Terms : Hide Images
| 7266819316 | Ad hominem | Latin for "against the man." When a writer personally attacks his or her opponents instead of their arguments. | 0 | |
| 7266819317 | Allegory | a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning. | 1 | |
| 7266819318 | Alliteration | The repetition of the same sounds - usually initial consonants of words. | 2 | |
| 7266819319 | Assonance | The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in the syllables of neighboring words. | 3 | |
| 7266819320 | Consonance | The repetition of identical or similar consonants in neighboring words whose vowel sounds are usually different. | 4 | |
| 7266819321 | Allegory | a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. | 5 | |
| 7266819322 | Allusion | An indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work, the nature and relevance of which is not explained by the writer but relies on the reader's familiarity with what is thus mentioned. | 6 | |
| 7266819323 | Anachronism | A term used in modern narratology to denote a discrepancy between the order in which events of the story occur and the order in which they are present to us in the plot. | 7 | |
| 7266819324 | Analogy | Illustration of an idea by means of a more familiar idea that is similar or parallel to it in some significant features. | 8 | |
| 7266819325 | Antithesis | contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangement of words or clauses | 9 | |
| 7266819326 | Anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences. | 10 | |
| 7266819327 | Aristotelian triangle | A diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience | 11 | |
| 7266819328 | Epistrophe | A rhetorical figure by which the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive sentences. | 12 | |
| 7266819329 | Anti-hero | A central character in a dramatic or narrative work who lacks the qualities of nobility and magnanimity expected of traditional heroes and heroines in romances and epics. | 13 | |
| 7266819330 | Aphorism | A statement of some general principle, expressed memorably by condensing much wisdom into few words. | 14 | |
| 7266819331 | Apology | In the literary sense, a justification or defense of the writer's opinions or conduct, not usually implying any admission of blame (as in the everyday use). | 15 | |
| 7266819332 | Apostrophe | A rhetorical figure in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an abstraction or inanimate object. | 16 | |
| 7266819333 | Archetype | a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology. | 17 | |
| 7266819334 | Asyndeton | A form of verbal compression which consists of the omission of connecting words between clauses. The most common form is the omission of "and," leaving on a sequence linked by commas. | 18 | |
| 7266819335 | Comic Relief | The interruption of a serious work by humor. | 19 | |
| 7266967182 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. | 20 | |
| 7266967183 | Concession | an acknowledgment of objections to a proposal (similar to anticipation of objection) | 21 | |
| 7266967184 | Connotation | The range of further associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its straightforward dictionary meaning. | 22 | |
| 7266967185 | Denotation | The explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression, as distinguished from the ideas or meanings associated with it or suggested by it. | 23 | |
| 7266967186 | Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author's style. | 24 | |
| 7266967187 | Didactic | A term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. | 25 | |
| 7266967188 | Enthymeme | an argument in which one premise is not explicitly stated. | 26 | |
| 7266967189 | Euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example of euphemism. | 27 | |
| 7266967190 | Fallacy | A failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid. | 28 | |
| 7266967191 | Hyperbole | Extreme exaggeration. | 29 | |
| 7266967192 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection. An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work.( On the AP language exam, pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of this imagery) | 30 | |
| 7266967193 | Inference/ Infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it's unlikely to be the correct answer. Note that if the answer choice is directly stated, it is not inferred and it is wrong. You must be careful to note the connotation - negative or positive - of the choices. | 31 | |
| 7266967194 | Irony | A subtly humorous perception of inconsistency. Verbal: A discrepancy between what is said and what is really meant. Situational: A discrepancy between what is thought to happen and what actually does. Dramatic: When the audience knows more about a character's situation that the character does, foreseeing an outcome contrary to a character's expectations. | 32 | |
| 7266967195 | Litotes | a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Litote is the opposite of hyperbole. Examples: "Not a bad idea," "Not many," "It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain" (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye). | 33 | |
| 7266967196 | Logic | An implied comparison resulting when one thing is directly called another. To be logically acceptable, support must be appropriate to the claim, believable and consistent. | 34 | |
| 7266967197 | Loose sentence/Non-periodic Sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, or conversational. Generally, loose sentences create loose style. The opposite of a loose sentence is the periodic sentence. Example: I arrived at the San Diego airport after a long, bumpy ride and multiple delays. Could stop at: I arrived at the San Diego airport. | 35 | |
| 7266967198 | Metaphor | A comparison between two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as." | 36 | |
| 7266967199 | Metonymy | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," metonymy 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" is using metonymy; Shakespeare uses it to signify the male and female sexes in As You Like It: "doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat." The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 37 | |
| 7266967200 | Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. Mood is similar to tone and atmosphere. | 38 | |
| 7266967201 | Motif | a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work. | 39 | |
| 7266967202 | Onomatopoeia | The use of words that seem to imitate the sounds they refer to. | 40 | |
| 7266967203 | Parallelism | Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. (Again, the opening of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities is an example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity....") The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm. | 41 | |
| 7266967204 | Paradox | A seemingly contradictory statement which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention. | 42 | |
| 7266967205 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words). | 43 | |
| 7266967206 | Periodic sentence | The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. (Example: After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport.) | 44 | |
| 7266967207 | Personification | A figure of speech by which inanimate objects are given humanlike characteristics. | 45 | |
| 7266967208 | Polysyndeton | A rhetorical device for the repeated use of conjunctions to link a succession of words, clauses, or sentences. *Often found in stream of consciousness. | 46 | |
| 7266967209 | Pun/Double Entendre | In rhetoric, dealing with one word that suggests two different meaning. Often is used for humor. | 47 | |
| 7266967210 | Rhetoric | The deliberate exploitation of eloquence for the most persuasive effect in public speaking or in writing. | 48 | |
| 7266967211 | Rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common rhetorical modes (often referred to as "modes of discourse") are as follows: (1) The purpose of exposition (or expository writing) is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. The AP language exam essay questions are frequently expository topics. (2) The purpose of argumentation is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader. Persuasive writing is a type of argumentation having an additional aim of urging some form of action. (3) The purpose of description is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in description; good descriptive writing can be sensuous and picturesque. Descriptive writing may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional an subjective. (4) The purpose of narration is to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing. | 49 | |
| 7266967212 | Rhetorical Question | A question asked for the sake of persuasive effect rather than a genuine request for information. | 50 | |
| 7266967213 | Satire | A mode of writing that exposes the failings of individuals, institutions, or societies to ridicule and scorn. | 51 | |
| 7266967214 | Simile | A comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." | 52 | |
| 7266967215 | Style | The consideration of style has two purposes: An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Some authors' styles are so idiosyncratic that we can quickly recognize works by the same author. We can analyze and describe an author's personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. Styles can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic, etc. (2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author's style reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as the romantic, transcendental, or realist movement. | 53 | |
| 7266967216 | Syllogism | A form of logical argument that derives a conclusion from two propositions, sharing a common term. Usually in this form: all x are y; z is x; therefore z is y. | 54 | |
| 7266967217 | Symbol | Anything that stands for, or represents something else beyond it, usually an idea conventionally associated with it. | 55 | |
| 7266967218 | Synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part. Examples: To refer to a boat as a "sail"; to refer to a car as "wheels"; to refer to the violins, violas, etc. in an orchestra as "the strings." **Different than metonymy, in which one thing is represented by another thing that is commonly physically associated with it (but is not necessarily a part of it), i.e., referring to a monarch as "the crown" or the President as "The White House." | 56 | |
| 7266967219 | Syntax | Sentence structure. | 57 | |
| 7266967220 | Theme | The central idea of a work, revealed and developed in the course of a story or explored through argument. | 58 | |
| 7266967221 | Tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. | 59 | |
| 7266967222 | Ethos | refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. It can also be affected by the writer's reputation as it exists independently from the message--his or her expertise in the field, his or her previous record or integrity, and so forth. The impact of ethos is often called the argument's 'ethical appeal' or the 'appeal from credibility.' | 60 | |
| 7266972841 | Pathos | is often associated with emotional appeal. But a better equivalent might be 'appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination.' An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view--to feel what the writer feels. In this sense, pathos evokes a meaning implicit in the verb 'to suffer'--to feel pain imaginatively.... Perhaps the most common way of conveying a pathetic appeal is through narrative or story, which can turn the abstractions of logic into something palpable and present. The values, beliefs, and understandings of the writer are implicit in the story and conveyed imaginatively to the reader. Pathos thus refers to both the emotional and the imaginative impact of the message on an audience, the power with which the writer's message moves the audience to decision or action. | 61 | |
| 7266972842 | Logos | refers to the internal consistency of the message--the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence. The impact of logos on an audience is sometimes called the argument's logical appeal. | 62 |
