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AP English Figurative Language Flashcards

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7292542546Allegorya story or image that contains an implicit hidden or spiritual meaning.0
7292542547Alliterationthe repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more words1
7292543617AllusionA reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art2
7292545360Ambiguityuncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language; can be interpreted to have more than one meaning3
7292545361Analogya comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.4
7292547003Anaphorarepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines5
7292548889Anastrophethe inversion of the usual order of words or clauses6
7292548890Anecdotea short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person7
7292550556AntagonistA character or force in conflict with the main character8
7292552068AntimetaboliteThe identical or near repetition of words in one phrase or clause in reverse order in the next phrase or clause. A chemical that inhibits the use of metabolite9
7314351226Antithesisa person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else10
7314353079Antiheroa central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.11
7314353080Anthropomorphisma technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions or entire behavior to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena or objects.12
7314354910AphorismA brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life13
7314354911ApostropheAn address to a dead or absent person, or personification as if he or she were present.14
7314356257AppositionWhen a noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it15
7314356258AssonanceRepetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity16
7314358884Asyndetona stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence17
7314364446BalanceConstructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance18
7428527112Characterizationthe process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character19
7428529731indirect characterizationwhen the author reveals the character to the reader by describing their looks and dress, by letting the reader hear what the character says, and revealing there private thoughts and feelings.20
7428532200direct characterizationthe author tells us directly what the character is like; sneaky, generous, mean to pets...21
7428532201static characteris one who does not change much in the course of a story.22
7428535060dynamic characteris one who changes in some important way as a result of the story's action23
7428535061flat characterhas only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard. They can be summed up in one phrase24
7428537938round characterHas more dimensions to their personalities-they are complex, just as people are25
7428537939chiasmusIn poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reserved. Coleridge: flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike. In prose this is called antimetabole26
7428540460clichéis a word or phrase, often a figure of speech that has become lifeless because of overuse. Avoid cliche like the plague27
7428544087colloquialisma word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations. Example: he's out of his head if he thinks I'm gunna go for such a stupid idea.28
7730001768Comedyin genreal, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character or characters29
7730010204Conceitan elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor30
7730028261Confessional poetrya twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet's life31
7730039890Conflictthe struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story32
7730046938External Conflictconflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine or between a person and whole society33
7730061554Internal Conflicta conflict can be internal, involving opposite forces within a person's mind.34
7730070699Connotationthe associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.35
7730083560Couplettwo consecutive rhyming lines of poetry36
7730088005Dialecta way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area.37
7730105154Dictionthe authors word choice38
7880309108Didacticform of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking39
7880312063Elegya poem, of mourning, usually about someone who has died. A great praise or commendation, a laudatory speech, often about someone who has died40
7880312064Epanalepsisdevice of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause or sentence. Voltaire: "common sense is not so common."41
7880315750Epica long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the value of a practicular society.42
7880315751Epigrapha quotation or aphorism at the beginning of literary work suggestive of the theme43
7880319730Epistrophedevice of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more line, clauses or sentences (it is the opposite of anaphora)44
7880319731Epithetan adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality. "father of our country" and "the great Emancipator" are examples. A Homeric one is a compound adjective used with a person or thing: "swift-footed achilles"; "rosy-fingered dawn."45
7880324193Essaya short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a subject46
7880326603Persuasionrelies more on emotional appeals than on facts47
7880326604Argumentform of persuasion that appeals to reason instead of emotion to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way48
7880330687Casual Relationshipform of argumentation in which the writer claimed that one thing results from a another, often used as part of a logical argument49
7880330688Descriptiona form of discourse that used language to create a mood or emotion50
7880333492Expositionone of the four major forms of discourse, in which something is explained or "set forth"51
7880333493Narrativethe form of discourse that tells about a series of events52
8155079647Explicationact of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.53
8155093398Fablea very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life54
8155103471Farcea type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations55
8155118671Figurative LanguageWords which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, butt are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms56
8155134885Flashbacka scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequences of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time57
8155146232FoilA character who acts as contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting a hero58
8155165544Foreshadowingthe use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot59
8155176593Free versepoetry that does not conform to a regular metaphor or rhyme scheme60
8155181694Hyperbolea figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect. "if i told you once, Ive told you a million times61
8155203812HypotacticSentence marked by the use of connecting words between clause or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. (Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another is know as hypotaxis). I am tired because it is hot.62
8155243853Imagerythe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience.63
8238953744Inversionthe reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase64
8238959830Ironya discrepancy between appearances and reality.65
8239037923verbal ironyoccurs when someone says one thing but really means something else66
8239048170situational Ironytakes place when there is as discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen67
8239063808dramatic ironyis so called because it is often used on stage. A character in the play or story thinks one thing is true , but the audience or reader knows better68
8239079379Juxtapositionpoetic and rhetorical devices in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit.69
8239097833Litotesis a form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form:70
8239110084Local colora term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape.71
8239128034Loose sentenceOne in which the main clauses comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical unites72
8560851956Lyric Poema poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker. A ballad tells a story73
8560860887Metaphora figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using the use of specific words of comparison as like, as, than or resembles74
8560872011Implied Metaphordoes not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison "i like to see it lap the miles" is an implied metaphor in which the verb lap implies a comparison between "it" and some animal that "laps" up water.75
8560883756Extended metaphoris a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it76
8560892503Dead Metaphoris a metaphor rear has been used so often that the comparisio is not longer vivid "the head of the house" , the "seat of the government"77
8560902709Mixed Metaphoris a metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. :the president is a lame duck who is running out of gas"78
8560913549Metonymya figure of speech in which a person, place or thing is referred to buy something closely associated with it. "we requested from the crown support four our petition."79
8560923524Moodan atmosphere created by the writers diction and the details selected80
8560927842Motifa recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work, unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme. Kurt Vonnegut used "so it goes" throughout Slaughterhouse five to remind the reader of the senselessness of death81
8560947786Motivationthe reason for a characters behaviors82
8560952842Onomatopoeiathe use of words whose sounds echo their senses "pop" "zap"83
8560956660Oxymorona figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase "jump shrimp" "pretty ugly" Bitter- sweet"84
8560974593Parablea relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson about how to lead a good life85
8560979472Paradoxa statement that appears self-contradictory, but reveals a kind of truth86
8560984634Koanis a paradox used in zen Buddhism to gain intuitive knowledge "what is the sound of ones hand clapping?"87
8560996533Parallele structure (parallelism)the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.88
8863111965Paratactic Sentencesimply juxtaposes clauses or sentences. I am tired: it is hot.89
8863111966ParodyA work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner90
8863115466PeriodicDescribes something that occurs or repeats at regular intervals91
8863115467PersonificationA figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes92
8863116205PlotSequence of events in a story93
8863148327ExpositionBackground information presented in a literary work.94
8863148328Rising Actionthe series of conflicts or struggles that build a story toward a climax.95
8863151370Climaxthe most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex. Turning point96
8863151371ResolutionEnd of the story where loose ends are tied up97
8863152089Point of ViewThe perspective from which a story is told98
8863178468First Person Point of viewa character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself99
8863178469Third Person Point of Viewsomeone on the outside is looking in and telling the story as he/she see it unfold.100
8863181419Omniscient Point of ViewThe narrator is an all-knowing outsider who can enter the minds of one or all of the characters.101
8863184633Objective Point of Viewthe narrator does not enter the mind of any character but describes events from the outside102

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