AP language terms part two
Terms : Hide Images
| 5028079988 | Lexicon | A word list or workbook; a vocabulary, one of the standard terms for dictionary, although it is usually applied only to dictionaries of Greek or Hebrew | 0 | |
| 5028079989 | Litotes | A form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite. "He was not unfriendly" when one means that he is sociable. | 1 | |
| 5028079990 | Logic | An implied comparison resulting when one thing is directly called another. To be logically acceptable, support must be appropriate to the claim, believable and consistent | 2 | |
| 5028079991 | Logical fallacy | A mistake in reasoning | 3 | |
| 5028079992 | Loose sentence (cumulative sentence) | A sentence that is grammatically complete before its end, such as "Thalia played the violin with an intensity never before seen in a high school music class." The sentence is grammatically complete after the word violin | 4 | |
| 5028079993 | Lyrical prose | Personal, reflective prose that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject. | 5 | |
| 5028079994 | Maxim | A short, concise statement usually drawn from experience and inculcating some practical advice. "Good things come to those who wait." | 6 | |
| 5028079995 | Meiosis | Intentional understatement; the opposite of hyperbole; often employs litotes to an ironic effect | 7 | |
| 5028079996 | Memoir | A form of autobiographical writing dealing with the recollections of prominent people or people who have been a part of or have witnessed significant events. NOTE: these differ from autobiography proper in that they are usually concerned with personalities and actions other than those of the writer, whereas the autobiography lays a heavier stress on the inner, private life of its subject | 8 | |
| 5028079997 | Metaphor | A comparison of two things,often unrelated. A figurative verbal equation results where both parts illuminate one another. The literal term is called the "tenor" and the figurative term "vehicle." | 9 | |
| 5028079998 | Metonymy | A figure of speech that uses that name of an object,person, or idea to represent something with which it is associated, such as using Tillman Hall to refer to Clemson University. A representative term is used for a larger idea | 10 | |
| 5028079999 | Mixed Metaphor | A combination of metaphors that produces a confused or contradictory image. "The company's collapse left mountains of debt in its wake." | 11 | |
| 5028080000 | Mock Solemnity | Feigned or deliberately artificial seriousness, often for satirical purposes | 12 | |
| 5028080001 | Mode | The general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a piece of discourse | 13 | |
| 5028080002 | Montage | A quick sucession of images or impressions used to create an idea | 14 | |
| 5028080003 | Mood | An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the detail selected. Syntax is also a determiner of this because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing | 15 | |
| 5028080004 | Moral | The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. A heavily didactic story | 16 | |
| 5028080005 | Motif | Main theme or subject of work that is elaborated on in the development of the piece. a repeated pattern or idea | 17 | |
| 5028080006 | Muckraking | A term used to describe writers who work actively to expose dishonest methods and unscrupulous motives in big business. The term comes from a character's name in Pilgrim's Progress who is so busy raking up muck that he does not sse a celestial crown held over him. | 18 | |
| 5028080007 | Myth | One story in the system of narrative set in ancomplete imaginary world that once served to explain the origin of life, religious beliefs, and the forces of nature as supernatural occurrences | 19 | |
| 5028080008 | Narration | The telling of the story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry or drama; one of the four modes of discourse | 20 | |
| 5028080009 | Naturalism | Literary movement that grew out of realism in France, United States, and England in the late 19th and early 20th century; it portrays humans as having no free will, being driven by the natural forces of heredity, environment, and animalistic urges over which they have no control | 21 | |
| 5028080010 | Negative-positive | Sentence that begins by stating what is not true, then ending by stating what is true | 22 | |
| 5028080011 | Non-sequitur | Latin for "it does not follow." When one statement isn't logically connected to another | 23 | |
| 5028080012 | Objectivity | A writer's attempt to remove himself or herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story. Hard news journalism is frequently prized for this, although even fictional story can be told without a writer rendering personal judgment | 24 | |
| 5028080013 | Onomatopoeia | The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. Ex. "Buzz" "hiss" | 25 | |
| 5028080014 | Oversimplification | When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument | 26 | |
| 5028080015 | Oxymoron | A rhetorical antithesis. Juxtaposing two contradictory terms, like "wise fool" etc. | 27 | |
| 5028080016 | Paean | A song of praise or joy | 28 | |
| 5028080017 | Panegyric | A formal or elaborate praise; a eulogistic oration or writing | 29 | |
| 5028080018 | Parable | A short tale that teaches a moral or spiritual truth; similar to but shorter than an allegory | 30 | |
| 5028080019 | Paradox | A seemingly contradictory statement which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention. | 31 | |
| 5028080020 | Paralipsis | This technique of drawing attention to something by claiming not to mention it. "I won't tell you about all the eccentricities of my English teacher who only wears the color pink and only eats on even numbered days." | 32 | |
| 5028080021 | Parallelism | Sentence construction which places in close proximity two or more equal grammatical constructions. Parallel structure may be as simple as listing two or three modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb; it may take the form of two or more or the same type of phrases (prepositional, participial, gerund, appositive) the modify the same noun or verb; it may also take the form of two or more subordinate clause that modify the same noun or verb. Or, parallel structure may be a complex blend of single-word, phrase, and clause parallelism all in the same sentence | 33 | |
| 5028080022 | Parody | And exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. The writer of this uses the quirks of style of the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways | 34 | |
| 5028080023 | Pathetic fallacy | The attribution of human feelings or motivation into a nonhuman object, especially an object on a nature. (Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects) | 35 | |
| 5028080024 | Pathos | Qualities of a fictional or nonfictional work that evoke sorrow or pity. Over emotionalism can be the result of an excess of this | 36 | |
| 5028080025 | Pedantic | A term used to describe writing that is scholarly and academic, often overly difficult and distant | 37 | |
| 5028080026 | Periodic sentence | Sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements. A sentence that is not grammatically complete until its last phrase. | 38 | |
| 5028080027 | Periphrasis | The use of an unnecessary long or roundabout form of expression; circumlocution. Euphemisms often employ this | 39 | |
| 5028080028 | Persona | A writer often adopts a fictional voice or mask to tell a story. This or voice is usually determined by combination of subject matter an audience | 40 | |
| 5028080029 | Personification | Figurative language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form | 41 | |
| 5028080030 | Persuasion | A form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to convince through appeals to reason or emotion; the goal of persuasion is a call to action for the audience | 42 | |
| 5028080031 | Platitude | A dull, commonplace statement; a trite and obvious remark like a cliché | 43 | |
| 5028080032 | Point of view | The perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First person, third person, or omniscient these are commonly used | 44 | |
| 5028080033 | First-person narrator | A narrator, referred to as "I", who is a character in the story and relates the actions through his or her own perspective, also revealing his or her own thoughts | 45 | |
| 5028080034 | Stream of consciousness narrator | Like a first person narrator, but instead placing the reader inside the character's head, making the reader privy to the continuous, chaotic flow or disconnected, half- formed thoughts and impressions in the character's mind | 46 | |
| 5028080035 | Omniscient narrator | A third person narrator, referred to as "he," "she," or "they," who is able to see into each character's mind and understand all the action | 47 | |
| 5028080036 | Limited omniscient narrator | A third person narrator who reports the thought of only one character and generally only what that one character sees | 48 | |
| 5028080037 | Objective narrator | A third person narrator who only reports what would be visible to a Camera; thoughts and feelings are only revealed if a character speaks of them | 49 | |
| 5028080038 | Polysyndeton | A sentence which uses and or another conjunction (with no commas) to separate the items in the series. This appears in the form of X and Y and Z, stressing equally each member of the series. It makes the sentence slower and the items more emphatic than in the asyndeton | 50 | |
| 5028080039 | Post hoc, ergo propter hoc | Latin for "after this, therefore because of this." When a writer implies that because one thing followed another, the first caused the second. But sequence is not cause | 51 | |
| 5028080040 | Protagonist | The main character of literary work | 52 | |
| 5028080041 | Pun | A play on words that often has a comic effect; associated with wit and cleverness | 53 | |
| 5028080042 | Realism | A 19th-century literary movement in Europe and the United States that stressed accuracy in the portrayal of life, focusing on characters with whom middle-class readers could easily identify; is in direct contrast with romanticism | 54 | |
| 5028080043 | Red herring | When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue | 55 | |
| 5028080044 | Reduction ad absurdum | "To reduce to the absurd" to create a comic affect, an argumentation technique, a logical fallacy because it reduces the argument to either/or choice | 56 | |
| 5028080045 | Refutation | When a writer musters relevant opposing arguments. Rebuttal | 57 | |
| 5028080046 | Regionalism | An element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot | 58 | |
| 5028080047 | Reiteration | Repetition of an idea using different words, often for emphasis or another effect. | 59 | |
| 5028080048 | Repetition | Word or phrase used to or more times in close proximity | 60 | |
| 5028080049 | Retraction | The withdrawal of previously-stated idea or opinion | 61 | |
| 5028080050 | Rhetoric | The art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse. This focuses on the interrelationship of invention, arrangement, and style in order to create felicitous and appropriate discourse. | 62 | |
| 5028080051 | Rhetorical modes | Exposition, description, narration, argumentation | 63 | |
| 5028080052 | Rhetorical stance | Language that conveys the speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject | 64 | |
| 5028080053 | Ridicule | Words intended to belittle a person or idea and arouse contemptuous laughter. The goal is to condemn or criticize by making the thing, idea, or person seen laughable and ridiculous. This is a common weapon of the satirist | 65 | |
| 5028080054 | Satire | A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. This doesn't simply abuse (invective) or get personal (sarcasm). This targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals | 66 | |
| 5028080055 | Sarcasm | A type of verbal irony. Harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony | 67 | |
| 5028080056 | Semantics | The meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc. | 68 | |
| 5028080057 | Simile | A figurative comparison of two things, often dissimilar, using the connecting words "like" or "as." | 69 | |
| 5028080058 | Speaker | The voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona | 70 | |
| 5028080059 | Straw man | When a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Setting up this diverts attention from the real issues | 71 | |
| 5028080060 | Stereotype | A character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality | 72 | |
| 5028080061 | Style | The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. In combination they create a work's manner of expression. This is thought to be conscious and unconscious and may be altered to suit specific occasions. This is often habitual and evolves over time | 73 | |
| 5028080062 | Stylistic devices | A general term referring to diction, syntax, tone, figurative language, and all other elements that contribute to the style of a given piece of discourse | 74 | |
| 5028080063 | Subjectivity | A personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions | 75 | |
| 5028080064 | Subtext | The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of the essay or other work | 76 | |
| 5028080065 | Suspension of disbelief | The demand made that the reader accept the incidents recounted in the literary work | 77 | |
| 5028080066 | Syllogism | A formula for presenting an argument logically. This affords a method of demonstrating the logic of an argument through analysis. In simplest form, a consist of three divisions: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. A = B, B = C, therefore A = C | 78 | |
| 5028080067 | Symbol | A thing, event, or person that represents or stands for some idea or event. These also simultaneously retain their own literal meanings | 79 | |
| 5028080068 | Symbolism | The use of symbols or anything that is meant to be taken both literally and as a representative of a higher and more complex significance | 80 | |
| 5028080069 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using "boards" to mean a stage or "wheels" to mean a car. | 81 | |
| 5028080070 | Syntactic fluency | Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length | 82 | |
| 5028080071 | Syntactic permutation | Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. Often difficult for a reader to follow | 83 | |
| 5028080072 | Syntax | Word choice or diction; grammatical pattern of word combinations (phrases, clauses, sentences); the organization of language into meaningful structure | 84 | |
| 5028080073 | Theme | The central idea of a work of fiction or nonfiction, revealed and developed in the course of a story or explored through argument | 85 | |
| 5028080074 | Tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. This contributes to the effect and the effectiveness of a literary work. Examples: informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, ironic, condescending, etc. | 86 | |
| 5028080075 | Transition | A stylistic device used to create a link between ideas. These often endow discourse with continuity and coherence | 87 | |
| 5028080076 | Trope | A category of figures of speech that extend the literal meetings of words by inviting a comparison to other words, things, or ideas. Metaphor, metonymy, and simile are three common these | 88 | |
| 5028080077 | Understatement | A form of irony in which something is intentionally represented in less than fact it is | 89 | |
| 5028080078 | Unity | A work of fiction or nonfiction is said to be unified is all the parts are related to one central idea or organizing principle. Thus, this is dependent upon coherence | 90 | |
| 5028080079 | Verbal irony | When the reader is aware of a discrepancy between the real meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the writer's words | 91 | |
| 5028080080 | Verisimilitude | The quality of realism in the work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is - - or as it could have been | 92 | |
| 5028080081 | Voice | The way a written work conveys an author's attitude. The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker | 93 | |
| 5028080082 | Wit | The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that surprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment suddenly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene | 94 | |
| 5028080083 | Zuegma | The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words when it is appropriate to only one of them or is appropriate to each but in a different way, as" to wage war and peace" or "on his fishing trip, he caught three trout and a cold." | 95 | |
| 5028080084 | Rhetorical question | A question that does not require an answer - - one that does not expect an answer; it is used to pose a question to your audience | 96 |
