4554632532 | Allegory | A narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance. Often is a universal symbol or personified abstraction. | 0 | |
4554632533 | Alliteration | The sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables. | 1 | |
4554632534 | Allusion | A literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference. | 2 | |
4554632535 | Anaphora | The regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. | 3 | |
4554632536 | Antithesis | The juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or | 4 | |
4554632537 | Aphorism | A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief. | 5 | |
4554632538 | Apostrophe | An address or invocation to something inanimate. | 6 | |
4554632539 | Appeal to...authority, emotion, or logic | Rhetorical argue nets in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field, or attempts to play upon the emotions, or appeals to the use of reason. | 7 | |
4561637918 | Assonance | The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words. | 8 | |
4561637919 | Asyndeton | A syntactical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose. | 9 | |
4561637920 | Attitude | The sense expressed by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece of writing; the author's feelings towards his or her subject, characters, events, or theme. It might even be his or her feelings for the reader. | 10 | |
4561637921 | Begging the question | An argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict, evades or ignores the real question. | 11 | |
4561637922 | Cannon | That which has been accepted as authentic. | 12 | |
4561637923 | Chiasmus | A figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second. | 13 | |
4592226815 | Claim | In argumentation, an assertion of something as fact. | 14 | |
4592226816 | Colloquial | A term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area. | 15 | |
4592226817 | Comparison and Contrast | A mode of discourse in which two or more things are related to each other through similarities and/or differences. | 16 | |
4592226818 | Connotation | The implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase. | 17 | |
4592226819 | Conceit | A comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature. In particular an extended metaphor within a poem. However, can also be used in non-fiction and prose. | 18 | |
4592226820 | Consonance | The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels. | 19 | |
4592226821 | Convention | An accepted manner, model, or tradition. | 20 | |
4592226822 | Critique | An assessment or analysis of something, such as a passage of writing, for the purpose of determining what it is, what its limitations are, and how it conforms to the standard of the genre. | 21 | |
4592226823 | Deductive Reasoning (Deduction) | The method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles. | 22 | |
4592226824 | Dialect | the language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group. | 23 | |
4703158357 | Diction | The specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect. | 24 | |
4592226825 | Didactic | (From Greek, meaning "good teaching") Writing or speech is this when it has an instructive purpose or a lesson. It is often associated with a dry, pompous presentation, regardless of its innate value to the reader/listener. | 25 | |
4593757389 | Elegy | A poem or prose work that laments, or mediates upon the death of a person or persons. Sometimes will end with words of consolation. | 26 | |
4593757390 | Epistrophe | In rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences. | 27 | |
4593757391 | Epitaph | Writing in praise of a dead person, most often inscribed upon a headstone. | 28 | |
4593757392 | Ethos | In rhetoric, the appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator. | 29 | |
4593757393 | Euphemism | An indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information. | 30 | |
4593757394 | Exposition | The interpretation or analysis of a text. | 31 | |
4593757395 | Eulogy | A speech or written passage in praise of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person. Does not lament, but praises. | 32 | |
4593757396 | Extended Metaphor | A series of comparisons within a piece of writing. | 33 | |
4593757397 | Figurative Language/ Figure of Speech | In contrast to literal, has levels of meaning expressed through personification, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, oxymoron, etc... | 34 | |
4593757398 | Flashback | (Also known as retrospection) An earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration. | 35 | |
4593757399 | Genre | A type or class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history, etc... | 36 | |
4593757400 | Homily | A sermon, but more contemporary uses include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual life. | 37 | |
4593757401 | Hyperbole | Overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention. | 38 | |
4614930136 | Imagery | Any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call an idea to mind, or to describe an object. | 39 | |
4614930137 | Inductive Reasoning (Induction) | The method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principals. | 40 | |
4614930138 | Inference | A conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, it some other specific data. | 41 | |
4614930139 | Irony | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant the intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated. | 42 | |
4614930140 | Verbal Irony | What the author/narrator says is actually the opposite of what is meant. | 43 | |
4614930141 | Situational Irony | When events end up the opposite of what is expected. | 44 | |
4614930142 | Dramatic Irony | Facts and situations are known to the reader or audience but not the characters. | 45 | |
4614930143 | Isocolon | Parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only on grammatical structure, but also in length. | 46 | |
4614930144 | Jargon | Specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group. | 47 | |
4614930145 | Juxtaposition | The location of one thing adjacent with another to create an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose. | 48 | |
4594092348 | Litote | A figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement. | 49 | |
4594092349 | Loose Sentence | A long sentence that starts with its main clause, which is followed by several dependent clauses and modifying phrases. | 50 | |
4594092350 | Metaphor | One thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy. Is an implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another, without the use of a verbal signal such as like or as. | 51 | |
4594092351 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something. | 52 | |
4594092352 | Mode of Discourse | The way in which information is presented in written or spoken form. | 53 | |
4594092353 | Mood | A feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view. Establishes atmosphere. | 54 | |
4594092354 | Narrative | A mode of discourse that tells a story of some sort and is based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework. | 55 | |
4594092355 | Onomatopoeia | A word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes. | 56 | |
4594092356 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements. | 57 | |
4594092357 | Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory bit may be true. For example, during the 1960's was said that war protestors would "fight for peace." | 58 | |
4594092358 | Parallel Structure | The use of similar forms in writing nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts. For example, "Jane enjoys reading, writing, and skiing." In prose, recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that their ideas are equal in importance. | 59 | |
4594092359 | Pathos | That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow. In argument or persuasion it tends to be the evocation of pity from the reader/listener. Think of it as the "poor starving children" approach to convincing you. | 60 | |
4594092360 | Periodic Sentence | A long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end. For example, "The child, who looked as if she were being chased by demons, frenzied and ignoring all hazards, ran." | 61 | |
4594092361 | Personification | Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities. William Wordsworth speaks of stars " tossing their heads in sprightly dance." | 62 | |
4594092362 | Point of View | The relation in which a narrator/author stands to a subject of discourse. In nonfiction it requires the reader to establish the historical perspective of what is being said. | 63 | |
4594092363 | Prose | The ordinary form of written language without metrical structure in contrast to verse and poetry. | 64 | |
4594092364 | Realism | Attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail. Mark Twain is an author of this school. Thoreau, with his romantic outlook on nature, is not. | 65 | |
4594092365 | Rebuttal/Refutation | An argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered. | 66 | |
4594092366 | Rhetoric | The art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking. All types of writing may seek to persuade and some study these genres for their persuasive qualities. | 67 | |
4594092367 | Rhetorical Question | A question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered. | 68 | |
4594092368 | Sarcasm | A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical. Can be light, and gently poke fun at something, or it can be harsh, caustic, and mean. | 69 | |
4614962038 | Satire | A literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure. Jonathan Swift and George Orwell were masters of this. | 70 | |
4614962039 | Similie | A direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection. | 71 | |
4614962040 | Style | The manner in which a writer combines and arranges words, shapes ideas, and utilizes syntax and structure. | 72 | |
4614962041 | Symbolism | Use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or stands for something else. Often the thing or idea represented is more abstract or general than the symbol, which is concrete. | 73 | |
4614962042 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole, such as fifty masts representing fifty ships. | 74 | |
4614962043 | Syntax | The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. Is sentence structure an show it influences the way the reader receives a particular piece of writing. It is important in establishing the tone of a piece and the attitude of the author/narrator. | 75 | |
4614962044 | Theme | The central or dominant idea or focus of a work. The statement a passage makes about its subject. | 76 | |
4703158358 | Tone | The attitude the narrator or writer takes toward a subject and theme; the tenor of a piece of writing based on particular stylistic devices employed by the writer. Reflects attitude. | 77 | |
4614962045 | Voice | The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker's or narrator's particular take on an idea based on particular passages and how all the elements of the style of the piece come together to express his or her feelings. | 78 | |
4614962046 | Zeugma | A grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated. Often used to comic effect. ( The thief took my wallet and the bus.) | 79 |
AP Language Vocabulary Flashcards
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