Vocabulary for AP English Language
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| 10412330043 | Allegory | Fictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts(Purpose: Convey difficult idea through an in-depth metaphorical narrative) | 0 | |
| 10412330044 | Alliteration | The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words |  | 1 |
| 10412330045 | Allusion | A reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person(Ex: Aslan in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" represents Christ) | 2 | |
| 10412330046 | Ambiguity | Uncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation(Ex: I rode a black horse in red pajamas.) | 3 | |
| 10412330047 | Analogy | The correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different(Ex: medicine : illness :: law : anarchy) | 4 | |
| 10412330086 | Anaphora | repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row(Ex: "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings [. . .]This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,") from Act 2 Scene 1 of "Richard II" | 5 | |
| 10412330048 | Antecedent | Every pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun(Ex: The weather is great today; let's make the most of it by going to the beach.) | 6 | |
| 10412330087 | Antimetabole | Half of expression is balanced, other half is backwards.(Ex: "Eat to live, not live to eat." - Socrates) | 7 | |
| 10412330049 | Antithesis | An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses(Ex: Man proposes, God disposes.) | 8 | |
| 10412330050 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker(Ex: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star") | 9 | |
| 10412330051 | Appositive | A word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity(Purpose(s): Provide essential or non-essential information, Gives meanings to sentences in different texts, etc) | 10 | |
| 10412330088 | Archaic Diction | the use of words that are old-fashioned or no longer commonly used(Ex: "steed" instead of "horse" or "stallion") | 11 | |
| 10412330089 | Asyndeton/ Polysyndeton | Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z.(Ex: "Without looking, without making a sound, without talking" from Sophecles' "Oedipus at Colonus") | 12 | |
| 10412330090 | Atmosphere | The emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event(Purpose: Create emotional effects) | 13 | |
| 10412330091 | Caricature | A grotesque or exaggerated likeness of striking qualities in persons and things( Purpose: Portray important political or artistic ideas) | 14 | |
| 10412330092 | Clause | A structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate(Ex: Ghost stories are a lot of fun, if you tell them late at night with the lights off.) | 15 | |
| 10412330093 | Chiasmus | Arrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern of X Y Y X. It is often short and summarizes a main idea(Ex: "Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.") | 16 | |
| 10412330052 | Colloquial Language | Slang or common language that is informal(Ex: "That totally grossed me out.") | 17 | |
| 10412330094 | Conceit | A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language(Ex: "Love is like an oil change.") | 18 | |
| 10412330053 | Connotative | The interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning(Ex: "Wall Street" = wealth and power) | 19 | |
| 10412330095 | Denotation | the literal or dictionary meaning of a word(Ex: Dog suggests an ugly face.) | 20 | |
| 10412330054 | Diction | An author's choice of words(Purpose: Create & convey a typical mood, tone and atmosphere) | 21 | |
| 10412330055 | Didactic | Writing which has the purpose of teaching or instructing(Ex: Religious texts(teach us about the reality of God)) | 22 | |
| 10412330056 | Euphemism | A mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea(Ex: Correctional facility instead of jail) | 23 | |
| 10412330096 | Exigence | An issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak(Ex: PSAs about particular health issues) | 24 | |
| 10412330097 | Extended Metaphor | A series of comparisons between two unlike objects(Ex: Bobby Holloway says my imagination is a three-hundred-ring circus. Currently I was in ring two hundred and ninety-nine, with elephants dancing and clowns cart wheeling and tigers leaping through rings of fire. The time had come to step back, leave the main tent, go buy some popcorn and a Coke, bliss out, cool down." (Dean Koontz, Seize the Night. Bantam, 1999)) | 25 | |
| 10412330057 | Figurative Language | All uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison(Ex: Personification) | 26 | |
| 10412330098 | Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language(Ex: Metaphor) | 27 | |
| 10412330099 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama(Ex: Non-fiction) | 28 | |
| 10412330100 | Homily | Includes any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice(Purpose: Convey moral lesson, mainly a religious one) | 29 | |
| 10412330058 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis(Ex: Your suitcase weighs a ton!) | 30 | |
| 10412330059 | Imagery | A mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations(Purpose: Generate a vibrant presentation of a scene that appeals to as many of the reader's senses as possible) | 31 | |
| 10412330101 | Inference | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented(Ex: Norman sees cookie crumbs on the floor and chocolate around his son's mouth. Norman infers that his son must have eaten some cookies from the cookie jar.) | 32 | |
| 10412330102 | Inversion | reversal of the usual or natural order of words; anastrophe(Ex: Where in the world were you?) | 33 | |
| 10412330103 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language(Ex: Chicken for coward) | 34 | |
| 10412330060 | Irony | When a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected(Ex: The name of Britain's biggest dog was "Tiny".) | 35 | |
| 10412330061 | Juxtaposition | When two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison(Ex: Milton's "Paradise Lost" - God(good) and Satan(bad)) | 36 | |
| 10412330104 | Litotes | A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity(Ex: New York is not an ordinary city.) | 37 | |
| 10412330105 | Non-periodic sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses(Ex: I went to the movies yesterday, bought candy, and shopped at the mall.) | 38 | |
| 10412330062 | Metaphor | A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly(Ex: My brother was boiling mad.) | 39 | |
| 10412330063 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it(Ex: Let me give you a hand; hand means help) | 40 | |
| 10412330064 | Mood | The prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event(Purpose: Evoke various emotional responses in readers and ensure their emotional attachment as they read the book) | 41 | |
| 10412330106 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events(Purpose: Gain a deep insight of culture and develop some sort of understanding towards it) | 42 | |
| 10412330065 | Onomatopoeia | An effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning(Ex: Moo!) | 43 | |
| 10412330066 | Oxymoron | Two contradictory words in one expression(Ex: jumbo shrimp) | 44 | |
| 10412330067 | Paradox | A seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth(Ex: "I can resist anything but temptation" - Oscar Wilde) | 45 | |
| 10412330068 | Parallelism | A literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures(Ex: John likes to play tennis, bake cake, and read books.) | 46 | |
| 10412330069 | Parody | An effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work(Ex: SNL) | 47 | |
| 10412330107 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish(Purpose: Teach something in a complicated manner) | 48 | |
| 10412330070 | Periodic Sentence | Presents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis(Ex: Unable to join the others at the dance because of my sprained ankle, I went to a movie.) | 49 | |
| 10412330071 | Persona | The character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text(Purpose: Express ideas due to some restrictions, such as no talking) | 50 | |
| 10412330072 | Personification | A figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities(Ex: The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.) | 51 | |
| 10412330073 | Point of View | The particular perspective from which a story is told(Ex: 1st person - " I tell myself to focus while I am reading a book.") | 52 | |
| 10412330108 | Prose | One of the major divisions of genre; refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms, because they are written in ordinary language and most closely resemble everyday speech(Ex: "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." 1984 - George Orwell) | 53 | |
| 10412330074 | Repetition | The reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis(Ex: "Because I do not hope to turn again Because I do not hope Because I do not hope to turn..." - "Ash Wednesday") | 54 | |
| 10412330075 | Rhetoric | The art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose(Ex: Ethos, Logos, Pathos) | 55 | |
| 10412330109 | Ethos | Form, Manner(Purpose: Musician starring in a dog commercial) | 56 | |
| 10412330110 | Pathos | Force, Emotion(Ex: Empathizing with a friend who lost a family member) | 57 | |
| 10412330111 | Logos | Idea, Message(Ex:Facts, Charts, Tables used to support that abortion rates correlates with crime rates) | 58 | |
| 10412330112 | Rhetorical Modes(exposition, argumentation, description, narration) | The flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing(Ex: Journal entry = description) | 59 | |
| 10412330076 | Rhetorical Question | A question that is asked for the sake of argument(Ex: " Why not?") | 60 | |
| 10412330113 | Sarcasm | Use of bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device(Ex: " Friends, countrymen, lend me your ears." - Julius Caesar) | 61 | |
| 10412330077 | Satire | To ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines(Ex: The Daily Show) | 62 | |
| 10412330114 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies that meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another(Ex: A water pill at first glance could be a pill with water in it; but, it is understood to be a diuretic that causes a person to lose water from his body.) | 63 | |
| 10412330115 | Periodic Sentence | Sentence with main clause or predicate at the end(Ex: In opening minds, instilling values, and creating opportunities, education has no equal.) | 64 | |
| 10412330116 | Cumulative Sentence | Sentence with an independent clause elaborated by modifying clauses or phrases(Ex: "I write this at a wide desk in a pine shed as I always do these recent years, in this life I pray will last, while the summer sun closes the sky to Orion and to all the other winter stars over my roof." (Annie Dillard, An American Childhood, 1987)) | 65 | |
| 10412330117 | Hortative Sentence | Sentence urging to some conduct or course of action(Ex: Before Tom Daley is about to dive into the pool, his coach may say, "All of your training and hard work will pay off; you will be great.") | 66 | |
| 10412330118 | Imperative Sentence | Sentence that also functions as a direct command (Ex: Clear this desk by tomorrow!) | 67 | |
| 10412330078 | Simile | A commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"(Ex: Jake is as slow as a turtle.) | 68 | |
| 10412330119 | Style | An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices(Purpose: Create a certain impact on the readers based on one's style) | 69 | |
| 10412330120 | Subject Complement(predicate nominative and predicate adjective) | The word that follows a linking verb and completes the subject by renaming or describing it(Ex: Brandon is a great player.) | 70 | |
| 10412330121 | Subordinate Clause | Like all clauses, it contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, the subordinate clause depends on a main clause (or independent clause) to complete its meaning(Ex: After John played tennis) | 71 | |
| 10412330079 | Syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion(Ex: "All dogs are canine. Tommy is a dog. Therefore, Tommy is a canine.") | 72 | |
| 10412330080 | Symbol | Something that stands for something else(Ex: Dove = peace) | 73 | |
| 10412330122 | Synedoche | a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole(Ex: "gray beard" = old man) | 74 | |
| 10412330123 | Synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color," "a sweet sound") | 75 | |
| 10412330081 | Syntax | The way words are arranged in a sentence(Ex: "I cannot go out." vs. "Go out I cannot.") | 76 | |
| 10412330082 | Theme | The central idea(Ex: love and friendship in "Pride and Prejudice") | 77 | |
| 10412330124 | Thesis | The sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition(Purpose: To inform audience about main idea) | 78 | |
| 10412330125 | Trope vs Schemes | The use of a word, phrase, or image in a way not intended by its normal signification; A change in standard word order or pattern(Ex(scheme): "I have a Dream" speech) | 79 | |
| 10412330083 | Tone | Attitude(Purpose: Decide how readers should read a literary piece and how they should feel while reading it) | 80 | |
| 10412330084 | Understatement | When an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves(Ex: " He is not too thin" when describing an obese person) | 81 | |
| 10412330126 | Wit | In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. Usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement(Ex: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) | 82 | |
| 10412330085 | Zeugma | When a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them(Ex: "The farmers in the valley grew potatoes, peanuts, and bored." - Wunderland) | 83 | |
| 10413686984 | Active Voice | The subject of the sentence performs the action | 84 | |
| 10413691187 | Alter-Ego | A character that is used by the author to speak the author's own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character. | 85 | |
| 10413693401 | anecdote | A brief recounting of a relevant episode. | 86 | |
| 10413699476 | anticedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 87 | |
| 10413702481 | Classicism | Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures. | 88 | |
| 10413706368 | colloquial | Ordinary or familiar type of conversation | 89 | |
| 10413704505 | comic relief | When a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat. | 90 | |
| 10413708854 | Connotation | Rather than the dictionary definition, the associations associated by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning or denotation. | 91 | |
| 10413710076 | Jargon | special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand. | 92 | |
| 10413711676 | Vernacular | 1. Language or dialect of a particular country. 2. Language or dialect of a regional clan or group. 3. Plain everyday speech | 93 | |
| 10413713245 | didactic | A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. | 94 | |
| 10413716798 | Adage | A folk saying with a lesson. "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Similar to aphorism and colloquialism. | 95 | |
| 10413728811 | Aphorisms | a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation | 96 | |
| 10413739881 | Elipisis | deliberate omission of a word or words that are readily impled by the context | 97 | |
| 10413740587 | Syndcdoche | A kind of metonemy when a whole is discribed by naming one of its parts | 98 | |
| 10413748761 | Synethesia | A discription involving a crossing of sences | 99 | |
| 10413752493 | Verbal irony | A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant | 100 | |
| 10413753540 | dramatic irony | when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't | 101 | |
| 10413754502 | situational irony | An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected | 102 | |
| 10413757806 | Motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea | 103 | |
| 10413760028 | Pacing | the relative speed or slowness with which a story is told or an idea is presented | 104 | |
| 10413762598 | Zeugma/Syllepsis | When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies. | 105 | |
| 10413765430 | Parethetical idea | Parenthesis are used to set off and idea from the sentence | 106 | |
| 10413770656 | slant rhyme | rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss"); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, or partial rhyme | 107 | |
| 10413771071 | End rhyme | When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme | 108 | |
| 10413776128 | rhyme scheme | A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem | 109 | |
| 10413778266 | Stressed and unstressed syllables | In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllable(s). In the name "Nathan," the first syllable is stressed. In the word "unhappiness," the second of the four syllables is stressed. | 110 | |
| 10413779075 | Meter | A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry | 111 | |
| 10413779439 | iambic pentameter | Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. | 112 | |
| 10413782063 | Free verse | Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme | 113 | |
| 10413782738 | Sonnet | 14 line poem | 114 | |
| 10413783376 | Polysyndeton | When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions | 115 | |
| 10413785880 | Pun | When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way. | 116 | |
| 10413799010 | Sentence | A group of words that expresses a complete thought | 117 | |
| 10413801335 | Romanticism | Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature. | 118 | |
| 10413808065 | Appsotive | A word or group of words place next to a noun or a noun substitute to suppliment its meaning | 119 | |
| 10413815521 | balanced sentence | a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast | 120 | |
| 10413823511 | compound sentence | a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions | 121 | |
| 10413824975 | complex sentence | A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause | 122 | |
| 10413828481 | cumulative sentence | sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on | 123 |
