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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
6340389237Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6340389238AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6340389239AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6340389240AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6340389241AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6340389242AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6340389243AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6340389244AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6340389245AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6340389246ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
6340389247AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6340389248AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6340389249AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6340389250AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6340389251AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6340389252ContrastOppositions15
6340389253Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6340389254ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6340389255Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6340389256DictionAn author's choice of words19
6340389257DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6340389258ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6340389259EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6340389260EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
6340389261EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6340389262ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6340389263Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6340389264ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6340389265HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6340389266ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6340389267Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6340389268IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6340389269JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6340389270LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6340389271MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6340389272MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6340389273MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6340389274OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6340389275OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6340389276ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6340389277ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6340389278ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6340389279PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6340389280Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6340389281PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6340389282PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6340389283Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6340389284PunA play on words47
6340389285RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6340389286RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6340389287Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6340389288Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6340389289Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6340389290SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6340389291Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6340389292SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6340389293SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6340389294SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
6340389295SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6340389296SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6340389297SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6340389298TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6340389299ThemeThe central idea62
6340389300ToneAttitude63
6340389301UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6340389302ZeugmaWhen 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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