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Glossary for AP English
N/A
126
English
12th Grade
02/23/2009

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Term
ad Hominem Argument
Definition
comes from Latin phrase meaning "to the man.' Refers to an argument that attacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand.
Term
allegory
Definition
fictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts
Term
alliteration
Definition
the repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words
Term
allusion
Definition
passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible, mythology or literature; an economical way for a writer to capture the essence of an idea, atmosphere, emotion or historical era
Term
ambiguity (ambiguous)
Definition
uncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation
Term
analogy
Definition
asks a reader to think about the correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different; a form of comparison to which the writer expalins something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar
Term
analytical reading
Definition
reading actively, paying close attention to both the content and thes tructure of the text
Term
antecendent
Definition
the grammatical term for the noun of or pronoun from which another pronoun derives its meaning
Term
antithesis
Definition
opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses
Term
apostrophe
Definition
a figure or speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker
Term
apotheosis
Definition
occurs in literature when a character or thing is elevated to such a high status that it appears godlike
Term
appositive
Definition
word or phrase that follows a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity; usually set off by commas
Term
argument
Definition
one of the four basic types of prose; to attempt to convince the reader to agree with a point of view, to make a given decision, or to pursue a particular course of action; based on reasonable explanations and appeals to the reader's intelligence
Term
assertion
Definition
thesis or proposition that a writer puts forward in argument
Term
assonance
Definition
type of internal rhyming in which vowel sounds are repeated
Term
assumption
Definition
a belief or principle, stated or implied, that is taken for granted
Term
asyndeton
Definition
occurs when the conjunctions that would normally connect a string of words, phrases or clauses are omitted from a sentence
Term
atmosphere
Definition
the emotional feeling - or mood - of a place, scene or event
Term
attitude
Definition
describes the feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person or idea
Term
audience
Definition
the intended readership for a piece of writing
Term
bathos
Definition
false or forced emotion that is often humorous
Term
cause and effect analysis
Definition
one of the types of exposition; answers the question "why"
Term
claim
Definition
thesis or proposition put forth in argument
Term
classification
Definition
one of the types of exposition; the writer arranges and sorts people, places, or things into categories according to their differing characteristics, thus making them more manageable for the writer and more understandable for the reader
Term
cliché
Definition
expression that has become ineffective through overuse
Term
coherence
Definition
quality of good writing that results when all sentences, paragraphs and longer divisions of an essay are naturally connected
Term
colloquial expressions
Definition
characteristic of or appropriate to spoken language or to writing that seeks its effect
Term
concrete
Definition
names a specific object, person, place or action that can be directly perceived by the senses
Term
abstract
Definition
refers to general qualities, conditions, ideas, actions or relationships that cannot be directly perceived by the senses
Term
connotation
Definition
the implied or suggested emaning of the word
Term
denotation
Definition
the dictionary meaning of the word, the literal meaning
Term
contrast
Definition
used to elaborate ideas; help writers to expand on their ideas by allowing them to show both what a thing is wand what it is not
Term
deduction
Definition
process of reasoning from a stated premise to a necessary conclusion; moves from the general to the specific
Term
definition
Definition
one of the types of exposition; a statement of the meaning of a word
Term
description
Definition
one of the four basic types of prose; tells how a person, place or thing is perceived by the five senses
Term
dialogue
Definition
conversation that is recorded in a piece of writing
Term
diction
Definition
refers to an author's choice of words
Term
division (and classification)
Definition
separate yet closely related mental operations; involves breaking down a single large unit into smaller subunits or brekaing down a large group or items into discrete categories
Term
dominant impression
Definition
the single mood, atmosphere, or quality a writer emphasizes in a piece of descriptive writing; created through the careful selection of details and is influenced by the writer's subject, audience and purpose
Term
draft
Definition
the version of a piece of writing at a particular stage in the writing process
Term
editing
Definition
writer makes his or her prose conform to the conventions of the language
Term
elegiac
Definition
work that expresses sorrow; mourns the loss of something, such as the death of a loved one
Term
emphasis
Definition
the placement of important ideas and words within sentences and longer units of writing so that they have the greatest impact
Term
essay
Definition
relatively short piece of nonfiction in which the writer attempts to make one or more closely related points
Term
ethos
Definition
characteristic spirit or ideal that informs a work; refers more generally to ethics, or values of the arguer
Term
euphemism
Definition
mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate or simply less pleasant idea; used to soften the impact of what is being discussed
Term
evaluation
Definition
an assessment of a piece of writing for its effectiveness or merit
Term
evidence
Definition
the data on which a judgement or argument is based or by which proof or probability is established
Term
examples
Definition
illustrate a larger idea or represent something of which they are a part
Term
exemplification
Definition
type of exposition; the writer uses examples to support a generalization and to make it more vivid, udnerstandable and persuasive
Term
exposition
Definition
one of the four basic types of prose; serves to clarify, explain and inform
Term
fact
Definition
a piece of information presented as having a verifiable certainty or reality
Term
figure of speech
Definition
brief, imaginative comparisons that highlight the similarities between things that are basically dissimilar
Term
fiction
Definition
Term
figurative language
Definition
an umbrella term for all uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison
Term
focus
Definition
limitation that a writer gives his or her subject
Term
foreshadowing
Definition
purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative
Term
grammar
Definition
set a of rules that specify how a given language is used effectively
Term
hyperbole
Definition
a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis
Term
idion
Definition
a word or phrase that is used habitually with a particular meaning in a language
Term
image
Definition
a mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations
Term
induction
Definition
the process of reasoning to a conclusion about all members of a class through an examination of only a few memers of the class
Term
irony
Definition
occurs when a situation produces an outcome that is the opposite of what is expected
Term
juxtaposition
Definition
when two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison
Term
logical fallacies
Definition
an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalud, including oversimplication, non-sequitur, post hoc. ergo propter hoc, begging the question, false analogy and either/or thinking
Term
logos
Definition
the use of reason as a contorlling principle in an argument
Term
metaphor
Definition
figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly, usually for emphasis or dramatic effect
Term
metonymy
Definition
figure of speech in which soemthing is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it
Term
mood
Definition
prevailing or dominant feelings of a work, scene or event
Term
narration
Definition
one of the four basic types of prose; to tell a story, to tell what happened
Term
objective
Definition
factual and impersonal
Term
subjective
Definition
relies heavily on personal interpretation
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
an effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning
Term
opinion
Definition
a belief or conclusion not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof
Term
organization
Definition
the thoughtful arrangement and presentation of one's points or ideas
Term
overview
Definition
a brief summary of the whole work
Term
oxymoron
Definition
combines two contradictory words in one expression
Term
pacing
Definition
the speed of a story's action, dialogue or narration
Term
paradox
Definition
a seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth
Term
paragraph
Definition
the single most important unit of thought in an essay; a series of closely related sentences that adequately develop the central or controlling diea of a paragraph
Term
parallelism
Definition
literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures in a series in order to develop an argument or emphasize an idea
Term
parody
Definition
an effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing an imitation of the work or of the author's style
Term
pathos
Definition
sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work
Term
person
Definition
a grammatical term that describes the relationship of a writer or spearker to an audience by examining the pronouns that are used
Term
persona
Definition
the character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text
Term
personification
Definition
figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities
Term
point of view
Definition
the particular perspective from which a story is told
Term
prewriting
Definition
emcompasses all the activities that take place before a writer actually starts a rough draft
Term
process analysis
Definition
type of exposition; answers the question "how"
Term
publication
Definition
stage of the writing process where the writer shares his or her writing with the intended audience
Term
pun
Definition
a play on words; created by using a word that has two different meanings, or using two different words with similar meanings for a playful effect
Term
purpose
Definition
what the writer wants to accomplish in a particular piece of writing
Term
repetition
Definition
the reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis
Term
revision
Definition
the stage of the writing process where the writer determines what in the draft needs to be developed or clarified so that the essay says what the writer intends it to say
Term
rhetoric / rhetorical purpose
Definition
the art and logic of a written or spoken argument
Term
rhetorical, or stylistic devices
Definition
specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy and thus achieve a purpose for writing
Term
rhetorical question
Definition
a question that is asked for the sake of argument
Term
rhetorical strategy
Definition
plan of action or movement to achieve a goal
Term
satire
Definition
to ridicule or mock ideas, events or doctrines, or to make fun of human foibles or weaknesses
Term
selection of detail
Definition
the specific words, incidents, images or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative
Term
sequence
Definition
the order in which a writer presents information
Term
simile
Definition
commonly used figure of speech that compares the words "like" or "as"
Term
slang
Definition
unconventional, very informal language of particular sub-groups of a culture
Term
slanting
Definition
the use of certain words or information that results in a biased view point
Term
speaker
Definition
the narrator of a story, poem or drama
Term
strategy
Definition
the means by which a writer achieves his or her purpose
Term
style
Definition
the individual manner in which a writer expresses his or her ideas
Term
subject
Definition
the content or an essay
Term
syllogism
Definition
an argument that utilizes deductive reasoning and consists of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion
Term
symbol
Definition
a person, place or thing that represents something behind itself
Term
synonym
Definition
a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word
Term
syntax
Definition
refers to the way words are arranged in a sentence
Term
technical language
Definition
(jargon) the special vocabulary of a trade or profession
Term
tension
Definition
a feeling of excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood or atmosphere of the work
Term
texture
Definition
describes thew ay elements of a work of prose or poetry are joined together
Term
theme
Definition
considered the central idea
Term
thesis
Definition
a statement of the main idea of an essay
Term
title
Definition
a word or phrase set off at the beginning of an essay to identity the subject, to capture the main idea of the essay or to attract the reader's attention
Term
tone
Definition
the way the author presents a subject
Term
topic sentence
Definition
states the central idea of the paragraph and thus limits and controls the subject of the paragraph
Term
transitions
Definition
words or phrases that link sentences, paragrpahs and larger units of a composition to achieve coherence
Term
understatement
Definition
when an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves
Term
unity
Definition
achieved in an essay when all words, sentences and paragraphs contribute to its thesis
Term
voice
Definition
how the speaker of a literary work presents himself to the reader
Term
writing process
Definition
consists of: prewriting, writing drafts, revision, editing and publication
Term
zeugma
Definition
a particular breech of sense in a sentence; occurs when a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them
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