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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
3634159230Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
3634159231AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
3634159232AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
3634159233AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
3634159234AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
3634159235AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
3634159236AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
3634159237AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
3634159238AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
3634159239ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
3634159240AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
3634159241AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
3634159242AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
3634159243AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
3634159244AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
3634159245ContrastOppositions15
3634159246Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
3634159247ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
3634159248Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
3634159249DictionAn author's choice of words19
3634159250DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
3634159251ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
3634159252EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
3634159253EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
3634159254EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
3634159255ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
3634159256Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
3634159257ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
3634159258HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
3634159259ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
3634159260Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
3634159261IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
3634159262JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
3634159263LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
3634159264MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
3634159265MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
3634159266MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
3634159267OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
3634159268OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
3634159269ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
3634159270ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
3634159271ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
3634159272PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
3634159273Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
3634159274PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
3634159275PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
3634159276Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
3634159277PunA play on words47
3634159278RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
3634159279RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
3634159280Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
3634159281Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
3634159282Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
3634159283SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
3634159284Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
3634159285SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
3634159286SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
3634159287SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
3634159288SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
3634159289SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
3634159290SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
3634159291TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
3634159292ThemeThe central idea62
3634159293ToneAttitude63
3634159294UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
3634159295ZeugmaWhen 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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