Vocabulary for AP English Language
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| 9685845913 | Allegory | Fictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts(Purpose: Convey difficult idea through an in-depth metaphorical narrative) | 0 | |
| 9685845914 | Alliteration | The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words |  | 1 |
| 9685845915 | 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 | |
| 9685845916 | Ambiguity | Uncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation(Ex: I rode a black horse in red pajamas.) | 3 | |
| 9685845917 | Analogy | The correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different(Ex: medicine : illness :: law : anarchy) | 4 | |
| 9685845957 | 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 | |
| 9685845918 | 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 | |
| 9685845958 | Antimetabole | Half of expression is balanced, other half is backwards.(Ex: "Eat to live, not live to eat." - Socrates) | 7 | |
| 9685845919 | Antithesis | An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses(Ex: Man proposes, God disposes.) | 8 | |
| 9685845920 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker(Ex: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star") | 9 | |
| 9685845921 | 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 | |
| 9685845959 | Archaic Diction | the use of words that are old-fashioned or no longer commonly used(Ex: "steed" instead of "horse" or "stallion") | 11 | |
| 9685845960 | 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 | |
| 9685845961 | Atmosphere | The emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event(Purpose: Create emotional effects) | 13 | |
| 9685845962 | Caricature | A grotesque or exaggerated likeness of striking qualities in persons and things( Purpose: Portray important political or artistic ideas) | 14 | |
| 9685845963 | 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 | |
| 9685845964 | 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 | |
| 9685845922 | Colloquial Language | Slang or common language that is informal(Ex: "That totally grossed me out.") | 17 | |
| 9685845965 | 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 | |
| 9685845923 | Connotative | The interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning(Ex: "Wall Street" = wealth and power) | 19 | |
| 9685845966 | Denotation | the literal or dictionary meaning of a word(Ex: Dog suggests an ugly face.) | 20 | |
| 9685845924 | Diction | An author's choice of words(Purpose: Create & convey a typical mood, tone and atmosphere) | 21 | |
| 9685845925 | Didactic | Writing which has the purpose of teaching or instructing(Ex: Religious texts(teach us about the reality of God)) | 22 | |
| 9685845926 | 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 | |
| 9685845967 | Exigence | An issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak(Ex: PSAs about particular health issues) | 24 | |
| 9685845968 | 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 | |
| 9685845927 | Figurative Language | All uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison(Ex: Personification) | 26 | |
| 9685845969 | Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language(Ex: Metaphor) | 27 | |
| 9685845970 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama(Ex: Non-fiction) | 28 | |
| 9685845971 | Homily | Includes any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice(Purpose: Convey moral lesson, mainly a religious one) | 29 | |
| 9685845928 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis(Ex: Your suitcase weighs a ton!) | 30 | |
| 9685845929 | 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 | |
| 9685845972 | 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 | |
| 9685845973 | Inversion | reversal of the usual or natural order of words; anastrophe(Ex: Where in the world were you?) | 33 | |
| 9685845974 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language(Ex: Chicken for coward) | 34 | |
| 9685845930 | 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 | |
| 9685845931 | Juxtaposition | When two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison(Ex: Milton's "Paradise Lost" - God(good) and Satan(bad)) | 36 | |
| 9685845975 | 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 | |
| 9685845976 | 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 | |
| 9685845932 | Metaphor | A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly(Ex: My brother was boiling mad.) | 39 | |
| 9685845933 | 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 | |
| 9685845934 | 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 | |
| 9685845977 | 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 | |
| 9685845935 | Onomatopoeia | An effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning(Ex: Moo!) | 43 | |
| 9685845936 | Oxymoron | Two contradictory words in one expression(Ex: jumbo shrimp) | 44 | |
| 9685845937 | Paradox | A seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth(Ex: "I can resist anything but temptation" - Oscar Wilde) | 45 | |
| 9685845938 | 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 | |
| 9685845939 | 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 | |
| 9685845978 | 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 | |
| 9685845940 | 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 | |
| 9685845941 | 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 | |
| 9685845942 | 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 | |
| 9685845943 | 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 | |
| 9685845979 | 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 | |
| 9685845944 | 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 | |
| 9685845945 | Rhetoric | The art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose(Ex: Ethos, Logos, Pathos) | 55 | |
| 9685845980 | Ethos | Form, Manner(Purpose: Musician starring in a dog commercial) | 56 | |
| 9685845981 | Pathos | Force, Emotion(Ex: Empathizing with a friend who lost a family member) | 57 | |
| 9685845982 | Logos | Idea, Message(Ex:Facts, Charts, Tables used to support that abortion rates correlates with crime rates) | 58 | |
| 9685845983 | 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 | |
| 9685845946 | Rhetorical Question | A question that is asked for the sake of argument(Ex: " Why not?") | 60 | |
| 9685845984 | 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 | |
| 9685845947 | Satire | To ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines(Ex: The Daily Show) | 62 | |
| 9685845985 | 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 | |
| 9685845986 | 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 | |
| 9685845987 | 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 | |
| 9685845988 | 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 | |
| 9685845989 | Imperative Sentence | Sentence that also functions as a direct command (Ex: Clear this desk by tomorrow!) | 67 | |
| 9685845948 | 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 | |
| 9685845990 | 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 | |
| 9685845991 | 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 | |
| 9685845992 | 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 | |
| 9685845949 | 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 | |
| 9685845950 | Symbol | Something that stands for something else(Ex: Dove = peace) | 73 | |
| 9685845993 | Synedoche | a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole(Ex: "gray beard" = old man) | 74 | |
| 9685845994 | Synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color," "a sweet sound") | 75 | |
| 9685845951 | Syntax | The way words are arranged in a sentence(Ex: "I cannot go out." vs. "Go out I cannot.") | 76 | |
| 9685845952 | Theme | The central idea(Ex: love and friendship in "Pride and Prejudice") | 77 | |
| 9685845995 | 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 | |
| 9685845996 | 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 | |
| 9685845953 | Tone | Attitude(Purpose: Decide how readers should read a literary piece and how they should feel while reading it) | 80 | |
| 9685845954 | 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 | |
| 9685845997 | 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 | |
| 9685845955 | 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 | |
| 9685845998 | pedantic | scholarly tone | 84 | |
| 9685845999 | bombast | overly rhetoric (pompous) tone | 85 | |
| 9685846000 | synecdoche | metonymy, a part is used to signify a whole | 86 | |
| 9685846001 | aphorism | concise, pithy statement of an opinion/general truth | 87 | |
| 9685846002 | melepropism | unintentional use of a word that resembles the word intended but that has a different meaning | 88 | |
| 9685846003 | euphemism | word that are used to avoid employing an unpleasant/offensive term | 89 | |
| 9685846004 | ad hominem | "to the man" - fallacious argument that critizies an idea by pointing something out about a person rather than the directly addressing the actual merit of the idea | 90 | |
| 9685846005 | non sequitur | "it doesn't follow" statement that does not logically relate to what comes before it | 91 | |
| 9685846006 | false dichotomy | consideration of the two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities | 92 | |
| 9685846007 | apposition | a relationship between two or more words or phrases in which the two units are grammatically parallel and have the same referent | 93 | |
| 9685846008 | inductive vs deductive reasoning | inductive reasoning moves from specific instances into a generalized conclusion deductive reasoning moves from generalized principles that are known to be true to a true and specific conclusion | 94 | |
| 9685846009 | paradox | a statement that, despite apparently sound reasoning from true premises, leads to an apparently self-contradictory or logically unacceptable conclusion. | 95 | |
| 9685846010 | acerbic tone | sharp and forthright | 96 | |
| 9685846011 | vituperative tone | bitter and abusive | 97 | |
| 9685846012 | allegory | a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. | 98 | |
| 9685846013 | linguistic paradox | statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow. Fancy that. Everyday examples include, "Nobody goes to the restaurant because it's too crowded." | 99 | |
| 9685846014 | subversive | a trouble maker, seeking or intended to subvert an established system or institution. | 100 | |
| 9685846015 | periodic sentences | has the main clause or predicate at the end. | 101 | |
| 9685846016 | emphatic | showing or giving emphasis | 102 | |
| 9685846017 | erudite | having or showing great knowledge or learning. | 103 | |
| 9685846018 | epithets | an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. | 104 | |
| 9685846019 | induction | trying to convince through conclusions, attempt to convince the reader of the truth or falsity of some proposal or thesis. | 105 | |
| 9685846020 | exposition | comprehensive description | 106 | |
| 9685846021 | cogent | clear and logical | 107 | |
| 9685846022 | sardonic | grimly mocking or cynical. | 108 | |
| 9685846023 | lyrical | expressing the writer's emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way. | 109 | |
| 9685846024 | aphorisms | a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.". | 110 | |
| 9685846025 | syllogistic reasoning | is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. | 111 | |
| 9685846026 | panegyric | a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something. | 112 | |
| 9685846027 | propitious | giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable. | 113 | |
| 9685846028 | pernicious | having a harmful effect | 114 | |
| 9685846029 | ludic | showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness. | 115 | |
| 9685846030 | terse | sparing in the use of words; abrupt. | 116 | |
| 9685846031 | edifying | providing moral or intellectual instruction. | 117 | |
| 9685846032 | syntax | ordering of words in a sentence , describes sentence structure | 118 | |
| 9685846033 | diction | word choice | 119 | |
| 9685846034 | nihilistic | refers to a belief in nothing | 120 | |
| 9685846035 | rhetoric | methods of persuasion | 121 | |
| 9685846036 | classical appeals | logos, ethos, pathos | 122 | |
| 9685846037 | hyperbole | extreme exaggeration | 123 | |
| 9685846038 | extended metaphor | metaphor that lasts more than one sentence/phrase | 124 | |
| 9685846039 | paradox | contains two elements which cannot both be true at the same time | 125 | |
| 9685846040 | malapropism | unintentional use of a word that resembles the world intended but has a different meaning | 126 | |
| 9685846041 | circumlocution | talking around a subject | 127 | |
| 9685846042 | euphemisms | a word or words that are used to avoid employing an unpleasant or offensive term | 128 | |
| 9685846043 | fallacy | a strictly defined as guile or trickery or a false mistaken idea | 129 | |
| 9685846044 | argument from authority | tempts us to agree with the writer's assumption based on the authority of a famous person/character | 130 | |
| 9685846045 | appeal to ignorance | based on the assumption that whatever has not been proven false must be true | 131 | |
| 9685846046 | begging the question | someone assumes that parts or all of what a person claims to be true | 132 | |
| 9685846047 | hasty generalization | conclusion by providing insufficient evidence | 133 | |
| 9685846048 | false dichotomu | a consideration of only the two extremes with out considering intermediate possibilites | 134 | |
| 9685846049 | slippery slope | argument suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes | 135 | |
| 9685846050 | faulty causality | refers to the unintentional setting up of a cause-and-effect relationship when none exists | 136 | |
| 9685846051 | straw man argument | an oversimplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack | 137 | |
| 9685846052 | sentimental appeals | attempts to appeal to the hearts of a reader | 138 | |
| 9685846053 | red herring | attempts to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing an issue that has no logical connection to the discussion at hand | 139 | |
| 9685846054 | scare tactic | used to frighten readers into agreeing with the speaker, backed by no logic | 140 | |
| 9685846055 | Bandwagon appeals | "peer pressure" , encourages the listeners to agree with the position bcs everyone else does | 141 | |
| 9685846056 | dogmatism | does not allow for discussion because the speaker presumes that his or her beliefs are beyond question "im correct because I am correct" | 142 | |
| 9685846057 | equivocation | telling part of the truth, while deliberately hiding the entire truth typically | 143 | |
| 9685846058 | faulty analogy | illogical, misleading comparison btw. 2 things | 144 | |
| 9685846059 | illustration | using specific examples to illustrate an idea | 145 | |
| 9685846060 | classification | diving up content of essay into groups according to specific characteristics - make sure you have thesis | 146 | |
| 9685846061 | analogy | used to explain things that are difficult to understand by comparing them with easier things that are easier to understand | 147 | |
| 9685846062 | Process Analysis | rhetorical mode used to explain either how to do something or how something was done (first, second, third, ...) | 148 | |
| 9685846063 | Cause and effect | rhetorical mode used for explaining why things should be done or should have been done | 149 | |
| 9685846064 | definition | rhetorical mode used by putting a term into a category | 150 | |
| 9685846065 | description rhetorical mode | can make writing lively, communicate a scene, a specific place, etc. | 151 | |
| 9685846066 | Narration rhetorical mode | a story in which pieces of info are arranged in chronological order | 152 | |
| 9685846067 | Induction rhetorical mode | a process in which specific examples are used to reach a general conclusion | 153 | |
| 9685846068 | deduction rhetorical mode | involves the use of a generalization to draw a conclusion about a specific case | 154 |
