5855612114 | Abstract | Refers to language that describes concepts (ideas) rather than concrete images | ![]() | 0 |
5855612115 | Ad Hominem | In an argument, an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against man." | ![]() | 1 |
5855612116 | Allegory | a work that functions on a symbolic level | ![]() | 2 |
5855612117 | Alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as the "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" | ![]() | 3 |
5855612118 | Allusion | A reference to another literary work. | ![]() | 4 |
5855612119 | Analogy | A 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. | ![]() | 5 |
5855612120 | Anecdote | A story or brief example told by the writer or character to illustrate a point. | ![]() | 6 |
5855612121 | Antecedant | The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers (he, it, she, them, they, etc). The AP English Language and Composition exam often expects you to identify the antecedent in a passage. | ![]() | 7 |
5855612122 | Antithesis | The presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by words, phrase, clause or paragraph. "To be or not to be..." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for you country..." | ![]() | 8 |
5855612124 | Attitude | The relationship an author has toward his or her subject, and/or his or her audience. | ![]() | 9 |
5855612125 | Balance | A situation in which all parts of the presentation are equal, whether in sentences or paragraphs or sections of a longer work. | ![]() | 10 |
5855612126 | Cacophony | Harsh or discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work. | ![]() | 11 |
5855612128 | Colloquial | The use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. | ![]() | 12 |
5855612130 | Conflict | A clash between opposing forces in a literary work, such as man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. god, man vs. self. | ![]() | 13 |
5855612131 | Connotation | The interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning. | ![]() | 14 |
5855612132 | Deduction | The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example. | ![]() | 15 |
5855612133 | Denotation | The literal or dictionary meaning of a word. | ![]() | 16 |
5855612134 | Dialect | The re-creation of regional spoken language, such as a Souther dialect. Zora Neal Hurston uses this in such works as Their Eyes Were Watching God. | ![]() | 17 |
5855612135 | Didactic | Writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. | ![]() | 18 |
5855612136 | Ellipsis | An indication by a series of three periods that some material has been omitted from a given text. It could be a word, a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph, or a whole section. Be wary of the ellipsis; it could obscure the real meaning of the piece of writing. | ![]() | 19 |
5855612137 | Epigraph | The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is "You are all a lost generation" by Gertude Stein. | ![]() | 20 |
5855612138 | Euphemism | A 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 euphemis for "he died." These phrases are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses "collateral damage" to indicate civil deaths in a military operation. | ![]() | 21 |
5855612139 | Euphony | The pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work. | ![]() | 22 |
5855612140 | Exposition | Background information presented in a literary work. | ![]() | 23 |
5855612141 | Extended Metaphor | A sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. The extended metaphor is developed throughout a piece of writing. | ![]() | 24 |
5855612142 | Figurative Language | The body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one. It includes metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc. | ![]() | 25 |
5855612144 | Hyperbole | Extreme exaggeration, often humorous, it can also be ironic; the opposite of an understatement. | ![]() | 26 |
5855612145 | Imagery | A verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion (description using any of the 5 senses). | ![]() | 27 |
5855612146 | Induction | The process that moves from a given series of specifics to a broad generalization. | ![]() | 28 |
5855612147 | Inference | A conclusion one can draw from the presented details. | ![]() | 29 |
5855612148 | Invective | Verbally abusive attack | ![]() | 30 |
5855612149 | Irony | An unexpected twist or contract between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen. It involves dialog and situation and can be intentional or unplanned. Dramatic irony centers around the ignorance of those involved; whereas, the audience is aware of the circumstances. | ![]() | 31 |
5855612150 | Logic | The process of reasoning | ![]() | 32 |
5855612151 | Logical Fallacy | A mistake in reasoning | ![]() | 33 |
5855612152 | Metaphor | A direct comparison between dissimilar things (Your eyes are stars). | ![]() | 34 |
5855612153 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea ("The pen is mightier than the sword") | ![]() | 35 |
5855612154 | Monologue | A speech given by a one character | ![]() | 36 |
5855612155 | Narrator | The speaker of a literary work. | ![]() | 37 |
5855612156 | Onomatopoeia | Words that sound like the sound they represent (gurgle, hiss, pop). | ![]() | 38 |
5855612157 | Oxymoron | An image of contradictory terms (bitter-sweet, pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp). | ![]() | 39 |
5855612158 | Pacing | The movement of a literary piece from one point or section to another. | ![]() | 40 |
5855612159 | Parable | A story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson. | ![]() | 41 |
5855612160 | Parody | A comic situation of a work that ridicules the original It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content. | ![]() | 42 |
5855612161 | Pathos | 43 |
AP English Language Study Set Flashcards
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