These terms are used on the AP English Language Exam.
Terms : Hide Images
| 6818201758 | abstract | ADJ. theoretical; not concrete; non-representational. | 0 | |
| 6818201759 | affectation | putting on airs; pretending to feelings or knowledge one does not have; not genuine or authentic, pretension | 1 | |
| 6818201760 | allegory | A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself. | 2 | |
| 6818201761 | allusion/allusive | an implied or indirect reference through a name or a quotation familiar to most educated people | 3 | |
| 6818201762 | ambivalent | Having mixed or opposing feelings at the same time | 4 | |
| 6818201763 | analogy/extended metaphor | A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way | 5 | |
| 6818201764 | anecdote | A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event. | 6 | |
| 6818201765 | antithesis | Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure | 7 | |
| 6818201766 | appeal to authority | Appeals to an authority to support a position, idea, argument, or course of action | 8 | |
| 6818201767 | appeal to emotion/pathos | Appeal to emotion | 9 | |
| 6818201768 | acerbic | Biting, bitter in tone or taste | 10 | |
| 6818201769 | cadence | Rhythmic rise and fall | 11 | |
| 6818201770 | capricious | Changing suddenly, fickle (Her ______ moods are difficult to anticipate. ) | 12 | |
| 6818201771 | circumlocution | A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea. | 13 | |
| 6818201772 | colloquial | Characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English. | 14 | |
| 6818201773 | conciliatory | OVERCOMING DISTRUST OR HOSTILITY | 15 | |
| 6818201774 | concrete diction | words that refer to things, as opposed to abstract words that refer to ideas and feelings | 16 | |
| 6818201775 | condescending | (adj) possessing an attitude of superiority, patronizing | 17 | |
| 6818201776 | conditions of rebuttal | (v.) to offer arguments or evidence that contradicts an assertion; to refute, in the Toulmin scheme, the anticipation and addressing of counter-arguments | 18 | |
| 6818201777 | dialect | A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. | 19 | |
| 6818201778 | diction | word choice | 20 | |
| 6818201779 | effusive | gushing; excessively demonstrative | 21 | |
| 6818201780 | euphemism | A mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term | 22 | |
| 6818201781 | familiar style | conversational or colloquial tone | 23 | |
| 6818201782 | formal style | the language used in public speech, such as lectures, sermons, writing, and political addresses | 24 | |
| 6818201783 | idiom | An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally (ex- "Get your head out of the clouds")., A common expression or traditional way of saying something. | 25 | |
| 6818201784 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 26 | |
| 6818201785 | impressionistic style | language that uses images to convey an atmosphere or mood | 27 | |
| 6818201786 | irate | Angry, incensed | 28 | |
| 6818201787 | lyrical | Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination. | 29 | |
| 6818201788 | metaphor | figure of speech comparing two different things | 30 | |
| 6818201789 | mocking | Satirical, treating with contempt or ridicule, Making fun of something | 31 | |
| 6818201790 | onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. If you note examples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect. | 32 | |
| 6818201791 | oratorical | relating to the art of public speaking | 33 | |
| 6818201792 | parallelism | Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other | 34 | |
| 6818201793 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. | 35 | |
| 6818201794 | pedantic | Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules | 36 | |
| 6818201795 | point of view | In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. | 37 | |
| 6818201796 | pretension | A Claim to something; an unwarranted or false claim, as to merit, importance, or wealth | 38 | |
| 6818201797 | rebuttal | A counterargument, especially in debate | 39 | |
| 6818201798 | refutation | A denial of the validity of an opposing argument. In order to sound reasonable, a refutation often follows a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. One of the stages in classical oration, usually following the confirmation, or proof, and preceding the conclusion, or peroration. | 40 | |
| 6818201799 | rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 41 | |
| 6818201800 | satire | A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. It doesn't simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in sarcasm). It targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals. | 42 | |
| 6818201801 | slang | A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech | 43 | |
| 6818201802 | strident | LOUD; HARSH; UNPLEASANTLY NOISY | 44 | |
| 6818201803 | syntax | Language rules that govern how words can be combined to form meaningful phrases and sentences | 45 | |
| 6818201804 | terse | Brief and to the point, laconic, concise | 46 | |
| 6818201805 | thesis | Focus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based. | 47 | |
| 6818201806 | tone | Attitudes and presuppositions of the author that are revealed by their linguistic choices (diction, syntax, rhetorical devices) | 48 | |
| 6818201807 | understatement | A figure of speech in which a writer deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is. | 49 | |
| 6818201808 | reductio ad absurdem | method of refutation that suggests the other arguer's position leads to unacceptable implications. | 50 | |
| 6818201809 | false dilemma | A fallacy of oversimplification that offers a limited number of options (usually two) when in fact more options are available. | 51 | |
| 6818201810 | begging the question | Assumes something to be true that needs proof | 52 | |
| 6818201811 | syllogism | A FORM OF DEDUCTIVE REASONING THAT HAS A MAJOR PREMISE, A MINOR PREMISE, AND A CONCLUSION | 53 | |
| 6818201812 | hasty generalization | A fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence. | 54 | |
| 6818201813 | slippery slope | A fallacy that assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented | 55 | |
| 6818201814 | appeal to false authority | a claim that uses as evidence the testimony of someone who is not an expert on the topic | 56 | |
| 6818201815 | bandwagon | A fallacy which assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable. | 57 | |
| 6818201816 | sentimental appeal | a fallacy of argument in which an appeal is based on excessive emotion | 58 | |
| 6818201817 | non sequitur | A statement that does not follow logically from evidence | 59 | |
| 6818201818 | ad hominem | In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man." | 60 | |
| 6818201819 | post hoc ergo propter hoc | This fallacy is Latin for "after which therefore because of which," meaning that it is incorrect to always claim that something is a cause just because it happened earlier. One may loosely summarize this fallacy by saying that correlation does not imply causation. Also called "faulty causality." | 61 | |
| 6818201820 | straw man argument | oversimplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack | 62 | |
| 6818201821 | either-or argument | a logical fallacy that oversimplifies to suggest that only two possible positions exist on a complex issue. False dilemma | 63 | |
| 6818201822 | ellipsis | Indicated by a series of three periods, the "..." indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text. | 64 | |
| 6818201823 | analogy | A comparision between an unfamilar idea, thing, or situation and something the audience already understands | 65 | |
| 6818201824 | didactic | 1. A term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. 2. Excessively instructive | 66 | |
| 6818201825 | euphony | pleasant, harmonious sound | 67 | |
| 6818201826 | moral equivalence | compares minor problems with much more serious crimes (or vice versa): "Our new president is like Hitler." | 68 | |
| 6818201827 | snob appeal | Arguments that distract by making the audience want to feel "special." Make the consumer feel like if they buy the product they will be part of an elite or exclusive group. | 69 | |
| 6818201828 | invective | (n.) a strong denunciation or condemnation; abusive language; (adj.) abusive, vituperative | 70 | |
| 6818201829 | ambivalence | The state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes | 71 | |
| 6818201830 | double entendre | a statement that has two meanings, one of which is dirty or vulgar | 72 | |
| 6818201831 | nostalgia | (n.) a longing for something past; homesickness | 73 | |
| 6818201832 | homogeneity | evenness; uniformity | 74 | |
| 6818201833 | epithet | A descriptive word or phrase occurring with or in place of the name of a person or thing. An insulting or demeaning word or phrase. | 75 |
