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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
7422179460Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
7422179461AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
7422179462AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
7422179463AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
7422179464AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
7422179465AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
7422179466AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
7422179467AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
7422179468AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
7422179469ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
7422179470AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
7422179471AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
7422179472AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
7422179473AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
7422179474AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
7422179475ContrastOppositions15
7422179476Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
7422179477ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
7422179478Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
7422179479DictionAn author's choice of words19
7422179480DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
7422179481ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
7422179482EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
7422179483EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
7422179484EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
7422179485ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
7422179486Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
7422179487ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
7422179488HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
7422179489ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
7422179490Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
7422179491IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
7422179492JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
7422179493LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
7422179494MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
7422179495MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
7422179496MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
7422179497OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
7422179498OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
7422179499ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
7422179500ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
7422179501ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
7422179502PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
7422179503Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
7422179504PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
7422179505PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
7422179506Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
7422179507PunA play on words47
7422179508RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
7422179509RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
7422179510Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
7422179511Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
7422179512Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
7422179513SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
7422179514Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
7422179515SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
7422179516SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
7422179517SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
7422179518SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
7422179519SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
7422179520SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
7422179521TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
7422179522ThemeThe central idea62
7422179523ToneAttitude63
7422179524Understatement/LitotesWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
7422179525ZeugmaWhen 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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