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AP English Language Vocabulary - 8/10 Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

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4855861263Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
4855861264AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
4855861265AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
4855861266AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
4855861267AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
4855861268AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
4855861269AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
4855861270AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
4855861271AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
4855861272ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
4855861273AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
4855861274AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
4855861275AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
4855861276AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
4855861277AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
4855861278ContrastOppositions15
4855861279Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
4855861280ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
4855861281Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
4855861282DictionAn author's choice of words19
4855861283DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
4855861284ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
4855861285EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
4855861286EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
4855861287EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
4855861288ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
4855861289Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
4855861290ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
4855861291HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
4855861292ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
4855861293Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
4855861294IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
4855861295JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
4855861296LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
4855861297MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
4855861298MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
4855861299MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
4855861300OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
4855861301OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
4855861302ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
4855861303ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
4855861304ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
4855861305PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
4855861306Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
4855861307PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
4855861308PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
4855861309Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
4855861310PunA play on words47
4855861311RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
4855861312RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
4855861313Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
4855861314Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
4855861315Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
4855861316SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
4855861317Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
4855861318SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
4855861319SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
4855861320SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
4855861321SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
4855861322SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
4855861323SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
4855861324TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
4855861325ThemeThe central idea62
4855861326ToneAttitude63
4855861327UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
4855861328ZeugmaWhen a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them65

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