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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
6620477756Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6620477757AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6620477758AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6620477759AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6620477760AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6620477761AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6620477762AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6620477763AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6620477764AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6620477765ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
6620477766AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6620477767AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6620477768AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6620477769AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6620477770AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6620477771ContrastOppositions15
6620477772Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6620477773ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6620477774Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6620477775DictionAn author's choice of words19
6620477776DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6620477777ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6620477778EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6620477779EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
6620477780EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6620477781ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6620477782Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6620477783ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6620477784HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6620477785ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6620477786Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6620477787IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6620477788JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6620477789LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6620477790MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6620477791MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6620477792MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6620477793OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6620477794OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6620477795ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6620477796ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6620477797ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6620477798PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6620477799Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6620477800PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6620477801PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6620477802Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6620477803PunA play on words47
6620477804RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6620477805RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6620477806Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6620477807Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6620477808Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6620477809SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6620477810Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6620477811SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6620477812SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6620477813SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
6620477814SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6620477815SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6620477816SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6620477817TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6620477818ThemeThe central idea62
6620477819ToneAttitude63
6620477820UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6620477821ZeugmaWhen 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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