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AP Language Study Set Flashcards

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6802542132ad hominem fallacyattacks the person instead of the argument0
6802542133allegorya story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one1
6802542134alliterationrepetition of beginning sounds2
6802542135allusiona passing reference to a work of literature or historical event3
6802542136ambiguityuncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language4
6802542137analogya comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification5
6802542138anecdotea short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person6
6802542139antecedentthe word a pronoun replaces7
6802542140antithesisa figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other8
6802542141aphorisma pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."9
6802542142apostrophea figure of speech in which the writer or speaker addresses an imaginary person or one who is not there10
6802542143anadiplosisa rhetorical device in which a writer or speaker uses a word near the end of the clause and then repeats that word to begin the next clause. This is used to bring attention to a specific thing or concept11
6802542144assonancerepetition of a vowel soun d12
6802542145backingsupport for an argument which typically includes facts, statistics, or examples13
6802542146bandwagon appealalso known as the ad populum fallacy. Can appeal to patriotism, loyalty, or religious fervor.14
6802542147begging the questionalso known as circular reasoning, doesn't actually support the argument, but just re-states it.15
6802542148chiasmusa rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form. For example, "Don't count the days; make the days count."16
6802542149claima point or assertion in an argument17
6802542150claim of factposits whether something is true or untrue, but there must always be room for controversy18
6802542151claim of valueestablishes standards of evaluation or advantage19
6802542152claims of policyproposes a clear course of action20
6802542153clausea unit of grammar which ranks below a sentence and includes both a subject and a verb21
6802542154colloquialisma word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation22
6802542155conceitan extended metaphor23
6802542156connotationthe associations a word produces24
6802542157consonancerepetition of consonant sounds25
6802542158deductive reasoning"top-down" logic, or the process of reasoning from one or more statements (premises) to reach a logically certain conclusion26
6802542159denotationthe dictionary definition of a word27
6802542160dictionrefers to word choice; can be formal or informal28
6802542161didacticmeant to teach a lesson29
6802542162ethoscreated by choosing language that is appropriate for the audience and topic, making yourself sound fair or unbiased, introducing your expertise or pedigree, etc.30
6802542163ironywhen the unexpected happens31
6802542164euphemisma mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing32
6802542165figurative languagenot literal; includes techniques such as simile, metaphor, and personification33
6802542166foreshadowinghints or clues of what's to come34
6802542167genrea type of style of writing35
6802542168hasty generalizationmakes a general assumption based on one or two experiences. Stereotyping and sexism often fall into this category36
6802542169hyperboleextreme exaggeration37
6802542170Horatian satiremild or humorous criticism of human folly38
6802542171imagerysensory detail -- especially visual detail -- in literature39
6802542172inductive reasoninglogic based on observation or generalization40
6802542173inferencea conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning41
6802542174Juvenalian satireprovokes dark humor and criticizes corruption42
6802542175juxtapositionthe fact of two things being seen or placed close together, often with contrasting effect43
6802542176litotesironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (e.g., you won't be sorry, meaning you'll be glad)44
6802542177logosappeals to logic using facts, statistics, historical examples, etc.45
6802542178loose sentencealso called a cumulative sentence, a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) is elaborated by the addition of modifying phrases or clauses46
6802542179syllogisma type of logical deduction involving a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion47
6802542180metonymywhen a related object stands for the thing itself (ex: "the crown" to refer to the monarch)48
6802542181moodthe feeling created in the reader or audience49
6802542182narrativea spoken or written account; a story50
6802542183non sequitora conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement51
6802542184onomatopoeiathe formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle)52
6802542185oxymorona figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., faith unfaithful kept him falsely true)53
6802542186paradoxa seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true54
6802542187parodyan imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect55
6802542188pathoscan be developed by using meaningful language, emotional tone, emotion evoking examples, stories of emotional events, and implied meanings56
6802542189pedanticnarrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned57
6802542190periodic sentencein rhetoric, a complex sentence in which the main clause is left unfinished until the end in order to create the effect of anticipation or suspense58
6802542191personificationhuman characteristics given to non-human entities59
6802542192post hoc, ergo propter hocliterally "after, therefore because of," this logical fallacy implies cause and effect where none exists60
6802542193fallacya mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument61
6802542194predicate adjectivean adjective appearing in the predicate of a sentence or clause and modifying the grammatical subject of the sentence or clause. Typically, a predicate adjective follows the verb to be, but it could also follow a linking verb62
6802542195predicate nominativea noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb that restates or stands for the subject. For example: Mary is my sister63
6802542196proseregular writing or speech; not poetic64
6802542197qualifiera word or phrase that changes how absolute, certain or generalized a statement is65
6802542198rebuttala refutation or contradiction66
6802542199shifta change in mood, tone, or message67
6802542200similea comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as"68
6802542201symbolsomething which stands for both itself and something else69
6802542202synecdochewhen the part stands for the whole, or vice versa70
6802542203syntaxsentence structure, organization, and type71
6802542204understatementthe presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is72
6802542205tonethe speaker's attitude toward the subject73
6802542206polysyndetonthe use of several conjunctions in quick succession74
6802542207asyndetonthe absence of conjunctions where they would normally be present75
6802542208zeugmaa figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses (e.g., John and his license expired last week) or to two others of which it semantically suits only one (e.g., with weeping eyes and hearts)76
6802542209jargona type of diction which involves special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand77
6802542210false dilemmaalso known as false dichotomy; presents an either/or situation where none exists78
6802542211equivocationuses a word or phrase to join together two arguments that don't belong together79
6802542212straw man fallacycreates a false opponent and tears that person down80
6802542213anaphorathe repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses81
6802542214enumeratioa figure of amplification in which a subject is divided into constituent parts or details, and may include a listing of causes, effects, problems, solutions, conditions, and consequences; the listing or detailing of the parts of something82
6802542215amplificationa rhetorical device writers use to embellish a sentence or statement by adding further information83

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