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AP Language and Composition Flashcards

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7163375180Alliterationthe repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables0
7163380561Allusionan indirect reference, often to another text or historical event1
7163381408Analogyan extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things2
7163383238Anaphorathe repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses3
7163385016Anecdotea short account of an interesting event4
7163385588Annotationexplanatory or critical notes added to a text5
7163387426Antecedentthe noun to which a later pronoun references6
7163388870Antimetabolethe repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast7
7163389876Antithesisparallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas8
7163391237Aphorisma short, astute statement of a general truth9
7163391850Appositivea word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun10
7163394307Archaic dictionthe use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language11
7163394654Argumenta statement put forth and supported by evidence12
7163397071Aristotelian triangle:a diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see rhetorical triangle)13
7163397507Assertionan emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument14
7163398600Assumptiona belief or statement taken for granted without proof15
7163399887Asyndetonleaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses16
7163400296Attitudethe speaker's position on a subject as revealed through his or her tone17
7163401846Audienceone's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed18
7163403206Authoritya reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge19
7163404604Biasprejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue20
7163405032Citeidentifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source21
7163406109Claiman assertion, usually supported by evidence22
7163406701Close readinga careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text23
7163407690Colloquial/isman informal or conversational use of language24
7163410668Common groundshared beliefs, values, or positions25
7163412119Complex sentencea sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause26
7163413559Concessiona reluctant acknowledgment or yielding27
7163415429Connotationthat which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation)28
7163416254Contextwords, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning29
7163419971Coordinationgrammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but30
7163420970Counterargumenta challenge to a position; an opposing argument31
7163422729Cumulative sentencean independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail32
7163424732Declarative sentencea sentence that makes a statement33
7163433102Deductionreasoning from general to specific34
7163433640Denotationthe literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition35
7163434432Dictionword choice36
7163437199Documentationbibliographic information about the sources used in a piece of writing37
7163437681Elegiacmournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone38
7163438471Epigrama brief witty statement39
7163439180Ethosa Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos)40
7163440257Figurative languagethe use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect41
7163442192Figure of speechan expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning42
7163443024Hyperboleexaggeration for the purpose of emphasis43
7163443640Imageryvivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing)44
7163445145Imperative sentencea sentence that requests or commands45
7163445573Inductionreasoning from specific to general. Inversion: A sentence in which the verb precedes the subject46
7163446964Ironya contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result47
7163448078Juxtapositionplacement of two things side by side for emphasis48
7163448708Logosa Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos)49
7163449592Metaphora figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison50
7163452370Metonymyuse of an aspect of something to represent the whole51
7163454750Occasionan aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing52
7163455465Oxymorona figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms53
7163457163Paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but is actually true54
7163457534Parallelismthe repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns55
7163458073Parodya piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule56
7163460482Pathosa Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and logos)57
7163461376Personathe speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing58
7163462538Personificationassigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects59
7163470878Polemican argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion60
7163471743Polysyndetonthe deliberate use of a series of conjunctions61
7163472658Premisemajor, minor- Two parts of a syllogism. The concluding sentence of a syllogism takes its predicate from the major premise and its subject from the minor premise. Major premise: All mammals are warm-blooded. Minor premise: All horses are mammals. Conclusion: All horses are warm-blooded (see syllogism).62
7163476959Propagandaa negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information63
7163478320Purposeone's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing64
7163478764Refuteto discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument65
7163479926Rhetoricthe study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion"66
7163482173Rhetorical modespatterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification and division, process analysis, and argumentation67
7163482895Rhetorical questiona question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer68
7163483685Rhetorical trianglea diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see Aristotelian triangle)69
7163487809Satirean ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it70
7163488498Schemea pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect71
7163489033Sentence patternsthe arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex72
7163490160Sentence varietyusing a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect73
7163490668Similea figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things74
7163491685Simple sentencea statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause75
7163492434Sourcea book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information76
7163493689Speakera term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing77
7163494455Straw mana logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position78
7163495023Stylethe distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech79
7163497870SubjectIn rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing80
7163498574Subordinate clausecreated by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause81
7163499333Subordinationthe dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence82
7163500253Syllogisma form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by a major and minor premise (see premise; major, and minor).83
7163501615Syntaxsentence structure84
7163502230Synthesizecombining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex85
7163502622Thesisthe central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer86
7163503934Thesis statementa statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit87
7163504194Tonethe speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience88
7163504698Topic sentencea sentence, most often appearing at the beginning of a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's idea and often unites it with the work's thesis89
7163507409Tropeartful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure of speech90
7163508419Understatementlack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect91
7163509923Voicein grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun (active or passive voice). In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing92
7163510485Zeugmaa construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more words in a sentence93

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