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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
13729349626Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
13729349627AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
13729349628AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
13729349629AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
13729349630AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
13729349631AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
13729349632AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
13729349633AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
13729349634AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
13729349635ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
13729349636AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
13729349637AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
13729349638AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
13729349639AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
13729349640AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
13729349641ContrastOppositions15
13729349642Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
13729349643ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
13729349644Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
13729349645DictionAn author's choice of words19
13729349646DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
13729349647ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
13729349648EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
13729349649EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
13729349650EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
13729349651ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
13729349652Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
13729349653ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
13729349654HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
13729349655ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
13729349656Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
13729349657IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
13729349658JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
13729349659LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
13729349660MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
13729349661MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
13729349662MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
13729349663OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
13729349664OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
13729349665ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
13729349666ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
13729349667ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
13729349668PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
13729349669Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
13729349670PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
13729349671PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
13729349672Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
13729349673PunA play on words47
13729349674RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
13729349675RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
13729349676Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
13729349677Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
13729349678Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
13729349679SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
13729349680Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
13729349681SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
13729349682SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
13729349683SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
13729349684SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
13729349685SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
13729349686SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
13729349687TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
13729349688ThemeThe central idea62
13729349689ToneAttitude63
13729349690UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
13729349691ZeugmaWhen 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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