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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
4289732264Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
4289732265AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
4289732266AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
4289732267AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
4289732268AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
4289732269AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
4289732270AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
4289732271AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
4289732272AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
4289732273ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
4289732274AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
4289732275AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
4289732276AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
4289732277AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
4289732278AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
4289732279ContrastOppositions15
4289732280Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
4289732281ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
4289732282Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
4289732283DictionAn author's choice of words19
4289732284DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
4289732285ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
4289732286EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
4289732287EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
4289732288EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
4289732289ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
4289732290Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
4289732291ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
4289732292HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
4289732293ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
4289732294Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
4289732295IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
4289732296JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
4289732297LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
4289732298MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
4289732299MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
4289732300MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
4289732301OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
4289732302OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
4289732303ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
4289732304ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
4289732305ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
4289732306PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
4289732307Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
4289732308PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
4289732309PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
4289732310Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
4289732311PunA play on words47
4289732312RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
4289732313RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
4289732314Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
4289732315Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
4289732316Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
4289732317SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
4289732318Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
4289732319SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
4289732320SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
4289732321SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
4289732322SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
4289732323SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
4289732324SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
4289732325TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
4289732326ThemeThe central idea62
4289732327ToneAttitude63
4289732328UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
4289732329ZeugmaWhen 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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