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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
6615246162Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
6615246163AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
6615246164AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
6615246165AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
6615246166AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
6615246167AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
6615246168AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
6615246169AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
6615246170AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
6615246171ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
6615246172AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
6615246173AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
6615246174AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
6615246175AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
6615246176AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
6615246177ContrastOppositions15
6615246178Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
6615246179ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
6615246180Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
6615246181DictionAn author's choice of words19
6615246182DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
6615246183ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
6615246184EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
6615246185Ethosconfidence23
6615246186EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
6615246187ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
6615246188Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
6615246189ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
6615246190HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
6615246191ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
6615246192Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
6615246193IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
6615246194JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
6615246195LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
6615246196MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
6615246197MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
6615246198MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
6615246199OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
6615246200OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
6615246201ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
6615246202ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
6615246203ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
6615246204PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
6615246205Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
6615246206PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
6615246207PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
6615246208Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
6615246209PunA play on words47
6615246210RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
6615246211RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
6615246212Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
6615246213Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
6615246214Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
6615246215SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
6615246216Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
6615246217SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
6615246218SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
6615246219SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
6615246220SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
6615246221SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
6615246222SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
6615246223TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
6615246224ThemeThe central idea62
6615246225ToneAttitude63
6615246226UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
6615246227ZeugmaWhen a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them65

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