A.P. English Language and Compostion
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Complete list of Terms and Definitions for A.P. English Language and Compostion

Terms Definitions
Sibilance having, containing, or producing the sound of or a sound resembling that of the s or the sh in sash. "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain."
Inverted syntax a sentence constructed so that the predicate comes before the subject (ex: In the woods I am walking.)
Argumentation a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by reason and logic, and asserts a position, belief or conclusion
Thesis the primary position taken by a writer or speaker
Climax generally, the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance, often in parallel structure ("The concerto was applauded at the house of Baron von Schnooty, it was praised highly at court, it was voted best concerto of the year by the Academy, it was considered by Mozart the highlight of his career, and it has become known today as the best concerto in the world.")
Mood the emotional atmosphere of a work
Allusion a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
Exclamatory sentence a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark
Metaphor a direct comparison of two different things
Vernacular the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage
Diction the word choices made by a writer (diction can be described as: formal, semi-formal, ornate, informal, technical, etc.)
Simile a comparison of two things using "like," "as," or other specifically comparative words
Figurative language language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)
Description a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by physical descriptions of a person, place or thing. It is a pattern that relies on the five senses to inform it.
Balanced sentence a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast (George Orwell: "If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.")
Syllogism a three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise ("All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal.")
Rhetorical pattern format or structure followed by a writer such as comparison/contrast or process analysis.
Narration is a dominant pattern of writing or speaking which strives to tell a story by presenting events in an orderly, logical sequence. Conventionally utilizes the first or third person perspective.
Irony the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs (situational, verbal, dramatic)
Section 2 ...
Personification endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics
Ellipsis the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context ("Some people prefer cats; others, dogs.")
Chiasmus a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.")
Scheme an artful deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words (anaphora, anastrophe, antithesis are some examples of schemes)
Complex sentence sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
Paradox an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth ("Whoever loses his life, shall find it.")
Definition a pattern of writing or speaking which strives to inform the audience on what a term means and how it is different from other terms in its class.
Declarative sentence a sentence that makes a statement or declaration
Parenthetical Comment a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to quality or explain
Exemplification a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by using one or more particular cases, or examples, to illustrate or explain a general point or an abstract concept.
Implication a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly. NOTE: the author/speaker implies; the reader/audience infers.
Non sequitur an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, "does not follow")
Idiom an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect ("fly on the wall", "cut to the chase", etc.)
Invective an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack
Juxtaposition placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
Concrete details details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events
Philippic a strong verbal denunciation. The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century.
Epigram a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying
Rhetorical question a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
Rhetoric the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner
Parody a humorous imitation of a serious work (Weird Al Yankovich's songs, and the Scary Movie series are examples)
Anaphora repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses (Richard D. Bury: "In books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come; in books warlike affairs are set forth; from books come forth the laws of peace.")
Analogy a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
Motif a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works
Inductive reasoning deriving general principles from particular facts or instances ("Every cat I have ever seen has four legs; cats are four-legged animals.)
Didactic statement having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing
Stream of Consciousness a technique characterized by the continuous unedited flow of conscious experience through the mind recorded on paper. Often used in "interior monologue," when the reader is privy to a character or narrator's thoughts.
Tone the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience
Malapropism the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar ("The doctor wrote a subscription.")
Rhetorical devices literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression
Sarcasm harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule
Ethos the persuasive appeal of one's character, or credibility
Cause/Effect a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by its analysis of why something happens, in contrast to Process, which describes how something happens. Often links situations and events in time, with causes preceding events. Ex: the cause of a war and its effects on a national economy
Maxim a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage
Trope an artful deviation from the ordinary or principal signification of a word (hyberbole, metaphor, and personification are some examples of tropes)
Syllepsis a construction in which one word is used in two different senses ("After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.")
Aphorism a concise, statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance
Logos appeal to reason or logic
Absolute a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best," "all", "unique," "perfect")
Anecdote a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
Colloquialism informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
Jargon the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession
Dissonance harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds
Metonymy substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it ("The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting].)
Dialect a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region ("Y'all" = Southern dialect)
Compound sentence a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions
Synecdoche using one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to a car simply as "wheels")
Imperative sentence a sentence that gives a command
Satire the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions (Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, The Simpsons, etc.)
Inference a conclusion on draws (infers) based on premises or evidence
Denotation the literal meaning of a word
Antithesis a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
Style the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work (when analyzing style, one may consider diction, figurative language, sentence structure, etc.)
Tautology needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding ("Widow woman", "free gift")
Deductive reasoning reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)
Pedantic often used to describe a writing style, characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship, characterized by being narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned
Anthypophora A figure of reasoning in which one asks and then immediately answers one's own rhetorical questions (or raises and then settles imaginary objections). Reasoning aloud.
Understatement the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it
Compound-complex sentence a sentence with two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses
Synesthesia (or synaesthesia)—describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color," "a sweet sound")
Classification/Division a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by division, which is the process of breaking a whole into parts, and classification, which is the often subsequent process of sorting individual items into categories
Interrogative sentence a sentence that asks a question
Theme a central idea of a work
Epigraph a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading of a chapter or other section of a work
Parallelism the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms
Simple sentence a sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause
Imagery the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses
Ad hominem argument an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue
Litotes a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, "It was not a pretty picture.")
Connotation the implied or associative meaning of a word (slender vs. skinny; cheap vs. thrifty)
Assonance Repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words. Ex: The sergeant asked him to bomb the lawn with hotpots.
Asyndeton a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions ("They spent the day wondering, searching, thinking, understanding.")
Solecism non standard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules (ex: unflammable; they was)
Syntax the manner in which words are arranged into sentences
Comparison/Contrast a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by, in its narrowest sense, how two or more things are similar (compare) and/or how two or more things are different (contrast).
Allegory a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
Process (a.k.a., Process Analysis) a pattern of writing or speaking which is characterized by it's explanation of how to do something or how something occurs. It presents a sequence of steps and shows how those steps lead to a particular result. (Can be seen often in recipes or directional manuals, a discussion of steps)
Cumulative sentence (loose sentence) a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases (Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal: "I have been assured by a very knowing American friend of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.")
Euphemism an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
Polysyndeton the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural (John Henry Newman: "And to set forth the right standard, and to train according to it, and to help forward all students towards it according to their various capacities, this I conceive to be the business of a University.")
Pathos the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity
Hyperbole intentional exaggeration to create an effect
Structure the arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work
Conceit a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor (Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and John Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" are examples)