AP Lang

• Line of Reasoning


  • 3 whys: The reasking of "why" over and over again when crafting your paragraphs to drill down to the fundamental problem or claim
  • Thesis, anthesis, synthesis: Main argument in the first paragraph, a counter-argument in the following, and a synthesis of both claims to form something new
  • Claim of fact, claim of value, claim of policy
• Rhetorical Strategies


  • Rhetorical Situation (SOAPES): Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Exigence, Subject
  • Rhetorical Choices (PDIDLS): POV, Details, Imagery, Details, Figurative Language, Syntax
  • Sequence: Proximity, focal point out/in, spiral, order of functional importance
  • Appeals: To credibility (ethos), to human connections (pathos), to evidence-based logic (ethos)
• ETHOS


  Experience, sources, presentation, know what you don't know, humor (self-deprecating), admit to blindspots/conflict of interest
• PATHOS


  How? Human examples (the more real the better), Engage with audience (you, I), Exaggeration! Absolutes, superlatives, Appeal to senses, Visuals - "cards"
• Patterns of Inquiry/Rhetorical Modes


  • Definition
  • Narration
  • Compare/contrast
  • Listing
  • Cause-effect
  • Process analysis
• Definition


  Strongest mode, can say what its not, what it is, what we say it is, where it belongs, what its like, the history, what it looks like, what its the opposite of
• Cause-effect


  Seeks to explain the world around us through linking actions and predicting results
• Correlation does not equal causation
• Process analysis


  Breaking down a process into its component, sequential parts in order to better understand the whole
• Evidence Use


  • Science (bio, chem)
  • Human
  • Economic and industry
  • Environment
  • Politics + current world events
  • History
  • Arts (visual, written, performing)
  • Technology
• Types of Syntax


  • Parallelism
  • Antithesis
  • Isocolon
  • Polysyndeton
  • Asyndeton
  • Chiasmus
• Long sentences


  Build momentum and add weight
• Short sentences


  Brief, focus the reader attention lead into a paragraph, halts rhythm
• Cumulative sentences


  Basic sentence with details at the end
• Periodic sentences


  Sentence where details are placed before basic sentence elements to build tension, delay clause
• Climax


  The arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in the order of increasing importance or length
• End focus


  Stress second half, subject given less stress
• Anaphora


  Repeated opening
• Epistrophe


  Repeated close
• Logical Fallacies


  • Slippery Slope
  • Ad Hominem
  • Bandwagon Fallacy
  • Strawman fallacy
  • Loaded Question
  • Tu quoque
• Loaded Language


  Questions that come w/ guilt, implied response, Person first name, lack of respect, Figurative language, adjectives, adverbs, & associations we make w/ images, Absolutes/extremes, Heavy negative use, "no" "not" "never", Assumptions, Describing motivation to a person