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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
4433522778Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
4433522779AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
4433522780AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
4433522781AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
4433522782AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
4433522783AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
4433522784AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
4433522785AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
4433522786AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
4433522787ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
4433522788AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
4433522789AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
4433522790AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
4433522791AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
4433522792AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
4433522793ContrastOppositions15
4433522794Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
4433522795ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
4433522796Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
4433522797DictionAn author's choice of words19
4433522798DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
4433522799ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
4433522800EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
4433522801EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
4433522802EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
4433522803ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
4433522804Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
4433522805ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
4433522806HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
4433522807ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
4433522808Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
4433522809IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
4433522810JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
4433522811LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
4433522812MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
4433522813MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
4433522814MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
4433522815OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
4433522816OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
4433522817ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
4433522818ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
4433522819ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
4433522820PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
4433522821Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
4433522822PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
4433522823PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
4433522824Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
4433522825PunA play on words47
4433522826RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
4433522827RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
4433522828Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
4433522829Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
4433522830Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
4433522831SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
4433522832Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
4433522833SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
4433522834SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
4433522835SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
4433522836SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
4433522837SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
4433522838SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
4433522839TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
4433522840ThemeThe central idea62
4433522841ToneAttitude63
4433522842UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
4433522843ZeugmaWhen 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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