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Ap Language and Composition Vocab

20 vocab words for quiz on friday

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200961177Abstractrefers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images ( ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places). The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language.
200961178Ad HominemIn an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man."
200961179Allegoryan extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric. Examples: John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Temptations of Christians) , Orwell's Animal Farm (Russian Revolution), and Arthur Miller's Crucible ("Red Scare")
200961180Alliterationrepetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to one another: Mickey Mouse; Donald Duck; Daffy Duck; Suzy Sells Seashells ...
200961181Allusiona reference to a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, history, etc. Example: Eden, Scrooge, Prodigal Son, Catch-22, Judas, Don Quixote, Mother Theresa
200961182AnalogyComparison of two similar but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship, such as comparing the work of a heart to that of a pump. An analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case. Ex: Shells were to ancient cultures as dollar bills are to modern American culture. Ex: Running a business is like managing an orchestra. Ex: The heart is like a pump.
200961183AnaphoraRepetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. Ex: "There was the delight I caught in seeing long straight rows. There was the faint, cool kiss of sensuality. There was the vague sense of the infinite...." Ex: "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. " Churchill.
200961184Anecdotea short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point.
200961185AnnotationExplanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data.
200961186Antithesisthe presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. Examples: "To be or not to be..." Shakespeare's Hamlet "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country...." Kennedy "The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Lincoln
200961187Aphorisma short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life. Examples: "Early bird gets the worm." "What goes around, comes around.." "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
200961188Apostropheusually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction Ex: "For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him." Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
200961189Argumentationwriting that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation
200961190Assonancerepetition of vowel sounds between different consonants, such as in neigh/fade,
200961191AsyndetonCommas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. Asyndeton takes the form of X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z. Ex: "Be one of the few, the proud, the Marines." Marine Corps Ex: "We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." John F. Kennedy
200961192Cacophonyharsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.
200961193Caricaturedescriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person's appearance or a facet of personality.
200961194Colloquialisma word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y'all, ain't)
200961195Coherencequality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle
200961196Concrete LanguageLanguage that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.
200961197Connotationimplied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the reader's mind.
200961198Consonancerepetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong
200961199Conundruma riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem
203091494Deductionthe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
203091495Denotationliteral meaning of a word as defined
203091496Descriptionthe picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse
203091497Dictionword choice, an element of style; it creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic ______ would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.
203091498Didacticwriting whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. The work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. This type of writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
203091499Discoursespoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of ____________ are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion.
203091500Dissonanceharsh or grating sounds that do not go together Dramatic Irony
203091501Dramatic IronyWhen the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character's perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.
203091502Emotional AppealWhen a writer appeals to readers' emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument.
203091503Epigraphthe use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two quotations. One of them is "You are all a lost generation" by Gertrude Stein.
203091504Ethical AppealWhen a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in this type of appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience's confidence. (Ethos)
203091505Euphemisma more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a common saying for "he died." These are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses "collateral damage" to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.
203091506Euphonya succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony
203091507ExampleAn individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing through this process is considered reliable if _______________ are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant.
203091508ExplicationThe art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. It usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language
203091509Expositionthe immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse
203091510Extended Metaphora sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. The extended metaphor is developed throughout a piece of writing
203091511False AnalogyWhen two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them.
203091512Figurative Languagelanguage that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal.
203091513Figures of Speechexpressions, such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations.
209983650Foreshadowingthe use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs late in the work
209983651Freight-TrainSentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.
209983652GeneralizationWhen a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some.
209983653Genrea type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres
209983654Hubristhe excessive pride of ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings of impending doom, eventually causing his or her downfall.
209983655Humoranything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor meant a person's temperament
209983656Hyperboledeliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis (Example: He was so hungry he could have eaten a horse.)
209983657ImageA word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense. An image is always a concrete representation.
209983658Imagerywords or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in order to create a mental picture
209983659Inductionthe process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization
209983660Inferencea conclusion one can draw from the presented details
209983661Interior Monologuewriting that records the conversation that occurs inside a character's head
209983662Invectivea verbally abusive attack
209983663Inversionreversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase; it is used effectively in many cases, such as posing a question: "Are you going to the store?" Usually, the element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject.
209983664Ironya situation or statement in which the actual outcome or meaning is opposite to what was expected.
209983665JargonThe special language of a profession or group. The term usually has pejorative associations, with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders. The writings of the lawyer and the literary critic are both susceptible to jargon.
209983666Logicalthe process of reasoning
209983667Logical Fallacya mistake in reasoning
209983668LyricalSonglike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.
209983669Metaphora figure of speech in which one thing is referred to as another; for example, "my love is a fragile flower"

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