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AP Language Terms Flashcards

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3891511447ad hominem argument (definition)an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect0
3891519815allegory (definition)the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning1
3891526008alliteration (definition)the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds2
3891529283allusion (definition)a direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art3
3891534045ambiguity (definition)the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage also includes the a sense of uncertainty or inexactness that a work presents4
3891540276anecdote (definition)a short narrative account of an amusing, unusual, revealing, or interesting event5
3891548558analogy (definition)a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.6
3891573876antecedent (definition)the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. a noun7
3891575330antithesis (definition)a figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure.8
3891585063aphorism (definition)a terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle.9
3891590495apostrophe (definition)a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction such as liberty or love, or an inanimate object.10
3891594132atmosphere (definition)the emotional mood created by the entirety of a little work, established partly by setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described11
3891599223caricature (definition)a representation, especially pictorial or literary in which the subjects distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect12
3891600330chiasmus (definition)a figure of speech based on the inverted parallelism. It is a rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each other through a reversal of terms. (ABBA)13
3891605482clause (definition)a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. an independent or main clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone. a dependent or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause14
3891613139colloquialism (definition)slang or informality in speech or writing15
3891615722conceit (definition)a fanciful expression usually in the form of an extended metaphor or a surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.16
3891618412connotation (definition)the nonliteral associative meaning of word; the implied suggested meaning.17
3891621827denotation (definition)the strict literal dictionary definition of the word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.18
3891625457diction (definition)related to style ______ refers to the writers word choices especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness19
3914046010didactic(definition)means instructive. __________ works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially teaching moral or ethical principles.20

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