conviction | A fixed or strong belief | 151 | |
| 4317531872 | Dogmatic | Stubbornly adhering to unproved beliefs | 152 | |
| 4317534189 | Enlightening | Informative; contributing to one's awareness | 153 | |
| 4317536564 | Impression | A feeling or understanding resulting from an experience | 154 | |
| 4317539453 | Intuition | The power of knowing things without thinking; sharp insight | 155 | |
| 4317542835 | Misconception | An incorrect understanding or interpretation | 156 | |
| 4317545026 | Perception | Awareness; insight | 157 | |
| 4317547094 | Perspective | Point of view | 158 | |
| 4317547095 | Profound | Having great depth or seriousness | 159 | |
| 4317550167 | Inherent | Inborn; built-in | 160 | |
| 4317551988 | Innate | Possessed from birth; inborn | 161 | |
| 4317553250 | Inveterate | Long established; deep-rooted; habitual | 162 | |
| 4317556117 | Omnipotent | All-powerful | 163 | |
| 4317557896 | Proximity | Closeness | 164 | |
| 4317557897 | Elusive | Difficult to capture, as in something actually fleeting | 165 | |
| 4317560995 | Emigrate | To leave one country or region to settle in another | 166 | |
| 4317563598 | Transient | Passing away with time; passing from one place to another | 167 | |
| 4317566609 | Transitory | Short-lived or temporary | 168 | |
| 4317568653 | Affable | Easy-going; friendly | 169 | |
| 4317570163 | Amenabe | Responsive; agreeable | 170 | |
| 4317572411 | Camaraderie | Good will between friends | 171 | |
| 4317575493 | Cordial | Friendly; sincere | 172 | |
| 4317577068 | Facetious | Playfully humorous | 173 | |
| 4317578919 | Impinge | Hinder; interfere with | 174 | |
| 4317580377 | Lament | Express grief for; mourn | 175 | |
| 4317582371 | Melancholy | Sadness; depression | 176 | |
| 4317585238 | Truncated | Shortened; cut off | 177 | |
| 4317586276 | Asethetic | Having to do with the appreciation of beauty | 178 | |
| 4317587968 | Anthology | A collection of literary pieces | 179 | |
| 4317589151 | Contemporary | Current, modern; from the same time | 180 | |
| 4317591566 | Dilettant | One with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a filed of knowledge | 181 | |
| 4317594312 | Eclectic | Made up of a variety of sources or styles | 182 | |
| 4317596957 | Excerpt | A selected part of a passage or scene | 183 | |
| 4317599304 | Genre | Describing a category or artistic endeavor | 184 | |
| 4317601422 | Medley | An assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces | 185 | |
| 4317603639 | Mural | A large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface | 186 | |
| 4317605767 | Narrative | (adj.) Characterized by the telling of a story; (n.) a story | 187 | |
| 4317609996 | Parody | An artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect | 188 | |
| 4317612779 | Realism | Artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy | 189 | |
| 4317615563 | Virtuoso | A tremendously skilled artist | 190 | |
| 4317617519 | Decorous | Proper; marked by good taste | 191 | |
| 4317619299 | Equanimity | The quality of being calm or even-tempered; composure | 192 | |
| 4317621912 | Modest | Quiet or humble in manner or appearance | 193 | |
| 4317623747 | Propriety | Appropriateness of behavior | 194 | |
| 4317625414 | Prudent | Exercising good judgement or common sense | 195 | |
| 4317627213 | Serene | Calm | 196 | |
| 4317627214 | Staid | Unemotional; serious | 197 | |
| 4317629412 | Stoic | Indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive | 198 | |
| 4317631157 | Condemn | To express strong disapproval of; denounce | 199 | |
| 4317633156 | Discredit | To cause to be doubted | 200 | |
| 4317635153 | Disparage | To speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle | 201 | |
| 4317637239 | Pejorative | Describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone | 202 | |
| 4317640788 | Plagiarism | The act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one's own | 203 | |
| 4317642883 | Vilify | To make vicious statements about | 204 | |
| 4317644798 | Brusque | Rudely abrupt | 205 | |
| 4317646529 | Caustic | Bitingly sarcastic or witty | 206 | |
| 4317648203 | Fractious | Quarrelsome; unruly | 207 | |
| 4317650408 | Incorrigible | Unable to be reformed | 208 | |
| 4317650409 | Ingrate | An ungrateful person | 209 | |
| 4317652489 | Insolent | Insulting in manner or speech | 210 | |
| 4317653967 | Notorious | Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous | 211 | |
| 4317657101 | Pugnacious | Combative; belligerent | 212 | |
| 4317658676 | Reprehensible | Worthy of blame | 213 | |
| 4317660014 | Brittle | Easily broken when subjected to pressure | 214 | |
| 4317661648 | Deleterious | Having a harmful effect; injurious | 215 | |
| 4317662929 | Enmity | Mutual hatred or ill-will | 216 | |
| 4317665591 | Heinous | Hatefully evil; adominable | 217 | |
| 4317668053 | Malfeasance | Wrongdoing; misconduct | 218 | |
| 4317669852 | Malice | Extreme ill-will or spite | 219 | |
| 4317671698 | Putrid | Rotten | 220 | |
| 4317671699 | Rancorous | Hateful; marked by deep-seated ill-will | 221 | |
| 4317674417 | Toxic | Poisonous | 222 | |
| 4317675982 | Archaic | Characteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned | 223 | |
| 4317677555 | Hackneyed | Worn out through overuse; trite | 224 | |
| 4317679290 | Medieval | Referring to the Middle Ages; old-fashioned | 225 | |
| 4317681732 | Obselete | No longer in use; old-fashioned | 226 | |
| 4317684907 | Austere | Without decoration; strict | 227 | |
| 4317684908 | Mediocrity | The state or quality of being average; of moderate to low quality | 228 | |
| 4317687878 | Mundane | Commonplace; ordinary | 229 | |
| 4317689590 | Ponderous | Extremely dull | 230 | |
| 4317691466 | Prosaic | Unimaginative; dull | 231 | |
| 4317693455 | Sedentary | Not migratory; settled | 232 | |
| 4317695596 | Apprehension | Anxiety or fear about the future | 233 | |
| 4317697760 | Harbinger | Something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner | 234 | |
| 4317700592 | Ominous | Menacing; threatening | 235 | |
| 4317703098 | Premonition | A feeling about the future | 236 | |
| 4317704289 | Timorous | Timid; fearful about the future | 237 | |
| 4317706004 | Trepidation | Uncertainty; apprehension | 238 | |
| 4317707829 | Innovative | Introducing something new | 239 | |
| 4317709773 | Naive | Lacking sophistication | 240 | |
| 4317711468 | Nascent | Coming into existence; emerging | 241 | |
| 4317713503 | Novel | Striking new or unusual | 242 | |
| 4317715381 | Novice | A beginner | 243 | |
| 4317715382 | Candor | Sincerity; openess | 244 | |
| 4317717472 | Frank | Open and sincere in expression; straightforward | 245 | |
| 4317719709 | Arid | Describing a dry, rainless climate | 246 | |
| 4317722187 | Conflagration | A widespread fire | 247 | |
| 4317723796 | Nocturnal | Of or occurring in the night | 248 | |
| 4317726042 | Sonorous | Producing a deep or full sound | 249 | |
| 4317727337 | Ample | Describing a large amount of something | 250 | |
| 4317729818 | Comprehensive | Large in scope and content | 251 | |
| 4317731398 | Copious | Plentiful; having a large quantity | 252 | |
| 4317733645 | Permeated | Spread or flowing throughout | 253 | |
| 4317736196 | Pervasive | Dispersed throughout | 254 | |
| 4317737793 | Prodigious | Emormous | 255 | |
| 4317739665 | Replete | Abundantly supplied; filled to capacity | 256 | |
| 4317741479 | Exemplary | Commendable; worthy of imitation | 257 | |
| 4317743366 | Idealize | To consider perfect | 258 | |
| 4317744548 | Laudatory | Giving praise | 259 | |
| 4317744550 | Paramount | Of chief concern or importance | 260 | |
| 4317746744 | Venerated | Highly respected | 261 | |
| 4317748714 | Catalog | (v.) to make an itemized list of | 262 | |
| 4317751077 | Facile | Done or achieved with little effort; easy | 263 | |
| 4317752978 | Fastidious | Possessing careful attention to detail; difficult to please | 264 | |
| 4317755484 | Hierarchy | A group organized by rank | 265 | |
| 4317757949 | Meticulous | Extremely careful and precise | 266 | |
| 4317760664 | Pragmatic | Practical | 267 | |
| 4317762682 | Solvent | Able to pay one's debts | 268 | |
| 4317764205 | Abstract | Not applied to actual subjects. "Justice" is an example because it is merely an idea. | 269 | |
| 4317770257 | Anachronism | Something out of place in time or sequence. For example, "Jill was something of an anachronism; she insisted on carrying a parasol when going out in the sun and believed that a woman's place was at home in the kitchen and with the children." | 270 | |
| 4317778944 | Anthropomorphism | The attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature. For example, "Beatrix Potter is known for her children's books filled with anthropomorphism; Peter Rabbitt, Squirrel Nutkin, and Samuel Whiskers were all animal characteristics with very human qualities. | 271 | |
| 4317792723 | Apology | Defense of an idea. For example, "Du Bellay wrote an apology in which he justified the use of French in place of Latin." | 272 | |
| 4317798580 | Apparatus | Equipment; a group of machines. For example, "The storeroom behind the physics lab was filled with a cumbersome apparatus that has since been replaced by a much smaller and more accurate piece of equipment." | 273 | |
| 4317810770 | Apposition | A grammar construction in which a noun (or noun phrase) is placed with another as an explanation. For example, "My grandmother, a fine woman of 83, enjoys riding her motorcycle at high speeds in heavy traffic on I-80." | 274 | |
| 4317820917 | Archetype | A perfect example; an original pattern or model. For example, "Steve enjoyed stealing candy from babies, tripping elderly women in crosswalks, and pilfering money from the Save the Children charity jar; he was an archetype of pure evil." | 275 | |
| 4317830236 | Chiasmus | An inversion in the second of two parallel phrases. For example, John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." | 276 | |
| 4317838040 | Gesticulating | Making gestures while speaking | 277 | |
| 4317839678 | Hypothetical | Existing only as an assumption or speculation | 278 | |
| 4317842837 | Lexicon | A word book describing language with definitions; a dictionary. For example, "When his teacher wrote that his essay was "abysmal," Eddie decided to look it up in his lexicon and found that this was quite insulting." | 279 | |
| 4317861598 | Panegyric | Statement of high praise. For example, "For his senior essay, Boris wrote an eloquent panegyric to his high school; he had truly enjoyed the last four years, and he wanted his teachers to know how much he appreciated them." | 280 | |
| 4317870138 | Paradigm | An example or model. For example, "The current educational paradigm has students engaged in discovery-based learning, whereas the older model had teachers lecturing and students merely taking notes." | 281 | |
| 4317878774 | Parallelism | A grammar construction in which two identical syntactic constructions are used. For example, "On Mondays, Ms. Smith spends her time baking cakes for local charities and knitting socks for the homeless." | 282 | |
| 4317890007 | Periodic Sentence (Period) | Long, complex, grammatically correct sentence. For example, "While writing his essay, Sam thought he was being very articulate with his long, complex sentences. However, his English teacher disagreed; those lengthy sentences weren't periods; they were simply rambling run-ons." | 283 | |
| 4317903551 | Pernicious | Causing great harm. For example, "In Mean Girls, the Plastics loved to spread pernicious rumors about their classmates; they effectively ruined the social lives of several students with their nasty gossip." | 284 | |
| 4317911399 | Phenomenon | An unusual, observable event. | 285 | |
| 4317915178 | Propitious | Presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious. For example, "In Chinese culture, the color red is seen as sort of propitious omen; red is thought to bring luck." | 286 | |
| 4317922211 | Rational | Logical; motivated by reason rather than feeling | 287 | |
| 4317924212 | Sardonic | Disdainfully or ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic. For example, "In Rachel's group of friends, Estelle was know as the sardonic one; sometimes her sarcastic comments really hurt the other girls. | 288 | |
| 4317936020 | Syllogism (Syllogistic Reasoning) | A form of deductive reasoning; a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. For example, "Humans are mortal (major premise), Seth is a human (minor premise); Seth is mortal (conclusion). | 289 | |
| 4317943644 | Theoretical | Lacking application or practical application. | 290 | |
| 4317949114 | Ad Hominem | A type of rhetorical fallacy. (In Latin, "to the man") This argument is any kind of fallacious argument that criticizes an idea by pointing something out about the person who holds the idea, rather than directly addressing the actual merit of the idea. For example, "You're wrong because you're a jerk" or "Of course that writer supports gun control; she's a Democrat!" | 291 | |
| 4317973214 | Argument from (False) Authority | A type of rhetorical fallacy that tempts us to agree with the writer's assumptions based on the authority of a famous person or entity or on his or her own character (when the writers are well-known). For example, "It is absurd to believe that professional baseball players have used steroids because the most famous slugger of our time has repeatedly asserted that such a claim is false." | 292 | |
| 4317985564 | Appeal to Ignorance | A type of rhetorical fallacy that is based on the assumption that whatever has not been proven false must be true (or, similarly, whatever has not been proven true must be false). For example, "No one can prove that the Loch Ness monster does not exist; therefore the Loch Ness monster exists." | 293 | |
| 4318000617 | Begging the Question | A type of rhetorical fallacy in which someone assumes that parts (or all) of what the person claims to be proving are proven facts. (Keep in mind that this does not refer to incomplete or illogical statements that actually would prompt someone to ask a question.) This is a circular form of reasoning. For example, "The Loch Ness monster spoke to me in my dreams, so it must exist." OR... Interviewer: "Your resume looks impressive, but I need another reference." Brendan: "Heidi can give me a good reference." Interviewer: "Good, but how do I know that Heidi is trustworthy?" Brendan: "I can vouch for her." | 294 | |
| 4318032232 | Hasty Generalization | A type of rhetorical fallacy. Sometimes a writer will deliberately lead you to a conclusion by providing insufficient, selective evidence. For Example, "Ping-pong is an extremely dangerous sport; last year, my friend got hit in the eye with a ping-pong ball and almost lost his vision in that eye." | 295 | |
| 4318045573 | Non Sequitur | A type of rhetorical fallacy. In Latin "it doesn't follow." This is a statement that does not relate logically to what comes before it. For example, "If you really wanted to earn a 5 on the AP English Language and Composition exam, you wouldn't spend so much time reading Isabel Allende's novels." | 296 | |
| 4318057458 | False Dichotomy | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This consists of a consideration of only two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities. For example, "AP Calculus BC class is impossible; either you get it or you don't." | 297 | |
| 4318065631 | Slippery Slope | A type of rhetorical fallacy. An argument that suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes. For example, "If we stop requiring men to wear coats and ties in the dining room, pretty soon they'll start coming dressed in beachwear." | 298 | |
| 4318079893 | Faulty Causality | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This refers to the (sometimes unintentional) setting up of a cause-and-effect relationship when none exists. In this rhetorical fallacy, one even can happen after another without the first necessarily being the direct cause of the second. For example, "Violent crime among adolescents has risen in the past decade, and that is the result of increased sales of violent video games." | 299 | |
| 4318093710 | Straw Man Argument | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This consists of an oversimplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack. For example, "Students who want to eliminate the school uniform are exhibitionists who want to show off bare midriffs." | 300 | |
| 4318103534 | Sentimental Appeals | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This commonly used tactic attempts to appeal to the hearts of readers (or, of course, listeners) so that they forget to use their minds. For example, "The assignment that I gave you last night was much too long, but just think how pleased your parents and I will be when you score a 5 on the AP exam. Think about the pride you'll feel when tears of joy stream down our faces!" | 301 | |
| 4318118793 | Red Herring | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This attempts to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing an issue that has no logical connection to the discussion at hand. For example, "My opponent talks about the poor quality of military intelligence, but this is a time for decisiveness, not for weakness. We must stick together and present a common front as the other nations look on. If we do not, we could jeopardize our position as a global leader." | 302 | |
| 4318134283 | Scare Tactics | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This is used to frighten readers or listeners into agreeing with the speaker; often, when this is used, the speaker has no logical argument on which to fall back. For example, "My opponent talks about the need to explore stem cell research, but this would bring about an end to ethical uses of technology, and, before long, scientists will be creating superraces--the Nazi dream of an Aryan Nation will ensue!" | 303 | |
| 4318152237 | Bandwagon Appeals | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This encourages the listener to agree with a position because everyone else does. The logic goes something like this: If everybody else is doing it, it must be all right. For example, "It's time for our county to repeal the ban on strip mining--every other county in the state has already done so!" | 304 | |
| 4318165113 | Dogmatism | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This strategy does not allow for discussion because the speaker presumes that his or her beliefs are beyond question; essentially, the "logic" runs thusly: I'm correct because I'm correct. For example, "We are members of the Wombat Party and, as such, know that we are right when we assert that Wombats are the best!" | 305 | |
| 4318177435 | Equivocation | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This is telling part of the truth, while deliberately hiding the entire truth; typically, this is similar to lying by omission. For example, "There is a Pink Panther movie in which Inspector Clouseau enters a quaint European hotel and, upon spying a cute little dog, asks the owner, 'Does your dog bits?' The manager responds, 'No' and Clouseau attempts to pet the dog, which growls and bites him. 'You told me that your dog does not bite!' exclaims Clouseau. 'That's not my dog,' responds the owner." | 306 | |
| 4318197636 | Faulty Analogy | A type of rhetorical fallacy. This is an illogical, misleading comparison between two things. For example, "Why should we invade that country? Let me explain it to you like this. What if you looked out the window and saw a 20-dollar bill in the street? Wouldn't you go outside and take it?" | 307 |
