AP English Language and Composition Exam: Writing, Grammar, and Word Choice

Ensure you're prepared for the AP English Language and Composition Exam by learning the words in this collection of essential vocabulary. Our lists cover the language you'll see in test questions and writing prompts, important rhetorical and literary terminology, and vocabulary related to writing and grammar.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. active voice
    when the subject of a sentence performs the action
  2. agreement
    in grammar, the correspondence between two words
  3. antecedent
    the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
  4. clause
    an expression including a subject and predicate
  5. colloquial
    characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
  6. connotation
    an idea that is implied or suggested
  7. declarative
    relating to sentences that express simple statements
  8. denotation
    the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression
  9. diction
    the manner in which something is expressed in words
  10. ellipsis
    a mark indicating that words have been omitted
  11. gerund
    a noun formed from a verb
  12. imperative
    relating to verbs that express a command
  13. interrogative
    relating to sentences that ask a question
  14. jargon
    technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject
  15. modifier
    a content word that qualifies the meaning of a noun or verb
  16. parallelism
    similarity by virtue of corresponding
  17. parenthetical
    qualifying or explaining
  18. participle
    a form of the verb used as an adjective
  19. passive voice
    when the subject of a sentence is a recipient of the action
  20. preposition
    a word before a noun or pronoun connecting to another word
  21. pronoun
    a function word that is used in place of a noun
  22. syntax
    the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences
  23. transition
    a passage or word that connects a topic to one that follows
  24. usage
    the customary manner in which language is spoken or written
  25. vernacular
    the everyday speech of the people
Created on Wed Feb 10 10:33:36 EST 2021 (updated Wed Feb 10 12:00:48 EST 2021)

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