AP English Language and Composition 2015-16
Summer and Fall Assignments
C.D. Hylton High School
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to AP English Language and Composition. Ms. Link and Ms. Mason look forward to working with
you. This is one of the most important classes Hylton offers because it gives students the necessary skills to read
and write analytically, a skill that will serve students well not only in their college English and writing courses,
but in preparing students for any classes that require them to read and/or write for all college level classes.
Because this class demands students come out of it as literate young men and women, with a sound foundation
in American literature and current events, students are required to do outside reading in order for them to be
able to perform well on the AP test in May. For this foundation to be built, the groundwork needs to be done not
only at the beginning of the school year, but during the summer months as well.
These assignments are a vital part of laying this foundation. While none of the assignments are due immediately
upon students returning to school in the fall (with the exception of the notecards), they will be collected during
the first twelve weeks of the year (dates are given later in this document)—as well as referenced throughout the
school year—and students are heavily advised to take advantage of the summer as a way of getting a head start
on work that will be assigned as soon as the school year begins. Otherwise, students will be faced with the task
of completing these readings in conjunction with the eleventh grade research paper, the AP Language and
Composition curriculum, and their other classes.
Now, when one is sitting poolside, traveling long distances in a car, or bored with television reruns, is the
perfect time to alleviate one’s junior year workload. Remember this course is preparing you for not only the AP
exam, sols, and research paper, but all of your future college classes which require reading and writing skills.
This is the place where you will gain the skills you need to be successful in college.
If you have any questions email Ms. Link at linkla@pwcs.edu or Ms. Mason at masonsa@pwcs.edu.
Sincerely,
Ms. Link and Ms. Mason
P.S. The assignments are on the following pages.
AP Eng. Lang. 2
Part A: Vocabulary terms and flashcards
Argument and literary analysis are important parts of AP Language and Composition. There are some common
terms all students should know. These are just some of the terms to get you started (many you may have had in
Pre-AP 9 and 10). You will write the word on one side of a notecard and the definition on the other side. You
will add examples to the definitions first semester.
Definition
Word
Format:
Your flashcards will be due the second week of
school.
Example
Rhetorical Triangle:
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rhetoric: the art of analyzing all the choices involving language that a writer, speaker, reader, or listener
might make in a situation so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful, and effective
rhetorical modes: describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing.
The four most common types are exposition, persuasive, description, and narration.
rhetorical triangle: a diagram showing the relations of writer or speaker, reader or listener, and text within
in a context to achieve an aim, purpose, or intention
audience: those who will hear an argument; those communication is addressed
context: the convergence of time, place, audience, and motivating factors in which a piece of writing or a
speech is situated
intention: the goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text, also called aim and purpose
ethos: appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker or writer
pathos: appeal by of a text to the audiences’ emotions or interests
logos: appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument or central ideas
authority: a respectable, reliable source of evidence
credibility: the audience’s belief in the arguer’s trustworthiness
didactic: teaching; descriptive of a work whose purpose is to instruct or teach
motivational appeal: an attempt to reach an audience by recognizing their needs and values and how they
contribute to their decision making
pacing: where a passage speeds up or slows down; this is achieved through syntax, repetition, and
punctuation
point of view: the perspective from which the story is told
shift: when a section of the text undergoes a noticeable or subtle change in tone, speaker, syntax, etc.
style: choices in words and sentence structure that make a writer’s language distinctive
scheme: an artful variation from typical formation and arrangement of words or sentences
trope: an artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas
AP Eng. Lang. 3
Argument:
20. argument: a process of reasoning and advancing proof about issues on which conflicting views may be
held/ statements providing support for a claim
21. evidence: facts or opinions that support an issue or claim; may consist of stats, reports views by experts
22. fact: something that is believed to have objective reality; verifiable
23. factual evidence: support consisting of data that is considered objectively verifiable appeal to tradition: a
proposal that something should continue because it has traditionally existed or been done that way
24. qualifier: a restriction placed on the claim to state that it may not always be true as stated
25. refutation: an attack on an opposing view in order to weaken it, invalidate it, or make it less credible
26. support: any material that serves to prove an issue or claim, including appeals to the needs and values of
the audience
27. warrant: general principle or assumption that establishes a connection between the support and the claim
Logical Reasoning:
28. enthymeme: logical reasoning with one premise left unstated
29. claim: the conclusion of an argument; what the arguer is trying to prove
30. concession: agreement with an opponent of an argument on a particular issue in order to strengthen ethical
appeal because the author comes across as a reasonable person who is willing to see more than one side of
the argument
31. deduction: reasoning by which we establish that a conclusion must be true because the statements it’s
based on are true
32. induction: reasoning by which a general statement is reached on the basis of particular examples
33. inference: an interpretation of facts
34. syllogism: a formula of deductive reasoning consisting of three propositions: a major premise, a minor
premise, and a conclusion
35. synthesize: combining two or more ideas in order to create something more complex in support of a new
idea
Fallacies:
36. ad hominem: attacking the arguer rather than the argument or issue (against the man)
37. ad populum: Playing on the prejudices of the audience (to the people)
38. bandwagon: either saying that supporting a specific cause/stance would result in the rejection of peers or
using the popular support of a cause/stance to persuade others to support it as well
39. begging the question: a statement that assumes that the issue has already been decided
40. cause and effect: reasoning that assumes one event can bring about another
41. circular reasoning: an error of reasoning which involves repeating assertions endlessly without real
support
42. definition by negation: defining a thing by what it is not
43. fallacy: an error of reasoning based on faulty use of evidence or incorrect inference
44. false analogy: assuming without sufficient proof that, if objects or processes are similar in some ways, then
they are similar in other ways too
45. false dilemma: simplifying a complex problem into an either/or dichotomy
46. faulty emotional appeals: basing an argument on feelings to draw attention away from the real issues or
conceal another purpose
47. faulty use of authority: failing to acknowledge disagreement among experts or misrepresenting the
trustworthiness of sources
48. hasty generalization: drawing conclusions from insufficient evidence
49. non sequitur: using irrelevant proof to buttress a claim
50. post hoc: mistakenly inferring that because one event follows another they have a casual relation
51. red herring: the arguer changes the subject and takes the listener down a different, unrelated path
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AP Eng. Lang. 4
slanting: selecting facts or words with connotations that favor the arguer’s bias and discredit alternatives
slippery slope: predicting without justification that one step in a process will lead unavoidably to a second,
generally undesirable step
straw man: disputing a misrepresentation of the opponent’s position to make the arguer’s own position
appear stronger
two wrongs make a right: diverting attention from the issue by introducing a new point
AP Eng. Lang. 5
Part B: Nonfiction Reading
The nonfiction reading assignment is to be completed during the fall semester. Students
whose last name begins with A through L will read the Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two
Fates by Wes Moore. Students whose last name begins with M through Z will read The
Distance Between Us: A Memoir by Reyna Grande. Both books can be found at most local
bookstores or ordered online.
Published in 2013, The Distance Between Us: A Memoir is a nonfiction book chronicling a
childhood torn between two parents and two countries. The Other Wes Moore is a nonfiction
book published in 2010, in which two boys with the same name and similar backgrounds
grow up to very different fates.
1. Annotate the book for the following:
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
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
Diction
Syntax
Tone
Concepts listed under the double entry journal (This will also help you prepare to
complete the double-entry journal.)
2. Create a double-entry journal for your nonfiction reading.
 You must have at least 20 entries; an entry comprises a quotation from the book
and your commentary on that quotation.
o The quotation will serve as support for the categories provided below.
o Your commentaries will explain the significance of the quote with your
thoughts, connections, and reflections. It should NOT be a summary of
the quote.
 The journals should be formatted in two columns with the evidence (quotations) on the left and your
commentary on the right.
 For each quotation, your commentary should be about five sentences and no more than fifteen.
o A quote can be used only once.
 Put your quotations in MLA format.
o Use quotation marks around the sentence. The page number comes right after the quotation
marks and is placed in parentheses. The period is placed after the parentheses.
 For example: “This is my example quotation for double-entry journals” (Grande 5).
o After the first quotation, however, you need only cite the page number from which you took the
quotation.
o Please note that there is no comma between the author’s name and the page number.
 These journals are graded mainly on effort; therefore, it is in your best interest to follow the directions
and be as thorough and thoughtful as possible when writing your reflections.
Provide two examples and commentary for each of the following:
 Personal struggle
 Abandonment
 Personal choice
 Stereotypes
 The impact of parental choice on children
 Education
 The impact of living conditions
 Goals
 Mother-child relations
 American Dream
THE DUE DATE FOR PART B WILL BE APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST WEEK IN OCTOBER.
AP Eng. Lang. 6
Format of Double-Entry Journal Assignment for nonfiction reading.
On the left side should be the evidence (“quote”) with page number on the right side should be the explanation
of the significance of the quote—what it is showing/proving, why it is important. It should NOT be a summary
or paraphrase of the quote. A quote should only be used ONCE.
Title of Book: ______________________________
Author: ______________________________
__________EVIDENCE
Personal struggle
1
2
Personal choice
1
2
The impact of parental choice on children
1
2
The impact of living conditions
1
2
COMMENTARY
AP Eng. Lang. 7
__________EVIDENCE
Mother-child relations
1
2
Abandonment
1
2
Stereotypes
1
2
Education
1
2
COMMENTARY
AP Eng. Lang. 8
__________EVIDENCE
Goals
1
2
American Dream
1
2.
COMMENTARY