Terms : Hide Images
| 10732843817 | Cumulative (Loose) Sentence | begins with a main clause that is followed by phrases and/or clauses that modify the main clause. These phrases or clauses add information to the main or independent clause. Ex.) He might consider paying the higher fees at a private university, if the teacher/ student ratio is small, if the teachers are highly qualified, and if the job placement rate is high. | 0 | |
| 10732843818 | Periodic Sentence | a sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense. Ex.) Unable to join the others at the dance because of my sprained ankle, I went to a movie. |  | 1 |
| 10732843821 | Ethos | an appeal to ethics and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. | 2 | |
| 10732843822 | Pathos | an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response. | 3 | |
| 10732843823 | Logos | an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. | 4 | |
| 10732843834 | Simile | a figure of speech used to explain or clarify an idea by comparing it explicitly to something else, using words like, as, or as though. Ex.) Zoos are pretty, contained, and accessible...Sort of like a biological Crabtree & Evelyn basket selected with you in mind. |  | 5 |
| 10732843835 | Metaphor | figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as. Ex.) And if a beachhead of a cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion. | 6 | |
| 10732843836 | Anaphora | the intentional repetition of beginning clauses in order to create an artistic effect. Ex.) We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on the end. We shall fight in France. We shall fight on the seas and oceans. |  | 7 |
| 10732843838 | Rhetoric | Aristotle defined it as "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." In other words, it is the art of finding ways of persuading an audience. | 8 | |
| 10732843839 | Rhetorical Triangle | writer-context-audience |  | 9 |
| 10732843840 | Allusion | brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) to to a work of art. Ex.) Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah. | 10 | |
| 10732843841 | Hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point. Ex.) My first and last name together generally served the same purpose as a high brick wall. | 11 | |
| 10732843842 | Personification | attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea. Ex.) ...with history the final judge of our deeds... | 12 | |
| 10732843845 | Parallelism | similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. Ex.) Let both sides explore... Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals...Let both sides seek to invoke...Let both sides unite to heed... | 13 | |
| 10732843846 | Antithesis | opposition, or contrast or ideas or words in a parallel construction. Ex.) We shall support any friend, oppose any foe. | 14 | |
| 10732843848 | Rhetorical Question | Figure of speech in the form of a question posed for the rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer. Ex.) Are you stupid? | 15 | |
| 10732843855 | Anecdote | a brief story used to illustrate a point or claim. |  | 16 |
| 10732843871 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. For example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself. | 17 | |
| 10732843872 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. |  | 18 |
| 10732843875 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. It can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. it can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 19 | |
| 10732843876 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for __________ of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. A question from the 2001 AP test as an example follows: "But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never absolutely novel to the meanest of minds; it exists eternally, by way of germ of latent principle, in the lowest as in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted." | 20 | |
| 10732843878 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) It can be a memorable summation of the author's point | 21 | |
| 10732843879 | Apostrophe | A prayer like figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee." Another example is Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn," in which Keats addresses the urn itself: rarely on an AP exam, but important when there. ALWAYS Pathos | 22 | |
| 10732843881 | Caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. Example: The pupils of her eyes are small; like a pebble of sand floating atop a can of blue paint. | 23 | |
| 10732843883 | Colloquial/Colloquialism | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, ______________ give a work a conversational, familiar tone. In writing include local or regional dialect | 24 | |
| 10732843885 | Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions or attitudes | 25 | |
| 10732843886 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. (Example: knife- a utensil for cutting | 26 | |
| 10732843887 | Diction | Related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. FOR AP EXAMS you should be able to describe the author's __________ and understand how it compliments his purpose (along with imagery syntax, literary devices, etc) | 27 | |
| 10732843888 | Didactic | From the Greek, literally means "teaching." These words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing,especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 28 | |
| 10732843889 | Euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," the use of these are more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept - POLITICALLY CORRECT | 29 | |
| 10732843890 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 30 | |
| 10732843891 | Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid | 31 | |
| 10732843892 | Figure of speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Includes: apostrophe hyperbole irony metaphor oxymoron paradox personification simile synecdoche understatement | 32 | |
| 10732843894 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.However, a flexible term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions. For example, prose can be divided into fiction (novels and short stories) or nonfiction (essays, biographies,autobiographies, etc.). Poetry can be divided into lyric, dramatic, narrative, epic, etc. Drama can be divided into tragedy,comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. On the AP language exam, expect the majority of the passages to be: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. There may be fiction or poetry. | 33 | |
| 10732843895 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 34 | |
| 10732843897 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visually while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection. An author may use complex images while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. On the AP language exam, pay attention to how an author creates this and to the effect of this. | 35 | |
| 10732843900 | Irony/ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. Often used to create poignancy or humor. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language: (1) verbal - when the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning (2) situational - when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen (3) dramatic- when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work. | 36 | |
| 10732843903 | Metonymy | (mĕtŏn′ ĭmē) A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, a news release that claims "the White House declared" rather than "the President declared"; Shakespeare uses it to signify the male and female sexes in As You Like It: "doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat." The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 37 | |
| 10732843904 | Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect this and it is similar to tone and atmosphere. | 38 | |
| 10732843905 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 39 | |
| 10732843906 | onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. | 40 | |
| 10732843907 | Oxymoron | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." This term does not usually appear in the multiple-choice questions, but there is a chance that you might find it in an essay. | 41 | |
| 10732843908 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. (Think of the beginning of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....") | 42 | |
| 10732843910 | Parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author's expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.) Well-written, it offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written it offers only ineffectual imitation. nuances of the newer work. | 43 | |
| 10732843911 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words). | 44 | |
| 10732843912 | Periodic sentence | The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. (Example: After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport.) | 45 | |
| 10732843914 | Point of view | In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions and many subdivisions within those. (1) first person narrator tells the story with the first person pronoun, "I," and is a character in the story. This narrator can be the protagonist, a secondary character, or an observing character. (2) third person narrator relates the events with the third person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it." There are two main subdivisions to be aware of: a. third person omniscient, in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters b. third person limited omniscient, in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters. | 46 | |
| 10732843915 | Prose | one of the major divisions of genre, refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. In this, the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line. | 47 | |
| 10732843916 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | 48 | |
| 10732843918 | Rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common (often referred to as "modes of discourse") are as follows: (1) The purpose of exposition (or expository writing) is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. The AP language exam essay questions are frequently expository topics. (2) The purpose of argumentation is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, an additional aim of urging some form of action. (3) The purpose of description is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in description; good descriptive writing can be sensuous and picturesque. Descriptive writing may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional an subjective. (4) The purpose of narration is to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing. Adapted from V. Stevenson, Patrick Henry High School, and Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms | 49 | |
| 10732843919 | Sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," it involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are this(that is, intended to ridicule). When well done, it can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it is simply cruel. | 50 | |
| 10732843920 | Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, it is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the writer: irony, wit, parody, caricature, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition. Some modern satirists include Joseph Heller (Catch 22) and Kurt Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Player Piano). | 51 | |
| 10732843921 | Style | The consideration of this has two purposes: (1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other We can analyze and describe an author's personal _______ and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. uit can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic, etc. (2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author's ________ reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as the romantic, transcendental, or realist movement. | 52 | |
| 10732843922 | Subordinate clause | Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, it cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, it depends on a main clause (or independent clause) to complete its meaning. Easily recognized key words and phrases usually begin these clauses. For example: although, because, unless, if, even though, since, as soon as, while, who, when, where, how and that | 53 | |
| 10732843924 | Symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a it is something concrete -- such as an object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. | 54 | |
| 10732843925 | Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. | 55 | |
| 10732843926 | Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, it may be directly state, especially in expository or argumentative writing. | 56 | |
| 10732843927 | Thesis | In expository writing, this is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively,and thoroughly a writer has proven the thesis. | 57 | |
| 10732843928 | Tone | Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author's tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, somber, etc. | 58 | |
| 10732843929 | Transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. A few commonly used transitional words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly, on the contrary, etc. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition. | 59 | |
| 10732843933 | Parallelism (parallel syntax) | a pattern of language that creates a rhythm of repetition often combined with some other language of repetition. Like a train gaining momentum. Ex: When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative. | 60 | |
| 10732843938 | Juxtaposition | Making on idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite. In art it is called chiaroscuro, where a bright white object is placed next to a black object and thus both are made more visible. My goodness is often chastened by my sense of sin, or The Gasoline savings from a hybrid car as compared to a standard car seem excellent until one compares the asking prices of the two vehicles. The juxtaposition of the asking prices shows that the savings are not as significant as they first appear. | 61 | |
| 10732843943 | rhetorical appeal | the persuasive devices by which a writer tries to sway an audience's attention and response to any given work. See logos, ethos, and pathos. | 62 | |
| 10732843944 | concrete detail | Strictly defined, refers to nouns that name physical objects, -a bridge. a book, or a coat. The opposite of abstract nouns (which refer to concepts like freedom and love). | 63 | |
| 10732843945 | descriptive detail | When an essay uses this phrase, look for the writer's sensory description. Appeals to the visual sense is usually the most predominant, but don't overlook other sensory details. | 64 | |
| 10732843949 | sentence structure | When an essay question asks you to analyze this, look at the type of sentences the author uses. Remember that the basic sentence structures are simple, compound, and complex and variations created with sentence combining. Also consider variation or lack of it in sentence length, any unusual devices in sentence construction, such as repetition or inverted word order, and any unusual word or phrase placement with all devices, be prepared to discuss the effect of the sentence structure. For example, a series of short, simple sentences or phrases can produce a feeling of speed and choppiness. which may suit the author's purpose. | 65 | |
| 10732843951 | Ad hominem argument | An argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue | 66 | |
| 10732843955 | Argumentation | one of the four forms of discourse which uses logic, ethics, and emotional appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to develop an effective means to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way. | 67 | |
| 10732843956 | Assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity | 68 | |
| 10732843960 | Balanced sentence | A sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast | 69 |
