Ap English Compostion/language

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Diction

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"word choice" how the author's choice of words is particulary effective or clear.
author's chocie of words based on their correctness, clearness, or effectivess:
archaic, colloquiallism, jargon, profanity,slng, vulgarity

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examples of diction

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Low/Informal/Slang- very relaxed and conversational. includes simple words, idioms, slang, jargon and contractions.
medium/colloquial- uses correct lang. and wd order of formal dictition, but avoides elaborate words and elevated tones.
high/formal/erudite/classic/elelavated/academic- avioding idioms, colloquialisms, slang, and contractions. uses lation words. has lofty tone.

can descibre it as words being monosyllabic, polysyllabic, denotative (containing exact meaning) orconnotative ( containing a suggested meaning) eg. gown. words may be concrete or abstract,
words may be epuhonious (pleasent sounding) or cacophonous(harsh sounding) eg. pus

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colloquial

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characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
2. involving or using conversation.

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idiom

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form of speech peculiar to a people or place

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syntax

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the ordering of words in a sentace; it describes sentance structure.
* you should know how manipulating syntax can enhance an author's meaning, tone, or point of view. how does his sentance structure achieve anything: comical? satirical?
**related to synatx are style, tone, and pov**

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examples of syntax

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telegraphic (shorter than 5 words) declaritive, interrogative (and rhetorical question) Imperative (pass the salt) exclamatory.

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cacophonous

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adjective having a harsh or discordant sound.
dissonant, strident, grating, raucous.

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types of senatnces for syntax:

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Loose: main claust first/ suboridant clause phrases follow: the dectetcive interviewed the witness carefully.
periodic: subordinate construction 1st/ main clause closes the sentance: after clearing out the furniture, I began to paint.
Convoluted: main clause is split in 2, subordiante clause is in-between. Now angels, whatever else they may be, are very intresting.

Centered- main clause occupies the middle. After digging the large hole, I planted the tree, which was also large and hard to manage.
appositives, nominative absolute phrase, asyndeton

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appositive

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follows a noun or a pronoun and renames it, consists of a noun and its modifiers. adds new information about the noun or pronoun it follows
The Trans-Siberian Railroad, the worlds longest railway, <-

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nominative absolute phrase

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consists of a noung and a participle. b/c it has a subject and a verabl, an absolute phrases resembles a clause.
It's wheels clattering rhythmically over the rails <-, the train rolled to a stop

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participial phrase

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(-ing, ed) to begin or end a sentace. : leaving a trail of death and destruction

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anaphora

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repetition of same word or word group at beginning of sentaces

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epistrophe

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repetition of same word or group of words at ends of successive clauses.

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figurative language

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strictly defined as speech or writing that departs from literal meaning to achieve a special effect or meaning

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rhetoric

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the art of speaking or writing effectively

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imagery

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the use of words to create a certain picture in the reader's mind. based on sensory details

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sound

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Alliteration- repetition of initial consonant sound: kill, code

Assonance: similarity of vowel sounds but dissimilarity of succeeding consonant sounds in stressed syllables of 2 or more words: vein, made

Consonace: repeition at close intervals of final consonat sounds of strssed syallble: book, plaque

onomatopoeia: words formed so that their sound is associated with their meaning. boom, click, pop

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Hyperbole

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overstatement or exaggeration

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understatement

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figurative language that presents the facts in a way that makes them appear much less significant than they reall are

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similie

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a comparsion between two unlike objects, in which the two parts are connected with a term such as like or as

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metaphor

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a similie without a connecting term(like/as)

The birds are black arrows flying across the sky
A green plant is a machine that runs on solar energy
* always contains implied comparasion between two elements*

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symbol

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a word that represents something other than itself. sometimes characters can be symbols of good and evil

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Denotation

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a word's primary or literal significance

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connotation

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refers to the vast range of other meanings that a word suggests

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Oxymoron

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apparent contradiction of terms. : i adivse you to make haste slowly. :tough love, cruel kindness, jumbo shrimp

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paradox

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an apparent contradiction of ideas or statements and, therefore, is closely related to the oxymoron. a paradox is an oxymoron on a larger scale

:the only way to overcome death is to die.
the coach considered this a good loss

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personification

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inanimate objects or concepts are given human qualities. can ehnace our emotional response because we usually attribute more emootional significance to other humans than to things or concepts.

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rhetorical questions

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attempt to prove something without presenting an argument.
allow writer to make a point without further support wheter it is a straightforward remark or one w/ a touch of irony

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Bombast

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(bombastic) overly rhetorical, like graduation speeches

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pun

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play on words. either plays on the multiple meaning of a word or replaces one word with another that is similar in sound by very different in meaning.

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Metonymy

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one term is substitued for another term with which it is closely associated:
the sailors drank a glass of hearty red

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Synecdoche

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a form of metonymy that's restricted to cases where a part is used to signify the whole
: all hands on deck!

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Theme

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general idea conttained in a text; the theme may be stated explicity or only suggested.
a theme is not just an iea, it is an idea that is developed

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

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aphorism

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aphorism is a concise statement containing a personal truth or observation cleverly and pithily written. Aphorisms can be both prosaic or poetic, sometimes they have repeated words or phrases, and sometimes they have two parts that are of the same grammatical structure
: Love the sinner and hate the sin.

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malapropism

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the unintentional use of a word that resembles the word intended but that has a very different meaning:
the girl used a fire distinguisher to put out the blaze

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Circumlocution

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talking around the word

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euphemism

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a word or words that are used to avoid employing an unpleasant or offensive term

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Verbal Irony

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stating something but meaning the opposite of what is stated. can apply to spoken language as well as in print.

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Sarcasam

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simply verbal irony used with the intent to injur

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Situational Irony

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situation that runs contrary to what was expected

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Satire

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something is portrayed in a way that's deliberately distorted to achieve comic effect. it critques what is being mocked.
Satire of optimism, making fun of optimism. **look for verbal irony** **situational irony,"the same day, there was another earthquake, which created the most dreadful havoc"
and circumlocution "burning a few people alive over low heat and with great ceremony"

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Ad Hominem

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attacking the individual instead of the argument
Of course that writer supported killing people out of expediency, he's a Republican!

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Appeal to force

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hearer is told that something bad will happen to him if he does not accept the argument
: Convert or die

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Appeal to pity

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the hearer is urged to accept the argument based upon an appeal to emotions, sympathy

You owe me big time b/c i really stuck my neck out for you

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Appeal to ignorance

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based on the assumption that whatever has not been proven false must be true( or vice versa):
No one can proven that the Loch Ness monster does not exist; therefore, the Loch Ness monster exists.
No one can prove that the Loch Ness monster exists; therefore the Loch Ness monster does not exist

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Appeal to the popular

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the hearer is urged to accept a position because the majority of people hold to it.
The majority of people like soda, therefore, soda is good for you.

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Appeal to tradition

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trying to get someone to accept something because it has been done or believed for a long time

The Catholic church's tradition demonstrates that this doctrine is true

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Begging the Question

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assuming the thing to be true that you are trying to prove. it is circular.

I am a good worker because Frank says so. How can we trust Frank? I will vouch for him.

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Cause and Effect/ faulty casuality

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assuming that the effect is related to a cause because the events occurred together

When the rooster crows, the sun rises. therefore, the rooster causes the sun to rise

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Division/ like genetic fallacy

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assuming that what is true of the whole is true for the parts

your family is weird. that means you're weird too

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equivocation

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telling part of the truth, while deliberately hiding the entire truth; typically this is lying by omission:
2 people, 1 dog
does ur dog bite?
no
*pets dog, is bit*
u said your dog doesn't bite!
thats not my dog

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False dichotomy

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telling only the two extremes when there are one or more intermediates
:you either get it or you don't

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non sequitur

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no logical connection between the initial phrase and the one that follows it.
We know why it rained today, because I washed my car

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Poisoning the Well

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presenting negative information about a person before he/she speaks so as to discredit the person's argument

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Red Herring

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attempts to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing an issue that has no logical connection to the discussion at hand
: I know I forgot to go to deposit the check into the bank yesterday. But nothing I do pleases you

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Double Standard/Special Pleading

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Applying a different standard to another that is applied to oneself.
Those rules don't apply to me since I am older than you

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Dogmatism

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does not allow for discussion b/c the speaker presumes that his or her beliefs are beyond question; essentially, the "logic" runs thusly: I' m correct because I'm correct.

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Straw Man argument

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consists of an oversimpilication of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack

:students who wanted to eliminate the school uniform are exhibitionists who want to show off bare midriffs