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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

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6592415576Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6592415577AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6592415578AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6592415579AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6592415580AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6592415581AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6592415582AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6592415583AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6592415584AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6592415585ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker. This is the rhetorical definition of the word. Here is an example, Carlyle's "O Liberty, what things are done in thy name!" is an example of apostrophe.9
6592415586AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6592415587AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6592415588AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6592415589AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6592415590AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6592415591ContrastOppositions15
6592415592Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6592415593ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6592415594Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6592415595DictionAn author's choice of words19
6592415596DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6592415597ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6592415598EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6592415599EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
6592415600EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6592415601ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6592415602Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6592415603ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6592415604HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6592415605ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6592415606Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6592415607IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6592415608JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6592415609LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6592415610MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6592415611MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6592415612MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6592415613OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6592415614OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6592415615ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6592415616ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6592415617ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6592415618PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6592415619Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6592415620PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6592415621PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6592415622Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6592415623PunA play on words47
6592415624RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6592415625RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6592415626Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6592415627Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6592415628Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6592415629SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6592415630Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6592415631SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6592415632SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6592415633SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new CONCLUSION. [An instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs ).]57
6592415634SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6592415635SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6592415636SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6592415637TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6592415638ThemeThe central idea62
6592415639ToneAttitude63
6592415640UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6592415641ZeugmaWhen a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them65
6592415642Ad hocformed, arranged, or done for a particular purpose only (think of a committee that just meets for one purpose only, and probably only occasionally)66
6592415643WarrantExplanation of why or how the data supports the claim; the underlying assumption that connects your data to your claim.67

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