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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
6426280837Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6426280838AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6426280839AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6426280840AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6426280841AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6426280842AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6426280843AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6426280844AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6426280845AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6426280846ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker. This is the rhetorical definition of the word. Here is an example, Carlyle's "O Liberty, what things are done in thy name!" is an example of apostrophe.9
6426280847AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6426280848AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6426280849AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6426280850AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6426280851AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6426280852ContrastOppositions15
6426280853Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6426280854ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6426280855Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6426280856DictionAn author's choice of words19
6426280857DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6426280858ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6426280859EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6426280860EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
6426280861EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6426280862ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6426280863Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6426280864ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6426280865HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6426280866ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6426280867Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6426280868IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6426280869JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6426280870LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6426280871MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6426280872MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6426280873MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6426280874OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6426280875OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6426280876ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6426280877ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6426280878ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6426280879PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6426280880Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6426280881PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6426280882PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6426280883Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6426280884PunA play on words47
6426280885RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6426280886RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6426280887Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6426280888Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6426280889Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6426280890SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6426280891Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6426280892SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6426280893SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6426280894SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new CONCLUSION. [An instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs ).]57
6426280895SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6426280896SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6426280897SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6426280898TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6426280899ThemeThe central idea62
6426280900ToneAttitude63
6426280901UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6426280902ZeugmaWhen a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them65
6426280903Ad hocformed, arranged, or done for a particular purpose only (think of a committee that just meets for one purpose only, and probably only occasionally)66
6426280904WarrantExplanation of why or how the data supports the claim; the underlying assumption that connects your data to your claim.67

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