Running Notes

Question 1

1. anecdote

Answer 1

: a short, simple narrative of an incident, often used for humorous effect or to make a
point

Question 2

2. argumentation

Answer 2

: Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by
presenting “
reasoned” arguments
; persuasive
writing is a form of argumentation and is the
focus of the AP Language and Composition program.

Question 3

3. allegory

Answer 3

\: an 
extended narrative
of an incident in 
prose
or 
verse
in which characters, events, and 
settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writ
er intends a second meaning to be 
read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, 
social or satiric.

Question 4

4. annotation

Answer 4

: Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographic data. In
AP Language you will need to
demonstrate DETAILED annotation
on most of your readings.

Question 5

5. antithesis

Answer 5

: the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase,
clause, or paragraphs. “To be or not to be…”, “Ask not what y
our country can do for you, ask
what you can do for your country.”

Question 6

6. rhetoric

Answer 6

\: 
the art of 
effective
or 
persuasive speaking or writing
, especially the 
use of 
figures of 
speech
and 
other compositional techniques
.

Question 7

7. colloquialism

Answer 7

: a word or phrase (including slang) used I everyday conversation and informal
writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t, can’t, somethin’)

Question 8

8. connotation

Answer 8

: words suggesting implied meaning because of its assoc
iation in a reader’s mind. This
is the opposite of “denotation.

Question 9

consonance

Answer 9

\: 
repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity
\: 
boot/beat/best/brag, 
or even compound words
, fulfill, ping
-
pong
.

Question 10

caricature

Answer 10

: descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance
or a facet of personality

Question 11

coherence

Answer 11

: the “quality” of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development
of the central idea/
theme or organizing principle.

Question 12

aphorism

Answer 12

: a short, often witty, statement of a principle or truth about life. Benjamin Franklin was
somewhat famous for these in Poor Richard’s Almanac, e.g. “
The early bird gets the worm
.”

Question 13

apostrophe

Answer 13

: usually in poetry, but sometimes in prose: the device of calling out to an imaginary,
dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction.

Question 14

cacophony

Answer 14

\: also referred to as 
DISSONANCE
...hard, awkward, or dissonant sounds used 
deliberat
ely in poetry or prose; the opposite of 
EUPHONY

Question 15

connotation and denotation

Answer 15

connotation is your description. denotation is the dictionary definition.

Question 16

enumeration

Answer 16

:
Enumeration is a rhetorical device used for listing the details or a process of
mentioning words or phrases step by step. In fact, it is a type
of
amplification
or division in
which a subject is further distributed into components or parts.
Writers use this to clarify and
detail understanding.

Question 17

analogy

Answer 17

:
An analogy is a
comparison
in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that
is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that
is familiar.
Only read the
information below to help you understand.

Question 18

parallelism

Answer 18

:
Parallelism is the use of components in a sen
tence that are grammatically the same; or
similar in their construction, sound, meaning or
meter
. Parallelism examples are found in literary
works as well as in ordinary conversations.

Like father, like son
.

The escaped prisoner was wanted dead or alive.

Easy come, easy go.

Whether in class, at work or at home, Shasta was always busy.

Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe

Question 19

allusion

Answer 19

19. ALLUSION
    :
    Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or
    idea of historical,
    cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which
    it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough
    knowledge to spot the allusion and gra
    sp its importance in a text.

Question 20

metoymy

Answer 20

It is a
figure of speech
that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something
else with which it is closely associated. We can come across
examples of metonymy both from
literature and in everyday life.
Do not confuse this with a metaphor as a METONYMY is not
creating a comparison.
“I’m mighty glad Georgia waited till after Christmas before it secedes or it
would have ruined the Christmas pa
rties.”

Question 21

anaphora

Answer 21

:
In writing or speech, the deliberate
repetition
of the first part of the sentence in order to
achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora.
Anaphora, possibly the oldest literary device, has
its roots in Biblical Psalms used to emphasize certain words or phrases. Gradually, Elizabethan and
Romantic writers brought this device into practice.

Question 22

epistrophe

Answer 22

:
Epistrophe is derived from a Greek word that means turning upon, which indicates the
same
word returns at the end of each sentence. Epistrophe is a stylistic device that can be defined
as the
repetition
of phrases or words at the end of the clauses or sentences. It is also
called
epiphora
. Epistrophe examples are frequently found in literary pieces, in persuasive writing
and speeches.
The opposite of EPISTROPHE is???

Question 23

asyndeton

Answer 23

\:
Asyndeton is derived from a Greek word
asyndeton
which means unconnected. It is a 
stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the 
phrases  and  in  the  sentence,  yet  maintain  the  grammatical  accuracy.  This  literary  tool  helps  in 
reducing the indir
ect meaning of the phrase and presents it in a concise form.
Asyndeton helps in 
speeding up the rhythm of words. Mostly this technique is employed in speech but can be used 
in written works too.
“This is the villain among you 
who deceived you
, 
who cheated
you
, 
who meant to betray you
completely.......”

Question 24

polysyndeton

Answer 24

:
The term polysyndeton comes from a Greek word meaning “bound together”. It
makes use of coordinating conjunctions like “and”, “or”, “but” and “nor” (mostly
and
and
or
)
which are used to join s
uccessive words, phrases or clauses in such a way that these conjunctions
are even used where they might have been omitted.

Question 25

synecdoche

Answer 25

25.
SYNECDOCHE
\:
Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it 
may use a 
whole to represent a part.
Distinguishing between this and 
metonymy 
often take some 
thoughtful consideration.

The word “bread” refers to food or money as in “Writing is my bread and butter” or “sole 
breadwinner”.

The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old ma
n.

The word “sails” refers to a whole ship.

The word “suits” refers to businessmen.

The word “boots” usually refers to soldiers.

The term “coke” is a common synecdoche for all carbonated drinks.

“Pentagon” is a synecdoche when it refers to a few decision m
akers.

The word “glasses” refers to spectacles.

“Coppers” often refers to coins.

Question 26

tone

Answer 26

\:
Tone,  in written composition, is an
attitude
of a writer toward a subject or an
audience
. 
It  is 
something important for the reader to “sense” to determine an argument. 
Tone  is  generally 
conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.

Question 27

process analysis

Answer 27

:
A step
-
by
-
step breakdown of the phases of a process, used to convey the details
of each phase of thinking, an operation, etc. It is often used to improve understanding and also
to break down an argument to make it more comprehensible.

Question 28

syntax

Answer 28

:
Syntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech
are put together in order to convey a complete thought.
In plain English, “Syntax” refers to HOW
we choose to arrange our words. The choice of those speci
fic words is called
DICTION
. Thus, the
two are closely related in creating an argument.

Question 29

provocative diction

Answer 29

\:
“diction” is our choice of words. Thus, “Provocative Diction” is the purposeful 
choice of words 
serving or tending to
provoke, excite, or stimulate 
a 
provocative
question
that 
will frame a rhetorical argument.

Question 30

classification

Answer 30

:
the action or process of classifying something according to shared qualities or
characteristics
. This often is a strategy of argumentation or an argumentative response in an effort
to provide the reader with structure to YOUR argument. It would be considered a support to both
LOGOS and ETHOS in presenting an argument.

Question 31

understatement

Answer 31

:
For examp
le, you win 10 million dollars in a lottery. When you tell a news reporter
“I am delighted”, you are making an understatement. Similarly, suppose a team loses to its
opponent 50 to 0 in a soccer match and the captain of the team says in a post
-
match ceremo
ny
says, “We did not do well”, it is an understatement because he is trying to decrease the intensity
of the loss.
It is the opposite of HYPERBOLE or OVERSTATEMENT

Question 32

colorful diction

Answer 32

:
Diction is your conscious choice of words as a writer. It stands to r
eason that
“Colourful Diction” is a very purposeful word choice that will serve to accentuate meaning and
tone.

Question 33

counterargument

Answer 33

:
an argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory
developed in another
argument.
When writing in the argumentative mode, it is MANDATORY that
the writer acknowledge the “other” side to his or her argument. It is part of the refutation of
someone else’s claim to support your own “side” of the argument that you are making.

Question 34

claim

Answer 34

\:
I
f somebody gives an 
argument
to 
support
his
/her
position
, it is called making a 
claim
. 
Different reasons are usually presented to prove why a certain point should be accepted as logical. A 
general model is given below to explain the steps 
following in making a claim:
Premise 1
Premise 2
Premise 3 . . .
Premise N
Therefore,
Conclusion

Question 35

evidence

Answer 35

:
Evidence is a type of literary device that appears in different categories of essays and theses
in the form of
paraphrase
and quotations. It is presented to persuade the readers and used with powerful
arguments in the texts or essays.
In
rhetoric
, when a person
makes a
claim
or presents an
argument
, he
needs to present evidence in support of his claim and argument in order to establish the veracity and
authenti
city of his claim or argument. If there is no evidence, the claim stands quashed. The same is true
with a case in law where a case or litigation is quashed, if there is no evidence to support the claim.
However, literary evidence is only used in literature
, essays and research papers for
persuasion
and
convincing purposes.

Question 36

warrant

Answer 36

:
A warrant is the glue that holds an argument together. It links the evidence to the claim.
It says something like “This
evidence supports the claim because…”
and it is always in a similar form that
is more of a statement of support of “WHY” your evidence supports your assertion/claim.

Question 37

fallacy

Answer 37

A fallacy is an erroneous
argument
dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention.
There are many fallacy examples that we can find in everyday conversations

Question 38

logical fallacy

Answer 38

In  argumentation
,  a  formal
fallacy
(also  called
deductive
fallacy
)  is  a  pattern  of 
reasoning
/thinking
rendered invalid by a flaw in its
logical
structure that can neatly be expressed 
in 
a 
standard
logic
system, 
for
example
propositional
logic
. 
An 
argument 
that 
is 
formally
fallacious
is always considere
d wrong.

Question 39

prophecy

Answer 39

Many believe that a prediction and a prophecy are the same, but they are mistaken. It is
true that both “forecast” the future, but there is a significant difference.
A prophesy has all the
elements of a prediction except the elemen
t of time. Without the element of time, a prophecy is
hard to determine.
A “prophecy” has more of a religious connotation since there is an element of
uncertainty about time.

Question 40

prediction

Answer 40

A prediction is a forecast made by those who calculate the param
eters of the subject
involved after evaluating the odds they can predict the future. The weather forecast is a good
example.
A “prediction” is limited to a time element, unlike a prophesy.