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ap lang lit terms and fallacies

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91897869allegoryan extended metaphor with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning
91897870alliterationuse of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
91897871allusiona reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
91897872ambiguitycan be interpreted in more than way; vague
91897873colloquialismspoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
91897874conceitAn elaborate or unusual comparison--especially one using unlikely metaphors, simile, hyperbole, and contradiction.
91897875connotationThe extra tinge or taint of meaning each word carries beyond the minimal, strict definition found in a dictionary.
91897876consonanceA special type of alliteration in which the repeated pattern of consonants is marked by changes in the intervening vowels Ex: rider, reader, raider, and ruder
91897877denotationThe minimal, strict definition of a word as found in a dictionary, disregarding any historical or emotional connotation.
91897878ellipsisthe artful omission of a word implied by a previous clause
91897879epiphanythe sudden flare into revelation of an ordinary object or scene
91897880euphemisman inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive
91897881hyperboleextravagant exaggeration
91897882imagerylanguage that appeals to the senses
91897883ironyincongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
91897884litotesunderstatement with negation Ex.) Einstein is not a bad mathematician
91897885loose sentencewith subject and verb of the sentence in the beginning
91897886metaphora figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity
91897887metonymyUsing a vaguely suggestive, physical object to embody a more general idea
91897888moodverb inflections that express how the action or state is conceived by the speaker
91897889motifa unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work
91897890onomatopoeiausing words that imitate the sound they denote
91897891overstatementan exaggeration meant to stress emphasis
91897892oxymoronconjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')
91897893paradoxa statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
91897894parenthesisa message that departs from the main subject
91897895periodic sentencelong gap between subject and verb or both at the end of a sentence
91897896personaAn external representation of oneself which might or might not accurately reflect one's inner self, or an external representation of oneself that might be largely accurate, but involves exaggerating certain characteristics and minimizing others
91897897personificationrepresenting an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature
91897898satirelanguage or writing that exposes follies or abuses by holding them up to ridicule
91897899similea figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as')
91897900symbolismA device in literature where an object represents an idea.
91897901synecdocheA rhetorical trope involving a part of an object representing the whole, or the whole of an object representing a part.
91897902toneThe means of creating a relationship or conveying an attitude or mood.
91897903understatementa statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
91897904zeugmause of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one
91897905anachronismPlacing an event, person, item, or verbal expression in the wrong historical period
91897906anadiplosisRepeating the last word of a clause at the beginning of the next clause
91897907antimetaboleA rhetorical scheme involving repetition in reverse order: "One should eat to live, not live to eat."
91897908antithesisUsing opposite phrases in close conjunction. Examples might be, "I burn and I freeze,"
91897909aphorisma concise statement of a truth or principle
91897910appositiona grammatical relation between a word and a noun phrase that follows
91897911asyndetona construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
91897912chiasmusA literary scheme in which the author introduces words or concepts in a particular order, then later repeats those terms or similar ones in reversed or backwards order
91897913climaxartistic arrangement of a list of items so that they appear in a sequence of increasing importance
91897914concessionto give into certain aspects of the opposing view but not letting it detract from your overall argument
91897915counterargumentan argument offered in opposition to another argument
91897916deductive reasoningreasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)
91897917epanalepsisrepetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurs at the beginning of the clause; tends to make the sentence or clause in which it occurs stand apart from its surroundings (Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted)
91897918epistropheending of successive clauses with the same word
91897919ethosto appear as an authority, or appeal to the empathy of the audience
91897920inductive reasoningreasoning from detailed facts to general principles
91897921logosappeal to logic
91897922pathosappeal to emotions
91897923polysyndetonUsing many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
91897924rhetorical questiona statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered
91897925tricolon crescendoThe repetition of a parallel grammatical construction three times for rhetorical effect. See discussion under parallelism
91897926assonancerepetition of similar vowels sounds
91897927anaphorarepetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
91897928anastropheputting words grammatically out of order for emphasis
91897929Ad hominemlogical fallacy: to attack the individual's characteristics rather than the argument
91897930ad populiumfallacy: arguing something is true because it is popular or widespread
91897931begging the questionfallacy: when one assume the people are in agreement with a specific point when they aren't
91897932appeal to traditionfallacy: this is right because we've always done it this way
91897933circular reasoningfallacy: trying to prove something using reasons too similar to original argument
91897934either/or reasoningfallacy: failing to acknowledge as more than two sided
91897935hasty generalizationsmaking assumptions after limited experience
91897936non sequitur conclusiona conclusion that does not follow established patterns or order
91897937pedantrya display of narrow or trivial and arbitrary adherence to details
91897938post hoc ergo propter hocassuming that an incident that precedes another is the cause of the second incident
91897939faulty authoritypeople who appear to be but are not actually qualified to contribute an opinion
91897940false analogyanalogy that does not accurately represent the object being described
91897941straw mannot going after the argument but going after somethign similar
91897942Slippery SlopeA fallacy that assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented
91897943Ignoring the questionWhen a speaker attempts to divert the attention of the audience away from the matter at hand.
91897944two wrongs do not make a righta fallacy that assumes if the opposition has made a mistake ones own mistakes are deemed acceptable
91897945propagandainformation that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause
93126378juxtapositionthe act of positioning two ideas close together (or side by side) ex.a peaceful song about love in a battle scene

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