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All AP Language and Composition Terms Flashcards

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7193307527allegoryThe rhetorical strategy of extending a metaphor through an entire narrative so that objects, persons, and actions in the text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text. "There is an obvious allegory in Avatar, the Navi stand for Native Americans."0
7193307528alliterationThe repetition of an initial consonant sound, as in "a peck of pickled peppers."1
7193307529allusionA brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event--real or fictional.2
7193307530analogyA type of composition (or, more commonly, a part of a composition or speech) in which one idea, process, or thing is explained by comparing it to something else.3
7193307531anaphora (also called epanaphora)A scheme in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: "I will fight for you. I will fight to save Social Security. I will fight to raise the minimum wage."4
7193307532anastropheA scheme in which normal word order is changed for emphasis. Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.5
7193307533anecdoteA short account (or narrative) of an interesting or amusing incident, often intended to illustrate or support some point.6
7193307534annotationA concise statement of the key idea(s) in a text or a portion of a text. Annotations are commonly used in reading instruction and in research.7
7193307535antagonistCharacter in a story or poem who opposes the main character (protagonist). Sometimes the antagonist is an animal, an idea, or a thing. Examples of such antagonists might include illness, oppression, or the serpent in the biblical story of Adam and Eve.8
7193307536antecedentThe noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to. "When giving treats to ~friends~ or ~children~, give them what they like, emphatically not what is good for them."9
7193307537antimetaboleHalf of expression is balanced, other half is backwards. ABC-CBA. It's a type of chiasmus. "I know what I like, and I like what I know"10
7193307538antithesisPlacement of contrasting or opposing words, phrases, clauses, or sentences side by side. Following are examples:"The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression." (Harold Pinter, "Writing for the Theatre," 1962)11
7193307539anthropomorphismAttribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena12
7193307540antithesisA rhetorical term for the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses. "You're easy on the eyes Hard on the heart." - (Terri Clark)13
7193307541aphorismA brief statement of a principle that makes a wise observation about life. "Haste makes waste." "The first rule of Fight Club is--you do not talk about Fight Club." (Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, Fight Club)14
7193307542aporiaintentionally express unsureness15
7193307543apostropheA scheme in which a person or an abstract quality is directly addressed, whether present or not. Example: "Freedom! You are a beguiling mistress."16
7193307544appositionThe placement side-by-side of two coordinate elements (noun phrases), the second of which serves to identify or rename the first. "Miniver Cheevy, ~child of scorn~, grew lean while he assailed the seasons." "Gussie, ~a glutton for punishment~, stared at himself in the mirror."17
7193307545archaic dictionthe use of words that are old-fashioned or no longer commonly used.18
7193307546Aristotelian triangleRelation between audience, subject, and writer/speaker19
7193307547arrangementThe parts of a speech or, more broadly, the structure of a text. Arrangement is one of the five traditional canons or subdivisions of classical rhetorical training.20
7193307548asideIn conversation or drama, a short passage spoken in an undertone or addressed to an audience. In writing, an aside may be set off by parentheses.21
7193307549assertiona positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason22
7193307550assumptiona statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn. Little proof is given.23
7193307551asyndetonOmitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses "Anyway, like I was saying, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo."24
7193307552attitudeCreated by a speaker or writer in order to invent materials, the manner in which an action is carried out.25
7193307553audiencethe receiving end. Always important to write and speak with the audience in mind. Clarity, brevity, interest, reaction, etc...26
7193307554biasPrejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.27
7193307555blank verseis any verse comprised of unrhymed lines all in the same meter, usually iambic pentameter. An iambic pair is pronounced as da-DUM, accentuating the stress on the second syllable. Hence, an iambic pentameter would have the form,da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM28
7193307556bombastA pejorative term for pompous and inflated speech or writing that sounds important but is generally nonsense. "empty rhetoric". Padding to something without meaning.29
7193307557cacophonyA mix of harsh, displeasing, or clashing sounds. It is commonly used to describe poetry, but can also be found in musical composition. Sometimes it is accidental, and sometimes it is used intentionally for artistic effect.30
7193307558catharsisIn literature and art, a purification of emotions. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) used the term to describe the effect on the audience of a tragedy acted out on a theater stage. This effect consists in cleansing the audience of disturbing emotions, such as fear and pity, thereby releasing tension. In modern usage, ____ may refer to any experience, real or imagined, that purges a person of negative emotions.31
7193307559characterThe distinctive nature of something.32
7193307560chiasmusInversion in the second of two parallel phrases Example: "It's not the men in my life, it's the life in my men."33
7193307561circumlocution (or periphrasis)The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language to avoid getting to the point. Contrast with conciseness. Adjective: circumlocutory. (such as "a tool used for cutting things such as paper and hair") as opposed to scissors.34
7193307562claimAn assertion of the truth of something, typically one that is disputed or in doubt.35
7193307563classical modelintroduction, introduces the subject and piques the reader's interest narration, provides factual information and background material confirmation, major part of text, includes the development of the proof needed to make the writer's case refutation, addresses counterargument, bridge between proof and conclusion conclusion, brings essay to a close, "So what does it all mean?"36
7193307564climaxThe most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.37
7193307565close readingWhen you ______, you observe facts and details about the text. You may focus on a particular passage, or on the text as a whole. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text, including rhetorical features, structural elements, cultural references; or, your aim may be to notice only selected features of the text—for instance, oppositions and correspondences, or particular historical references.38
7193307566colloquialismAn informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing. "Latinas are in oppressive structures. We can fool ourselves, but we'd still be getting ~dumped on.~"39
7193307567comic reliefComic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that offset more serious sections. A character or characters providing this.40
7193307568concedeAdmit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.41
7193307569conclusionbrings essay to a close, "So what does it all mean" or a reasoned deduction or inference.42
7193307570confirmationmajor part of text, includes the development of the proof needed to make the writer's case43
7193307571confirmation biasTendency of people to favor information that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses.44
7193307572conflictThe conflict of a story is a problem in the story. It can be internal or external.45
7193307573connotationThe emotional implications and associations that a word may carry, in contrast to its denotative (literal) meanings. An idea that is implied or suggested "The name reservation has a negative connotation among Native Americans--an intern camp of sorts." (John Russell)46
7193307574contextThe words and sentences that surround any part of a discourse and that help to determine its meaning.47
7193307575conventiona rule, method, or practice established by usage; custom48
7193307576counterargumenta contrasting, opposing, or refuting argument.49
7193307577cumulative sentencesentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on50
7193307578deductive reasoningA method of reasoning from the general to the specific. In a deductive argument, a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises. (Contrast with induction.) In logic, a deductive argument is called a syllogism. In rhetoric, the equivalent of the syllogism is the enthymeme.51
7193307579denotationThe direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings52
7193307580denouementIn a narrative (within an essay, short story, novel, play, or film), the event or events following the climax; the resolution or clarification of the plot.53
7193307581deus ex machina____:(god from the machine) is a term describing the sudden appearance of an unexpected way out of a difficult situation.54
7193307582dictionChoice and use of words in speech or writing55
7193307583discursive1.passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling. 2. proceeding by reasoning or argument rather than intuition.56
7193307584dramatic ironydrama, audience knows something that the characters don't know. ex.Lincoln57
7193307585dynamic charactera literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude: Ebeneezer Scrooge is a dynamic character.58
7193307586effectsomething that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence59
7193307587elegya mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.60
7193307588epanadiplosisA figure by which the same word is used both at the beginning and at the end of a sentence; as, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." --Phil. iv. 4.61
7193307589epicLong poem in a lofty style about the exploits of heroic figures. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as the Old English poem Beowulf, are examples of epics.62
7193307590epigramany witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed; a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.63
7193307591epistrophe (also called epiphora)A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: "I believe we should fight for justice. You believe we should fight for justice. How can we not, then, fight for justice?"64
7193307592ethosCredibility. We tend to believe people whom we respect.65
7193307593euphemismThe substitution of an inoffensive term (such as "passed away") for one considered offensively explicit ("died"). Contrast with dysphemism. Adjective: euphemistic.66
7193307594euphonyagreeableness of sound; pleasing effect to the ear, especially a pleasant sounding or harmonious combination or succession of words67
7193307595explicationthe act of making clear or removing obscurity from the meaning of a word or symbol or expression etc..68
7193307596expositionwriting or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed statement or explanation; explanatory treatise69
7193307597fablea short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters; apologue70
7193307598figurative languagerefers to words, and groups of words, that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the component words.71
7193307599figure of speechis the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, as in idiom, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification.72
7193307600flashbacka device in the narrative of a motion picture, novel, etc., by which an event or scene taking place before the present time in the narrative is inserted into the chronological structure of the work.73
7193307601foreshadowingto show or indicate beforehand; prefigure of events that are to come74
7193307602formtypes of writing75
7193307603functionthe kind of action or activity proper to a person, thing, or institution; the purpose for which something is designed or exists; role.76
7193307604heteroclite dictionDeviating from ordinary forms or rules; irregular; anomalous; abnormal.77
7193307605hortative sentencesentence that exhorts, advices, calls to action "Go! Go! Go!" "Great job keep going!"78
7193307606hyperboleA trope composed of exaggerated words or ideals used for emphasis and not to be taken literally. Example: "I've told you a million times not to call me a liar!"79
7193307607imageform; appearance; semblance80
7193307608imageryVivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste).81
7193307609imperative sentenceA type of sentence that gives advice or instructions or that expresses a request or command. "Leave the gun, take the cannoli"82
7193307610Impressionismuse imagism and symbolism to convey their impressions, rather than interpreting their experiences.83
7193307611inductive reasoningA method of reasoning that moves from specific instances to a generalization. Specific to general.84
7193307612inversionreversal of the usual or natural order of words; anastrophe.85
7193307613ironyA trope in which a word or phrase is used to mean the opposite of its literal meaning. Example: "I just love scrubbing the floor."86
7193307614juxtapositionan act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.87
7193307615laconicusing few words; expressing much in few words; concise: a laconic reply.88
7193307616litotesA trope in which one makes a deliberate understatement for emphasis. Example: Young lovers are kissing and an observer says: "I think they like each other."89
7193307617logoslogic means persuading by the use of reasoning.90
7193307618MachiavellianNiccolo Machiavelli helped to begin a revolution in political philosophy. His ideas were not necessarily original but still considered extremely radical at the time he published his book.91
7193307619magic realismis a genre where magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment.[1] Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts.92
7193307620malapropAbsurd or humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".93
7193307621metaphorA trope in which a word or phrase is transferred from its literal meaning to stand for something else. Unlike a simile, in which something is said to be "like" something else, a metaphor says something is something else. Example: "Debt is a bottomless sea."94
7193307622metonymySubstitution where a word or phrase is used in place of another word or phrase (such as "crown" for "royalty"). "The pen is mightier than the sword,"95
7193307623modifierIn grammar, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure. A modifier is so called because it is said to modify (change the meaning of) another element in the structure, on which it is dependent. ex: "This is a red ball" vs. "This is a ball". Red modifies the noun ball.96
7193307624monologuea prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker97
7193307625motifa recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work98
7193307626narrationprovides factual information and background material or something narrated; an account, story, or narrative99
7193307627nominalizationto convert (another part of speech) into a noun, as in changing the adjective lowly into the lowly100
7193307628occasiona special or important time101
7193307629onomatopoeiause of words that imitate sounds-CRASH, BANG, HISS102
7193307630oxymoronA trope that connects two contradictory terms. Example: "Bill is a cheerful pessimist." "Jumbo shrimp"103
7193307631pacinga rate of movement104
7193307632parableA story, usually short and simple, that illustrates a lesson.105
7193307633paradoxan assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it. [What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young] "War is peace." "Freedom is slavery."106
7193307634parallel plotPlots in which each main character has a separate but related story line that merges in the end.107
7193307635parallelismThe use of identical or equivalent syntactic constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases108
7193307636parodya humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing109
7193307637pathosemotional appeal and persuasion110
7193307638periodic sentencesentence whose main clause is withheld until the end111
7193307639periphrasisA trope in which one substitutes a descriptive word or phrase for a proper noun. Example: "The big man upstairs hears your prayers."112
7193307640personathe narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.113
7193307641personificationA trope in which human qualities or abilities are assigned to abstractions or inanimate objects. Example: "Integrity thumbs its nose at pomposity."114
7193307642plotAlso called storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.115
7193307643point of viewThe perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information. Depending on the topic, purpose, and audience, writers of nonfiction may rely on the first-person point of view (I, we), the second-person (you, your), or the third-person (he, she, it, they).116
7193307644polemica controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine117
7193307645polysyndetonMultiple coordinating conjunctions "Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly--mostly--let them have their whiteness." (Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969)118
7193307646premisea proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion119
7193307647propagandistica person involved in producing or spreading propaganda120
7193307648protagonistthe leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.121
7193307649punA play on words in which a homophone is repeated but used in a different sense. Examples: "She was always game for any game."122
7193307650purposethe reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.123
7193307651refutationaddresses counterargument, bridge between proof and conclusion124
7193307652refuteto prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge.125
7193307653rhetoricThe study and practice of effective communication. The study of the effects of texts on audiences. The art of persuasion. An insincere eloquence intended to win points and manipulate126
7193307654rhetorical appealsethos, pathos, logos127
7193307655rhetorical modesdescribe the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. Four of the most common rhetorical modes and their purpose are exposition, argumentation, description, and narration.128
7193307656rhetorical questionA trope in which the one asks a leading question. Example: "With all the violence on TV today, is it any wonder kids bring guns to school?"129
7193307657satireA text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity. With intent to improve.130
7193307658sarcasmEmpty irony. Meant for others to feel stupid and does not improve a situation131
7193307659schemeA change in standard word order or pattern.132
7193307660segueto make a transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruption133
7193307661settingthe surrounding environment of a story134
7193307662simileA trope in which one states a comparison between two things that are not alike but have similarities. Unlike metaphors, similes employ "like" or "as." Example: "Her eyes are as blue as a robin's egg."135
7193307663soliloquyan utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present136
7193307664speakerthe person speaking137
7193307665stage directionsAn instruction in the text of a play.138
7193307666static characterCharacter in a literary work who does not change his or her outlook in response to events taking place.139
7193307667structureThe arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.140
7193307668styleRefers to the way you put your writing together. It refers to your choice of sentence patterns, your overall choice of words, and the specific vocabulary you use. (e.g. using lots of dialogue, or poetic language, or lots of description).141
7193307669subjectthat which forms a basic matter of thought, discussion, investigation, etc.: a subject of conversation.142
7193307670subplotsubplot is a secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot143
7193307671subtext_____ or undertone is content of a work which is not announced explicitly by the characters (or author) but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work as the production unfolds.144
7193307672syllogismis a kind of logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two or more others (the premises) of a specific form.145
7193307673symbolsomething used for or regarded as representing something else;146
7193307674synecdocheA trope in which a part stands for the whole or a whole stands for a part. Example: "Tom just bought a fancy new set of wheels."147
7193307675syntaxIs the study of the rules that dictate how the parts of sentences go together.148
7193307676synthesizeCombines parts and elements, focuses on main ideas and details, and achieves new insight. In writing a synthesis, you infer relationships between sources, both written and non-written.149
7193307677themea subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition;150
7193307678thesisa proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections151
7193307679toneThe atmosphere or emotion an author conveys through word choice, etc. Refers to how you say or write something. "The main factor in tone is diction, the words that the writer chooses. For one kind of writing, an author may choose one type of vocabulary, perhaps slang, and for another the same writer may choose an entirely different set of words. Even such small matters as contractions make a difference in tone, the contracted verbs being less formal.152
7193307680topic sentenceterm to describe the sentence in an expository paragraph which summarizes the main idea of that paragraph.153
7193307681tragic heroA tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy. The emotion of pity stems not from a person becoming better but when a person receives undeserved misfortune and fear comes when the misfortune befalls a man like us.154
7193307682tropeThe use of a word, phrase, or image in a way not intended by its normal signification.155
7193307683understatementthe act or an instance of understating, or representing in a weak or restrained way that is not borne out by the facts.156
7193307684verbal ironySay one thing, mean the other157
7193307685voicethe individual writing style of an author158
7193307686zeugmaA trope in which one verb governs several words, or clauses, each in a different sense. Example: "He stiffened his drink and his spine." "You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit."159
7193307687maxima short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct160
7193307688relative clausecannot stand alone, conains a subject and a verb; begins with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative adverb (whre, when, why); functions as an adjective (answers, "What kind?", "How many?", "Which one?"161
7193307689Anadiplosisrepetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause162
7193307690assonanceThe repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighboring words. Adjective: assonant. EX. "If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got . . . fleeced." (Al Swearengen in Deadwood, 2004)163
7193307691ParodyA literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.164
7193307692active voicethe voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb165
7193307693passive voicethe voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb166

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