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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
6620789001Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6620789002AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6620789003AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6620789004AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6620789005AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6620789006AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6620789007AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6620789008AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6620789009AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6620789010ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
6620789011AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6620789012AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6620789013AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6620789014AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6620789015AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6620789016ContrastOppositions15
6620789017Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6620789018ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6620789019Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6620789020DictionAn author's choice of words19
6620789021DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6620789022ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6620789023EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6620789024EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
6620789025EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6620789026ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6620789027Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6620789028ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6620789029HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6620789030ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6620789031Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6620789032IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6620789033JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6620789034LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6620789035MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6620789036MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6620789037MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6620789038OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6620789039OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6620789040ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6620789041ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6620789042ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6620789043PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6620789044Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6620789045PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6620789046PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6620789047Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6620789048PunA play on words47
6620789049RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6620789050RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6620789051Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6620789052Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6620789053Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6620789054SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6620789055Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6620789056SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6620789057SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6620789058SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
6620789059SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6620789060SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6620789061SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6620789062TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6620789063ThemeThe central idea62
6620789064ToneAttitude63
6620789065UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6620789066ZeugmaWhen 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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