AP English Language flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Exigence

The urgent problem, occasion, or need that prompts a writer or speaker to respond; it is the reason the text exists and must be addressed now.

Rhetorical purpose

What the writer aims to accomplish with the text, such as persuading, informing, entertaining, or expressing a viewpoint; often multiple purposes coexist in one text.

Ethos

The appeal based on the speaker's credibility, character, and authority; established through credentials, fair-mindedness, and consistent tone.

Pathos

The appeal to the audience's emotions, values, and beliefs; often built through vivid imagery, anecdote, and loaded diction.

Logos

The appeal to logic and reason through evidence, examples, statistics, and structured argument; aims to convince through the soundness of reasoning.

Persona

The character or voice a writer adopts in a text, which may differ from the author's real identity; inferred from diction, syntax, and stance.

Target audience

The primary readers a writer intends to reach and persuade; determines appropriate diction, evidence, and assumed background knowledge.

Register

The level of formality in language suited to a particular occasion and audience, ranging from formal and elevated to colloquial and casual.

Genre conventions

The established features and structures expected in a type of writing, such as salutations in letters or a call to action in editorials.

Thesis statement

A sentence that states the central, debatable claim of an essay and forecasts the reasoning; it should be arguable, not merely descriptive.

Debatable claim

An assertion that reasonable people could dispute and that therefore requires evidence and reasoning to support it, unlike a verifiable fact.

Warrant

The unstated assumption that connects evidence to a claim; if the audience rejects the warrant, the evidence fails to support the claim.

Sufficiency of evidence

The principle that evidence must be ample enough to persuade a skeptical reader, not just relevant; one anecdote rarely proves a general claim.

Qualifier

A word like some, often, or usually that limits a claim's scope, making it more defensible and harder to refute than an absolute assertion.

Correlation vs. causation

A reasoning flaw in which two events occurring together are treated as one causing the other, without evidence of a causal mechanism.

Signal phrase

An introductory phrase naming the source of evidence, such as According to Smith or Data from the survey show, orienting readers before the content.

Commentary

The writer's explanation of how a piece of evidence supports the claim; it converts quoted or cited material into an argument.

Concession

Acknowledging a valid point from the opposing side before rebutting it; builds credibility and reduces audience defensiveness.

Rebuttal

The response to a counterargument that refutes it with evidence or reframes the issue, typically following a concession.

Triangulation

Supporting a claim with multiple types of evidence, such as statistics, expert testimony, and anecdote, to strengthen the overall case.

Inductive reasoning

Drawing a general conclusion from specific observations or examples; the conclusion is probable rather than certain.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning from general premises to a specific conclusion; valid only if the premises are true and the logical form is sound.

Straw man fallacy

Misrepresenting an opponent's position as weaker or more extreme than it is, then refuting that distorted version instead of the real argument.

False dilemma

Presenting only two options when more exist, forcing the audience to choose between an oversimplified pair of alternatives.

Hasty generalization

Drawing a broad conclusion from too few or unrepresentative examples; a common flaw in arguments built on anecdote.

Classical arrangement

The traditional oration structure: introduction, narration, confirmation, refutation, and conclusion, used to organize persuasive arguments.

Rogerian argument

An argument structure that opens with common ground and mutual understanding before presenting the writer's proposal, suited to hostile audiences.

Claim-evidence-commentary

A paragraph pattern in which a claim is stated, supported by evidence, then explained through commentary linking evidence to claim.

Transitional sentence

A sentence that carries the argument forward by showing the logical relationship between paragraphs, rather than merely enumerating points.

Periodic sentence

A sentence that withholds its main clause until the end, creating suspense and emphasis on the final idea.

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences, creating rhythm and emphasis.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical scheme in which the order of terms in one clause is reversed in the next, as in ask not what your country can do for you.

Nominalization

Turning a verb or adjective into a noun, as in implementation from implement; it often weakens prose by obscuring agency.