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AP Language Vocab Lists Flashcards

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8950437479Allegorya story, fictional or nonfictional in which characters, things, and events can be interpreted to reveal hidden meaning; typically a moral or political meaning0
8950437480Alliterationa term that describes a literary stylistic of device; occurs when a cseries of words in a row (or close together) have the same first consonant sound1
8950437481Allusionan indirect reference to something; calling something to mind without mentioning it explicitly2
8950437482Ambiguitythe quality of being more open to more than one interpretation; inexactness3
8950437483Anadiplosisbeginning a sentence or clause by repeating the last word or words of the previous sentence or clause4
8950437484Analogycomparison to a directly parallel case; writer uses an analogy, she or he uses a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case5
8950437485Anticlimaxan event, conclusion,statement, etc.; that is far less important, powerful or striking than expected6
8950437486Anaphorarepetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row; deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent7
8950437487Antecedentthe word that a pronoun replaces ex. Even though the party was fun, it was crowded "It" is the antecedent, replaces the "party"8
8950437489Antimetabolefigure of speech in which words from the first half of the sentence are repeated in the second half of the sentence in reverse order ex. Live to learn and learn to live.9
8950501902Antithesistwo opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses ex. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee10
8950501904Aphorisma short statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle11
8950501905Apostrophea figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary parson or personified abstraction; adds emotional intensity12
8950501906Archetypean original that has been imitated13
8950501907Assonancewhen two or more words, close to each other repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds ex. that, cat, sat, bat14
8950501909Atmospheretype of feeling that a reader gets from a narrative, based on details such as setting background, objects and foreshadowing15
8950501910Asyndetonomission or absence or a conjunction between parts of a sentence16
8950501911Bathosan effect of the author making something dramatic, often found humorous17
8950501912Independent Clausepart of a sentence that has both a subject and a verb. Independent clauses form a complete thought and are able to stand alone as their own sentence18
8950501913Dependent Clausepart of a sentence that contains both a subject and a verb; has to be joined with an independent to form a proper sentence19
8950501914Chiasmusmade up of two clauses that balance each other out by rearranging their order. The second half of the quote is the first half inverted. ex. "Ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do for you."20
8950528494Colloquialcommon saying influenced by the way people in a society tend to speak ex. the phrase "it's lit."21
8950501918Connotationwhat we think of when we hear a word, or its implied meaning22
8950578029Cumulative or Loose Sentencemain idea is introduced and then more info is at the end23
8950578030Compound Complex Sentencesentence that contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause (The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sand no encores.)24
8950578031Coherencequality of a piece of writing which all the parts contribute to the development of a central idea, theme or organizing principle(The central idea is obtaining a good grade and the different parts are "the student must pass their project in on time.")25
8950578033Denotationdictionary meaning of a word(gay originally meant lighthearted and carefree but now it refers to homosexuality)26
8950578034Dictionword choice, general style of a author27
8950578035Didactica piece of writing used to teach a lesson28
8950578036Discoursespoken language or written language in a social context (dialogue) 4 modes: description, narration,exposition and argumentation29
8950578037Descriptionwhen the author uses details to paint a picture30
8950578038Narrationcommentary to a story31
8950578039Expositionintro to a story in which characters and setting is introduced32
8950578040Argumentationprocess of reasoning in support of an idea, action or theory, usually uses examples, warrants reasons33
8950578041Epanalepsiswhen a figure of speech which is at the beginning of a sentence repeats at the end(ex. Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.)34
8950578042Epistropherepetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences (See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil)35
8950578043Euphemismreplacing a word or phrase with a different one to seem less harsh(You're fired-->I'm going to have to let you go)36
8950578044Metaphorfigure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't true37
8950578045Hyperboleexaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally38
8950578046Genrecategory of literature39
8950578047Figurative Languagepersonification, similes, metaphors, etc.40
8950623593Parodyan imitation of the style of a particular, writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect41
8950623594Periodic Sentencea sentence in which the main idea comes last42
8950623595Personificationa type of figurative language which attributes human qualities to non-human subjects43
8950623596Point of Viewthe perspective from which a narrative is told44
8950623597Polysyndetona rhetorical term for a sentence style that employs the repetition of coordinating conjunctions ex. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of the appointed rounds. (repetition of nor)45
8950623598Puna play on words for humorous effects46
8950623599Rhetoricthe art of effective communication/persuasion47
8950623600Sarcasma generally bitter comment that is ironically worded (not all ironic statements are sarcastic) Sarcasm is usually a way to mock or ridicule something while irony isn't48
8950623601Satirea work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect; targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions (usually uses wit, irony, parody, caricature, hyperbole, sarcasm)49
8950623602Semanticsthe nature, structure, development and changes of the meanings of speech forms or with contextual meaning50
8950623603Similea figurative usage that compares using "like", "as" or "if"51
8950623604Stylethe choices in diction, tone, and syntax, that a writer makes; may be conscious or unconscious52
8950623605Symbol/Symbolismanything that represents or stands for something else; usually something concrete such as an object, actions, character that represents something more abstract53
8950623606Synecdochethe whole can represent a part; taking a part of something and making it represent a whole ex. Look at my new wheels! (wheels=car)54
8950623607Synesthetic Imagerydetail that moves from the stimulation of one sense to a response by another sense, as a certain odor induces the visualization of certain color, or when visual stimulus produces a sound ex.Lenny thinks his album is heat.(heat=good)55
8950623608Syntaxgrammatical arrangement of words56
8950623609Tonea writer's attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization57
8950623610Attitudea writer's intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject he or she is writing on58
8950623611Understatementthe ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is, the effect can be frequently be humorous59
8950623612VernacularLanguage or dialect of a particular country, Language or dialect of a clan or group, Plain everyday speech60
8951071859Homily​This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.61
8951071860Imagery​Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the 5 senses; authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, figures of speech to convey information about characters.62
8951071861Invective​An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.63
8951071862Imperative sentenceIssues a command (Example: Kick the ball now!)64
8951071863Verbal irony ​When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.(example, if your gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes or faster, but calls it a "walk in the park") If your voice tone is bitter, it's called sarcasm.65
8951071865Dramatic irony ​when the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out. (Example, in many horror movies, we (the audience) know who the killer is, while the victim to be has no idea who is doing the slaying)sometimes the character trusts the killer completely when (ironically) he/she shouldn't.66
8951071868Situational irony​found in the plot (or storyline) of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it makes you laugh because it's funny how things turn out. (example: Johnny spent two hours planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. When he finally did manage to sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day).67
8951071872Juxtaposition​Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. Comparison of things or ideas. authors often use juxtaposition of ideas or examples in order to make a point.(For example, an author may juxtapose the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary).68
8951071876Metonymy​substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it: e.g., "The pen is mightier than the sword," "I love Shakespeare."69
8951071878Mood​The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction). Setting, tone, and events can all affect the mood.70
8951071880Motif​a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works.71
8951071881Onomatopoeia​A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of the words. When the word sounds like the idea it communicates: "murmur", "gurgle", "roar", "buzz". If you identify this in a passage, make sure to explain WHY the author chose to use it...how does it impact the passage.72
8951071884Oxymoron​A rhetorical antithesis "wise fool" " eloquent silence", "jumbo shrimp". Apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox.73
8951071886Paradox​A seemingly contradictory statement which is actually true. An idea which embeds a contradiction. (Example: "You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job".)74
8951071889Parallelism​Also known as parallel construction. Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other or repeats patterns IT IS THE REPETITION OF STRUCTURE NOT THE REPETITION OF IDEAS IN DIFFERENT WORDS. It may involve two or three modifiers in a row or repeated beginnings of longer sentences. The author might repeat a preposition, or verbal two or more times. (ex.Julius Caesar "I came, I saw, I conquered".)75
8951071894Natural Order of a SentenceSentences that we generally write with the subject before the predicate.(The dog ​ran down the street.)76
8951071895Inverted Order of a SentenceSentences where part or all of the predicate comes before the subject. The subject is a little harder to find in this type of sentence. Find the verb and ask who or what did that verb.(Down the street ran the dog​.)77
8951071897Split Order of a Sentence​Divides the predicate into two parts with the subject coming in the middle,(Down the street the dog ​ran.)78

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