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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
7279408427Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
7279408428AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
7279408429AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
7279408430AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
7279408431AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
7279408432AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
7279408433AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
7279408434AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
7279408435AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
7279408436ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
7279408437AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
7279408438AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
7279408439AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
7279408440AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
7279408441AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
7279408442ContrastOppositions15
7279408443Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
7279408444ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
7279408445Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
7279408446DictionAn author's choice of words19
7279408447DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
7279408448ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
7279408449EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
7279408450EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
7279408451EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
7279408452ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
7279408453Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
7279408454ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
7279408455HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
7279408456ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
7279408457Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
7279408458IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
7279408459JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
7279408460LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
7279408461MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
7279408462MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
7279408463MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
7279408464OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
7279408465OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
7279408466ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
7279408467ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
7279408468ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
7279408469PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
7279408470Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
7279408471PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
7279408472PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
7279408473Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
7279408474PunA play on words47
7279408475RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
7279408476RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
7279408477Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
7279408478Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
7279408479Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
7279408480SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
7279408481Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
7279408482SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
7279408483SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
7279408484SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
7279408485SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
7279408486SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
7279408487SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
7279408488TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
7279408489ThemeThe central idea62
7279408490ToneAttitude63
7279408491UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
7279408492ZeugmaWhen 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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