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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
2311354254Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
2311354255AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
2311354256AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
2311354257AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
2311354258AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
2311354259AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
2311354260AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
2311354261AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
2311354262AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
2311354263ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
2311354264AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
2311354265AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
2311354266AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
2311354267AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
2311354268AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
2311354269ContrastOppositions15
2311354270Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
2311354271ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
2311354272Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
2311354273DictionAn author's choice of words19
2311354274DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
2311354275ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
2311354276EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
2311354277EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
2311354278EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
2311354279ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
2311354280Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
2311354281ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
2311354282HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
2311354283ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
2311354284Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
2311354285IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
2311354286JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
2311354287LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
2311354288MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
2311354289MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
2311354290MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
2311354291OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
2311354292OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
2311354293ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
2311354294ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
2311354295ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
2311354296PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
2311354297Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
2311354298PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
2311354299PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
2311354300Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
2311354301PunA play on words47
2311354302RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
2311354303RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
2311354304Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
2311354305Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
2311354306Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
2311354307SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
2311354308Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
2311354309SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
2311354310SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
2311354311SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
2311354312SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
2311354313SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
2311354314SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
2311354315TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
2311354316ThemeThe central idea62
2311354317ToneAttitude63
2311354318UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
2311354319ZeugmaWhen 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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