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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

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6308068552Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6308068553AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6308068554AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6308068555AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6308068556AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6308068557AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6308068558AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6308068559AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6308068560AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6308068561ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
6308068562AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6308068563AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6308068564AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6308068565AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6308068566AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6308068567ContrastOppositions15
6308068568Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6308068569ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6308068570Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6308068571DictionAn author's choice of words19
6308068572DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6308068573ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6308068574EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6308068575EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
6308068576EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6308068577ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6308068578Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6308068579ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6308068580HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6308068581ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6308068582Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6308068583IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6308068584JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6308068585LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6308068586MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6308068587MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6308068588MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6308068589OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6308068590OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6308068591ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6308068592ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6308068593ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6308068594PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6308068595Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6308068596PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6308068597PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6308068598Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6308068599PunA play on words47
6308068600RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6308068601RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6308068602Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6308068603Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6308068604Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6308068605SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6308068606Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6308068607SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6308068608SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6308068609SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
6308068610SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6308068611SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6308068612SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6308068613TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6308068614ThemeThe central idea62
6308068615ToneAttitude63
6308068616UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6308068617ZeugmaWhen 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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