7617230495 | segregating/short | short uncomplicated sentences | 0 | |
7617309979 | freight-train | couples short independent clauses to make longer sequential statements | 1 | |
7617337699 | parataxis | independent clauses butted together without conjunctions and using semicolons or commas | 2 | |
7617397564 | triadic | a freight train sentence composed in three units | 3 | |
7617405142 | cumulative | initial independent clause followed by subordinate constructions that accumulate detail about the person, place, event, or idea | 4 | |
7617425418 | parallelism | two or more words or constructions that stand in identical grammatical relationship to the same thing | 5 | |
7617436683 | balanced | consists of two parts roughly equivalent in length and significance and divided by a pause; may repeat the same idea, show cause and effect, precedence and sub sequence, or any other relationship | 6 | |
7617479439 | loose | main clause comes first followed by the subordinate clauses and phrases | 7 | |
7617569636 | periodic | the subordinate constructions precede the main clause, which closes the sentence | 8 | |
7617569637 | convoluted | the main clause is split in two; the subordinate constructions intrude between the parts of the main clause | 9 | |
7617845659 | centered | the main clause occupies the middle of the sentence and is both preceded and followed by subordinate constructions | 10 | |
7617904439 | fragment | a single word, phrase, or dependent clause standing alone as a sentence | 11 | |
7617913865 | logos | employs logical reasoning | 12 | |
7617920075 | ethos | establishes credibility | 13 | |
7617924083 | pathos | plays on the reader's emotions and interests | 14 | |
7617929686 | active voice | the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts (The dog bit the boy) | 15 | |
7617943487 | passive voice | the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon (The boy was bitten by the dog) | 16 | |
7617966884 | antithesis | the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite (Though argumentative, he was modest) | 17 | |
7617980041 | aphorism | a terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle ("Lost time is never found again") | 18 | |
7617989197 | chiasmus | a figure of speech based on inverted parallelism; two clauses related to each other on a reversal of terms (ask not what your country can do for you-- ask what you can do for your country) | 19 | |
7618019666 | juxtaposition | placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side | 20 | |
7618035180 | punctuation | how punctuation affects the meaning of a sentence | 21 | |
7618044590 | repetition | the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern | 22 | |
7618057910 | alliteration | repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in tow or more neighboring words (she sells sea shells by the seashore) | 23 | |
7618077325 | diction | author's word choices | 24 | |
7618082017 | abstract | words that signify things that cannot be perceived (honor, generosity, idea, democracy) | 25 | |
7618088656 | concrete | words that refer to perceptible things (clap of thunder, odor of violets, a rose) | 26 | |
7618109384 | ambiguity | the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage ("It was a funny affair" funny can mean laughable or strange) | 27 | |
7618131667 | colloquial/slang | use of informalities in speech or writing; give conversational or familiar tone | 28 | |
7618143089 | pretentious | using big words for no purpose, except to show off | 29 | |
7618151959 | cliches | trite expressions, devalued by overuse | 30 | |
7618159372 | euphemism | less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept; may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement | 31 | |
7618180554 | jargon | technical language misused | 32 | |
7618190328 | connotation | the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning; may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes | 33 | |
7618203252 | denotation | strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color | 34 | |
7618220122 | formal v. informal/levels of usage | situation in which a word is normally used | 35 | |
7618224982 | hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration or overstatement | 36 | |
7618231208 | idiom | combination of words functioning as a unit of meaning ("lend me a hand") | 37 | |
7618243353 | onomatopoeia | figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words (hum, buzz, crack) | 38 | |
7618253781 | tone | author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both | 39 | |
7618263142 | simile | brief comparison, usually introduced by like or as | 40 | |
7618287250 | metaphor | implied comparison of seemingly unlike things; suggesting some similarity | 41 | |
7618321307 | personification | describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions | 42 | |
7618334440 | allusion | a direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known | 43 | |
7618346940 | verbal irony | when the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning | 44 | |
7618356416 | situational irony | when the events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen | 45 | |
7618370902 | dramatic irony | when facts or events are unknown to the character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work | 46 | |
7618381427 | overstatement | exaggeration; hyperbole | 47 | |
7618385965 | understatement | the ironic minimalizing of a fact; presents something as less significant than it is | 48 | |
7618404480 | litotes | affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite | 49 | |
7618412419 | meiosis | understatement; belittling | 50 | |
7618418605 | puns | a word employed in two senses, or a word used in a context that suggests a second term sounding like it | 51 | |
7618431137 | imagery | sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions | 52 | |
7618445706 | apostrophe | figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personifies abstraction, such as liberty or love; it is a address to someone or something that cannot answer | 53 | |
7618459760 | conceit | fanciful expression; usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly objects; displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made | 54 | |
7618486340 | allegory | device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning | 55 | |
7618498533 | analogy | a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them | 56 | |
7618524229 | extended metaphor | a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work | 57 | |
7618551799 | metonymy | substitute name;the name of one onject is substituted for that of another closely associated with it ("white house declared" or "the president declared") | 58 | |
7618564320 | 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 ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times") | 59 | |
7618683264 | oxymoron | figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox ("cruel kindness"; "jumbo shrimp") | 60 | |
7618709656 | symbol/symbolism | anything that represents itself and stands for something else | 61 | |
7618715858 | natural symbol | objects and occurrences from nature to symbolize ideas commonly associated with them (dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning) | 62 | |
7618729236 | conventional symbols | those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols, star of David; national symbols, such as flags) | 63 | |
7618741574 | literary symbols | are sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are more generally recognized | 64 |
AP Language Terms Flashcards
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