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AP Language and Composition Terms Flashcards

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4825238638AlliterationThe repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables.0
4825238639AllusionAn indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event.1
4825238641AnalogyAn extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things.2
4825238643AnaphoraThe repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses.3
4825238644AnecdoteA short account of an interesting event.4
4825238645AnnotationExplanatory or critical notes added to a text.5
4825238646AntecedentThe noun to which a later pronoun refers.6
4825238647AntithesisParallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas.7
4825238648AphorismA short, astute statement of a general truth.8
4825238649Archaic dictionThe use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language.9
4825238650ArgumentA statement put forth and supported by evidence.10
4825238651Aristotelian triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see rhetorical triangle).11
4825238652AssertionAn emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument.12
4825238654AssumptionA belief or statement taken for granted without proof.13
4825238655Asyndetonleaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses.14
4825238656AttitudeThe speaker's position on a subject as revealed through his or her tone.15
4825238657AudienceOne's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.16
4825238658AuthorityA reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge.17
4825238659Biasprejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue18
4825238661CiteIdentifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source.19
4825238662ClaimAn assertion, usually supported by evidence.20
4825238663Close readingA careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text.21
4825238664ColloquialismAn informal or conversational use of language.22
4825238665Common groundShared beliefs, values, or positions.23
4825238666ConcessionA reluctant acknowledgment or yielding.24
4825238667ConnotationThat which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation).25
4825238669ContextWords, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.26
4825238670CounterargumentA challenge to a position; an opposing argument.27
4825238672DeductionReasoning from general to specific.28
4825238673DenotationThe literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition.29
4825238674DictionWord choice.30
4825238675EpigramA brief witty statement.31
4825238676EthosA Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos).32
4825238679Figurative languageThe use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.33
4825238680Figure of speechAn expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning.34
4825238684HyperboleExaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.35
4825238685ImageryVivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).36
4825238686InductionReasoning from specific to general37
4825238687InversionA sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.38
4825238688IronyA contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result.39
4825238689JuxtapositionPlacement of two things side by side for emphasis.40
4825238690LogosA Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos) .41
4825238691MetaphorA figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.42
4825238692MetonymyUse of an aspect of something to represent the whole.43
4825238697OccasionAn aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing.44
4825238699OxymoronA figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.45
4825238700ParadoxA statement that seems contradictory but is actually true.46
4825238701ParallelismThe repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.47
4825238702ParodyA piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule.48
4825238703PathosA 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).49
4825238704PersonaThe speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing.50
4825238705PersonificationAssigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.51
4825238707PolysyndetonThe deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.52
4825238708Premisemajor, 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).]53
4825238709PropagandaA negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information.54
4825238710PurposeOne's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.55
4825238711RefuteTo discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument.56
4825238713RhetoricThe study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion."57
4825238714Rhetorical 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 argumentation.58
4825238715Rhetorical questionA question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer.59
4825238716Rhetorical triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see Aristotelian triangle).60
4825238717SatireAn ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it.61
4825238718SchemeA pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect.62
4825238719Sentence patternsThe arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.63
4825238720Sentence varietyUsing a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect.64
4825238721SimileA figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things.65
4825238722SourceA book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information.66
4825238723SpeakerA term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing.67
4825238726StyleThe distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech.68
4825238727SubjectIn rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing.69
4825238728SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by a major and minor premise (see premise; major, and minor).70
4825238731SyntaxSentence structure.71
4825238732SynthesizeCombining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex.72
4825238733ToneThe speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience.73
4825238734TropeArtful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure of speech.74
4825238735UnderstatementLack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect.75
4825238736VoiceIn 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 writing.76
4825238737ZeugmaA construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more words in a sentence.77
4826629973AntimetaboleThe repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast.78
4826632437Complex sentenceA sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.79
4826634622CoordinationGrammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as "and", or "but."80
4826636801Cumulative sentenceAn independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail.81
4826638815Declarative sentenceA sentence that makes a statement.82
4826640829DocumentationBibliographic information about the sources used in a piece of writing.83
4826642755ElegiacMournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone.84
4826644717Imperative sentenceA sentence that requests or commands.85
4826648039PolemicAn argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion.86
4826650110Simple sentenceA statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause.87
4826651856Straw manA logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position.88
4826653553Subordinate clauseCreated by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause.89
4826655226SubordinationThe dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence.90
4826657300ThesisThe central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer.91
4826661056Thesis statementA statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit.92

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