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AP English Language Glossary Flashcards

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9488644775PersonificationThe assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts. An example: Wordsworth's "the sea that bares her bosom to the moon."0
9488644776OxymoronFrom the Greek for "pointedly foolish," ___ is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness."1
9488644777Sarcasmfrom the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," ___ involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device.2
9488644778Synecdoche. a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. "All hands on deck" is an example.3
9488644779Hyperbolea figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement4
9488644780Anaphorarepetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent.5
9488644782ThemeThe central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually, __ is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the __ may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing.6
9488644783Metonomya term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name" __ is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example: a news release that claims "The White House declared" rather than "The President declared"7
9488644784ParadoxA statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.8
9488644785Transitiona word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.9
9488644788Metaphora direct comparison between dissimilar things. "Your eyes are stars" is an example.10
9488644789Symbolgenerally, anything that represents, stands for, something else. Usually, a ___ is something concrete—such as an object, action, character, or scene—that represents something more abstract.11
9488644790Begging the Question/Circular ReasoningOccurs when the believability of the evidence depends on the believability of the claim.12
9488644792Understatementthe opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.13
9488644793Either-or reasoning/ false dilemmaWhen the writer reduces an argument or issue to two polar opposites and ignores any alternatives.14
9488644796Causal RelationshipIn __, a writer asserts that one thing results from another. To show how one thing produces or brings about another is often relevant in establishing a logical argument.15
9488644798ImageryThe sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, __ uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory. For example, a rose may present visual __ while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks.16
9488644799Euphemisma more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a common __ for "he died." They are also used to obscure the reality of the situation.17
9488644801IronyThe contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true.18
9488644802SatireA work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and convention for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform humans or their society, ___ is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. The effect of __, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.19
9488644803AlliterationThe repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."20
9488644804EpigraphThe use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two. One of them is "You are all a lost generation" by Gertrude Stein.21
9488644805Periodic SentenceA sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. The independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect is to add emphasis and structural variety.22
9488644806NarrativeThe telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.23
9488644807Ethosan appeal based on the character of the speaker. An __-driven document relies on the reputation of the author.24
9488644808Situational Ironya type of irony in which events turn out the opposite of what was expected.25
9488644810Pathosan appeal based on emotion.26
9488644811SyllogismFrom the Greek for "reckoning together," a __ is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.27
9488644812Logosan appeal based on logic or reason28
9488644813Verbal IronyIn this type of irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's true meaning29
9488644814AnecdoteA story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point.30
9488644816Ad HominemIn an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man."31
9488644817Denotationthe literal or dictionary meaning of a word32
9488644818CumulativeSentence which begins with the main idea and then expands on that idea with a series of details or other particulars33
9488644819Dramatic IronyIn this type of irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or a piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work34
9488644821Connotationthe interpretive level or a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning.35
9488644822RepetitionThe duplication, either exact or approximate, or any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.36
9488644823SyntaxThe grammatical structure of prose and poetry.37
9488644825Voicecan refer to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb (active and passive). The second refers to the total "sound" of the writer's style.38
9488644826InferTo draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.39
9488644827ArgumentA single assertion or a series of assertions presented and defended by the writer40
9488644828AllusionA reference contained in a work41
9488644833Parallelismrefers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.42
9488644836Analogya literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison. It is assumed that what applies to the parallel situation also applies to the original circumstance. In other words, it is the comparison between two different items.43
9488644837Figurative LanguageWriting or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.44
9488644838Examplean individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern45
9488644843Attitudethe relationship an author has toward his or her subject, and/or his or her audience46
9488644845EllipsisIndicated by a series of three periods, the __ indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text.47
9488644846ArgumentationThe purpose of this rhetorical mode is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader.48
9488644850Rhetoricfrom the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principle governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.49
9488644855Colloquialthe use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. Huckleberry Finn in written in a __ style.50
9488644856Antecedentthe word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.51
9488644857Stylean evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices.52
9488644858ThesisThe sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition.53
9488644859Appeal to authorityArguments that draw on recognized experts or persons with highly relevant experience.54
9488644862Balancea situation in which all parts of the presentation are equal, whether in sentences or paragraphs or sections of a longer work.55
9488644864ToneSimilar to mood, __ describes the author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both.56
9488644865ProseOne of the major divisions of genre, ___ refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms, because they are written in ordinary language and most closely resemble everyday speech.57
9488644867AsyndetonCommas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z.58
9488644869Point of ViewIn fictive and non-fictive literature, the perspective from which a story is told.59
9488644870DeductionThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example.60
9488644871Annotationexplanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.61
9488644873Dictionthe author's choice of words that creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning62
9488644874Antithesisthe presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. "To be or not to be..." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."63
9488644875Synthesislocating a number of sources and integrating them into the development and support of a writer's thesis/claim.64
9488644878Exhortationan address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something65

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