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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
5857487866Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
5857487867AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
5857487868AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
5857487869AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
5857487870AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
5857487871AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
5857487872AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
5857487873AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
5857487874AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
5857487875ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
5857487876AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
5857487877AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
5857487878AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
5857487879AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
5857487880AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
5857487881ContrastOppositions15
5857487882Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
5857487883ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
5857487884Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
5857487885DictionAn author's choice of words19
5857487886DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
5857487887ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
5857487888EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
5857487889EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
5857487890EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
5857487891ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
5857487892Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
5857487893ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
5857487894HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
5857487895ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
5857487896Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
5857487897IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
5857487898JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
5857487899LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
5857487900MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
5857487901MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
5857487902MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
5857487903OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
5857487904OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
5857487905ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
5857487906ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
5857487907ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
5857487908PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
5857487909Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
5857487910PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
5857487911PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
5857487912Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
5857487913PunA play on words47
5857487914RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
5857487915RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
5857487916Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
5857487917Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
5857487918Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
5857487919SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
5857487920Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
5857487921SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
5857487922SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
5857487923SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
5857487924SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
5857487925SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
5857487926SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
5857487927TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
5857487928ThemeThe central idea62
5857487929ToneAttitude63
5857487930UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
5857487931ZeugmaWhen 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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