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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
7117361858Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
7117361859AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
7117361860AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
7117361861AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
7117361862AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
7117361863AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
7117361864AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
7117361865AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
7117361866AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
7117361867ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
7117361868AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
7117361869AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
7117361870AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
7117361871AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
7117361872AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
7117361873ContrastOppositions15
7117361874Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
7117361875ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
7117361876Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
7117361877DictionAn author's choice of words19
7117361878DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
7117361879ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
7117361880EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
7117361881EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
7117361882EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
7117361883ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
7117361884Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
7117361885ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
7117361886HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
7117361887ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
7117361888Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
7117361889IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
7117361890JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
7117361891LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
7117361892MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
7117361893MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
7117361894MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
7117361895OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
7117361896OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
7117361897ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
7117361898ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
7117361899ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
7117361900PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
7117361901Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
7117361902PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
7117361903PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
7117361904Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
7117361905PunA play on words47
7117361906RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
7117361907RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
7117361908Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
7117361909Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
7117361910Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
7117361911SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
7117361912Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
7117361913SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
7117361914SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
7117361915SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
7117361916SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
7117361917SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
7117361918SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
7117361919TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
7117361920ThemeThe central idea62
7117361921ToneAttitude63
7117361922UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
7117361923ZeugmaWhen 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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