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AP Language and Composition Terms Flashcards

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4816095514AlliterationThe repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables.0
4816095515AllusionAn indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event.1
4816095516Ambiguityquality of being intentionally unclear. Events or situations that are ambiguous can be interpreted in more than one way2
4816095517AnalogyAn extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things.3
4816095518Analysisthe process of examining the components of a literary work4
4816095519AnaphoraThe repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses.5
4816095520AnecdoteA short account of an interesting event.6
4816095521AnnotationExplanatory or critical notes added to a text.7
4816095522AntecedentThe noun to which a later pronoun refers.8
4816095523AntithesisParallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas.9
4816095524AphorismA short, astute statement of a general truth.10
4816095525Archaic dictionThe use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language.11
4816095526ArgumentA statement put forth and supported by evidence.12
4816095527Aristotelian triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see rhetorical triangle).13
4816095528AssertionAn emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument.14
4816095529Assonancethe repeated use of a vowel sound15
4816095530AssumptionA belief or statement taken for granted without proof.16
4816095531Asyndetonleaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses.17
4816095532AttitudeThe speaker's position on a subject as revealed through his or her tone.18
4816095533AudienceOne's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.19
4816095534AuthorityA reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge.20
4816095535Biasprejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue21
4816095536Chiasmusthe opposite of parallel construction; inverting the second of the two phrases that would otherwise be in parallel form.22
4816095537CiteIdentifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source.23
4816095538ClaimAn assertion, usually supported by evidence.24
4816095539Close readingA careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text.25
4816095540ColloquialismAn informal or conversational use of language.26
4816095541Common groundShared beliefs, values, or positions.27
4816095542ConcessionA reluctant acknowledgment or yielding.28
4816095543ConnotationThat which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation).29
4816095544Consonancethe same consonant sound in words with different vowel sounds.30
4816095545ContextWords, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.31
4816095546CounterargumentA challenge to a position; an opposing argument.32
4816095547Credibleworthy of belief; trustworthy33
4816095548DeductionReasoning from general to specific.34
4816095549DenotationThe literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition.35
4816095550DictionWord choice.36
4816095551EpigramA brief witty statement.37
4816095552EthosA Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos).38
4816095553Euphemismsubstitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh, offensive, or embarrassing. A euphemism makes something sound better than it is but is usually more wordy than the original.39
4816095554Explication of textExplanation of a text's meaning through an analysis of all of its constituent parts, including the literary devices used; also called close reading.40
4816095555Figurative languageThe use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.41
4816095556Figure of speechAn expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning.42
4816095557Flashbackinterruption of a narrative by the introduction of an earlier event or by an image of a past experience.43
4816095558Foreshadowinghints at what is to come. It is sometimes noticeable only in hindsight, but usually it is enough to set the reader wondering.44
4816095559Genrethe category into which a piece of writing can be classified—poetry, prose, drama. Each genre has its own conventions and standards.45
4816095560HyperboleExaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.46
4816095561ImageryVivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).47
4816095562InductionReasoning from specific to general48
4816095563InversionA sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.49
4816095564IronyA contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result.50
4816095565JuxtapositionPlacement of two things side by side for emphasis.51
4816095566LogosA Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos) .52
4816095567MetaphorA figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.53
4816095568MetonymyUse of an aspect of something to represent the whole.54
4816095569Modifiera word, phrase, or clause that qualifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause55
4816095570Moodfeeling or atmosphere a writer creates for a reader56
4816095571Motifa recurring subject, theme, or idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work57
4816095572NarrationRetelling an event or series of events.58
4816095573OccasionAn aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing.59
4816095574Onomatopoeiawords that imitate sounds60
4816095575OxymoronA figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.61
4816095576ParadoxA statement that seems contradictory but is actually true.62
4816095577ParallelismThe repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.63
4816095578ParodyA piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule.64
4816095579PathosA 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).65
4816095580PersonaThe speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing.66
4816095581PersonificationAssigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.67
4816095582Point of viewperspective of the speaker or narrator in a literary work68
4816095583PolysyndetonThe deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.69
4816095584Premisemajor, 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).]70
4816095585PropagandaA negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information.71
4816095586PurposeOne's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.72
4816095587RefuteTo discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument.73
4816095588Repetitiona word or phrase used more than once to emphasize an idea74
4816095589RhetoricThe study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion."75
4816095590Rhetorical 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.76
4816095591Rhetorical questionA question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer.77
4816095592Rhetorical triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see Aristotelian triangle).78
4816095593SatireAn ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it.79
4816095594SchemeA pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect.80
4816095595Sentence patternsThe arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.81
4816095596Sentence varietyUsing a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect.82
4816095597SimileA figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things.83
4816095598SourceA book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information.84
4816095599SpeakerA term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing.85
4816095600Stream of consciousnessa form of writing which replicates the way the human mind works. Ideas are presented in random order; thoughts are often unfinished.86
4816095601Structurethe particular way in which parts of a written work are combined87
4816095602StyleThe distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech.88
4816095603SubjectIn rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing.89
4816095604SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by a major and minor premise (see premise; major, and minor).90
4816095605Symbola concrete object, scene, or action which has deeper significance because it is associated with something else, often an important idea or theme in the work91
4816095606Synecdochea figure of speech where one part represents the entire object or vice versa92
4816095607SyntaxSentence structure.93
4816095608SynthesizeCombining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex.94
4816095609ToneThe speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience.95
4816095610TropeArtful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure of speech.96
4816095611UnderstatementLack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect.97
4816095612VoiceIn 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.98
4816095613ZeugmaA construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more words in a sentence.99

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