AP Language and Composition terms Flashcards

8968592485	Ad Hominem	Rhetorical falllacy. Latin for "against the man," when a writer personally attacks his or her opponents instead of their arguments.	0
8968604325	Allusion	Reference to something the writer presumes the audience would know.	1
8968614604	Ambiguity	An event, situation, or writing that may be interpreted in more than one way.	2
8968617902	Analogy	a comparison of two similar but different things	3
8968622206	Anecdote	A short, simple narrative, often humorous or used as an example.	4
8968625927	Antithesis	the opposite of the main point	5
8968627802	Aphorism	a statement or saying that contains a general truth, and is either witty or wise, such as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.".	6
8968636801	Appeal to ignorance	Rhetorical fallacy. Whatever has not been proven false must be true (or whatever has not been proven true must be false). Ex: nobody has proven that the Loch Ness monster doesn't exist, therefore it must exist.	7
8968646079	Bandwagon Appeals	Rhetorical fallacy. Also known as "peer pressure". It's the idea that you should believe an assertion because everyone else does.	8
8968653198	Circumlocution	Literally, "talking around" a subject. Using many words to describe something simple.	9
8968683167	tone	the general attitude the author takes towards his/her work. Generally conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.	10
8968691472	Allegory	the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence.	11
8968701378	Assertion	a declaration that something is the case; insistent and positive affirming, maintaining, or defending.	12
8968707099	claim	the main argument; supported by evidence, quotations, argumentation, expert opinions, statistics, and telling details	13
8968710776	counterclaim	an opposing claim; especially a claim brought by someone with an opposite stance.	14
8968715227	Concession	granting some validity to the other side—conceding to the other side.	15
8968718820	Dogmatism	The speaker presumes that his or her beliefs are beyond question; the logic: "I'm correct because I'm correct".	16
8968725210	Rhetoric	the art of using words to persuade in writing and speaking.	17
8968729051	Rhetorical Question	a question that is asked for the sake of stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered.	18
8968734359	Rhetorical Triangle	Aristotle taught that a speaker's ability to persuade an audience is based on how well the speaker appeals to that audience in three different areas: logos, ethos, and pathos. We can also understand it as: author, audience, and subject.	19
8968738300	Ethos	an appeal to ethics; a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader	20
8968741412	Pathos	an appeal to emotion; a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response	21
8968746579	Logos	an appeal to logic; a way of persuading an audience by reason.	22
8968749168	Syllogism	a form of deductive logic including a major premise, minor premise, and a conclusion; the premises logically lead to the conclusion.	23
8968760310	Rhetorical Fallacy	Rhetorical fallacies, or fallacies of argument, don't allow for the open, two-way exchange of ideas upon which meaningful conversations depend. Instead, they distract the reader with various appeals instead of using sound reasoning.	24
8968772865	Equivocation	Rhetorical fallacy. A partial telling of the truth. The speaker deliberately hides the entire truth - lying by omission. A fallacy equating two different meanings of one word.	25
8968776150	Euphemism	A less offensive substitute for a generally impolite word or concept.	26
8968779646	False Dichotomy	Rhetorical fallacy. A consideration of only two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities. Ex: "AP is so hard; either you get it or you don't."	27
8968783733	Hasty Generalization	Rhetorical fallacy. When someone tries to lead you to a conclusion by providing insufficient, selective evidence.	28
8968787339	Invectivce	Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language. Intended to attack.	29
8968791609	Non Sequitur	Logical fallacy. A Latin phrase meaning "It doesn't follow." It's a statement that doesn't relate logically to what comes before it.	30
8968795146	Refutation	Arguing against the opposition.	31
8968809655	Scare Tactics	Fallacy. Used to frighten the audience into agreeing with the speaker. Usually, the speaker doesn't have a logical argument to fall back on.	32
8968814495	Slippery Slope	Rhetorical fallacy. An argument that suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes.	33
8968818015	Straw Man Argument	Rhetorical fallacy. An oversimplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.	34
8968835629	Colloquialism	A word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.	35
8968838305	Diction	The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.	36
8968842169	Didactic	Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.	37
8968847385	Inference	A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. Reading between the lines.	38
8968850069	Jargon	Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.	39
8968854397	Juxtaposition	The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.	40
8968856972	Metonymy	the substitution of the name of an attribute for the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing.	41
8968861336	Parallelism	Using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure, sound, meaning, or meter. This technique adds symmetry, effectiveness and balance to the written piece.	42
8968865121	Pedantic	"like a pedant," someone who's too concerned with literal accuracy or formality. It's a negative term that implies someone is showing off book learning or trivia, especially in a tiresome way.	43
8968869154	Red Herring	something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences towards a false conclusion.	44
8968871750	Repetition	a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more memorable.	45
8968876541	Synecdoche	a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part.	46
8968899052	Absurdity	Being ridiculous or wildly	47
8968902354	Exaggeration	a statement that represents something as better or worse than it is.	48
8968904993	Mock Seriousness	pretending to be serious as a joke. Used to describe the tone.	49
8968908089	Oxymoron	a combination of contradictory or incongruous words. Ex: jumbo shrimp, working vacation	50
8968914127	Paradox	a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.	51
8968916757	Parody	an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.	52
8968918857	Pun	a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.	53
8968922091	Sarcasm	the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.	54
8968924959	Satire	the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.	55
8968927559	Understatement	the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.	56