AP Language and Composition Terms Flashcards

6940363603	Analogy	Explaining something complex by comparing it to something more simple. Ex: "An amateur playing in a professional game is like an ibex stepping into a lion's den."	0
6940377670	Argument	The combination of reasons, evidence, etc that an author uses to convince an audience of their position.	1
6940388655	Aristotelian appeals	Three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos, logos, and pathos.	2
6940394498	Attitude	The writer's personal views or feelings about the subject at hand. Ex: "the deplorable state of this school" would convey that the author has a negative attitude towards the school.	3
6940409080	Audience	Who the author is directing his or her message towards. Ex: When you create a resume, your audience is potential employers.	4
6940426336	Compare and Contrast	Discussing the similarities and differences between two things to some persuasive or illustrative purpose. Ex:"Hybrid cars have a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional midsize vehicles."	5
6940431757	Connotation	The implied meaning of a word; words can broadly have positive, negative, or neutral connotations. Ex:conscientious = positive connotation fussy = negative connotation	6
6940456155	Context	The extra-textual environment in which the text is being delivered.	7
6940464260	Counterargument	The argument(s) against the author's position.	8
6940472460	Deductive reasoning	A form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific case. Ex: If all planets orbit a star, and Theta II is a planet, then it must orbit a star.	9
6940483469	Denotation	The literal, dictionary-definition meaning of a word. Ex: The denotation of "chair" is "a place to sit."	10
6940486970	Diction	The style of language used; generally tailored to be appropriate to the audience and situation. Ex: You might say "What's up, loser?" to your little brother, but you would probably say "How are you doing today?" to your principal.	11
6940500149	Ethos	Setting up a source as credible and trustworthy. Ex: "Given my PhD in the subject and years of experience in the field" is an appeal to ethos.	12
6940505593	Evidence	The information presented meant to persuade the audience of the author's position. Ex: If I were arguing that Anne is a good student, I might reference her straight-A report card and her 1500 SAT score as pieces of evidence.	13
6940516743	Figurative language	The use of language in a non-literal way; i.e. metaphor, simile, etc.	14
6940523666	Genre	The specific type of work being presented.	15
6940524925	Imagery	Any descriptive language used to evoke a vivid sense or image of something; includes figurative language.	16
6940529783	Implication	When something is suggested without being concretely stated. Ex:"Watch your wallet around Paul," implies that Paul is a thief without coming out and saying "Paul is a thief."	17
6940536892	Inductive reasoning	Making a generalization based on specific evidence at hand. Ex: All of the planets in this solar system orbit a star, so all planets probably orbit stars.	18
6940546011	Irony	At the most basic sense, saying the opposite of what you mean; also used to describe situations in which the results of an action are dramatically different than intended.	19
6940549435	Juxtaposition	Placing two very different things together for effect. Ex: "There they stood together, the beggars and the lords, the princesses and the washerwoman, all crowding into the square."	20
6940555674	Logos	Appealing to someone's sense of concrete facts and logic. Ex: Citing peer-reviewed scientific studies is an appeal to logos.	21
6940562477	Occasion	The reason or moment for writing or speaking. Ex: When giving a graduation speech, the occasion is graduation.	22
6940567966	Organization	How the different parts of an argument are arranged in a piece of writing or speech.	23
6940571826	Pathos	An Aristotelian appeal. Involves appealing to someone's emotions. Ex: Animal shelters ads with pictures of cute sad animals and dramatic music are using pathos.	24
6940579076	Purpose	The author's persuasive intention.	25
6940585475	Repetition	Re-using a word or phrase repeatedly for effect or emphasis.	26
6940594123	Rhetoric	The use of spoken or written word (or a visual medium) to convey your ideas and convince an audience.	27
6940598318	Rhetoric Triangle	The relationship between the author, the audience, the text/message, and the context. Ex: The author communicates to the reader via the text; and the reader and text are surrounded by context.	28
6940607048	Speaker	The persona adopted by the author to deliver his or her message; may or may not actually be the same person as the author.	29
6940612669	Style	The author's own personal approach to rhetoric in the piece; similar to voice.	30
6940614779	Symbolism	Using a symbol to refer to an idea or concept. Ex: "Fire" is commonly used a symbol for passion and/or anger	31
6940618180	Syntax	The way sentences are grammatically constructed.	32
6940623609	Synthesis	Combining sources or ideas in a coherent way in the purpose of a larger point. Ex: A typical research paper involves synthesizing sources to make a broader point about the topic.	33
6940626911	Themes	Overarching ideas or driving premises of a work.	34
6940634544	Tone	The use of stylistic devices to reveal an author's attitude toward a subject.	35
6940639294	Voice	An author's unique sound. Similar to style. Ex: Think of the way that you can recognize a pop singer on the radio without hearing who it is first.	36
6940643861	Alliteration	Using words with the same first letter repeatedly close together in a phrase or sentence. Ex: "She purchased the pretty purple parka."	37
6940648800	Allusion	Making a brief reference to the cultural canon—e.g. the Bible, Shakespeare, classical mythology, etc.	38
6940655220	Anecdote	Offering a brief narrative episode. This device can serve many functions in a text—for example, introducing an issue, serving as evidence, to illustrate a point, and so on.	39
6940659922	Concession	Agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point (but not in the larger argument).	40
6940663805	Didactic	A text with an instructive purpose, often moral.	41
6940667475	Euphemism	Referring to something with a veiled phrase instead of saying it directly Ex: "She let Bob go," is a euphemism for "she fired Bob."	42
6940671940	Exemplification	Providing examples in service of a point.	43
6940677928	Hyperbole	Overstating a situation for humorous or dramatic effect. Ex: "My backpack weighs tons!"	44
6940682146	Idiom	A commonly used phrase that signifies something very different than its literal meaning. Ex: "This costs an arm and a leg!" is an idiom which means "This is very expensive."	45
6940687668	Onomatopoeia	Using "sound-effect" words (e.g. "clap," "buzz).	46
6940693754	Paradox	A phrase or assertion that appears to contradict itself (but the contradiction itself may have its own meaning). Ex: Paradoxical phrases include "dark angel," "fresh rot," "blissful hell," etc.	47
6940697594	Parallelism	Repeated structural elements in a sentence. Ex: "We went to sea; we went to war; we went to bed."	48
6940702271	Parody	Using the form of something to mimic and make fun of it.	49
6940707251	Personification	Giving human characteristics to a nonhuman object or idea. Ex: "The sun was shining happily today."	50
6940709838	Sarcasm	Mockingly stating the opposite of what you mean. Easier to convey in the spoken word than via writing.	51
6940712104	Satire	A genre of humorous and mocking criticism to expose the ignorance and/or ills of society.	52
6940715169	Synecdoche	Referring to one part of something as a way to refer to the whole. Ex: "Ask for her hand" is a synecdoche for marriage; the "hand" stands in for the whole woman.	53
6940720454	Understatement	Deliberately minimizing something, usually for humorous effect. Ex: "My mom's a little bit irritated I crashed the car—I'm grounded for the next twenty-four months."	54