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AP Language and Composition Terminology Flashcards

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6985155807AlliterationThe repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables. E.g.: Fred's friends fried Fritos for Friday's food.0
6985156938AllusionAn indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event. E.g.: "She acted like a scrooge" (Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol).1
6985159867AnalogyAn extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things. E.g.: "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get!"2
6985161234AnaphoraThe repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses. E.g.: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..."3
6985162396AnecdoteA short account of an interesting event. E.g.: A grandfather tells his grandchildren a story of his childhood.4
6985163577AnnotationExplanatory or critical notes added to a text.* *Definition of annotation.5
6985164344AntecedentThe noun to which a later pronoun refers. E.g.: When children are happy, they clap to express their pleasure.6
6985165326AntimetaboleThe repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast. E.g.: "Eat to live, not live to eat" // "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"7
6985166897AntithesisParallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas. E.g.: Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.8
6985167356AphorismA short, astute statement of a general truth. E.g.: The simplest questions are the hardest to answer.9
6985167729AppositiveA word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun. E.g.: The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.10
6985168512Archaic dictionThe use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language. E.g.: Shakespeare: hath, thy, thou.11
6985168513ArgumentA statement put forth and supported by evidence.12
6985169057Aristotelian triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see rhetorical triangle).13
6985169769AssertionAn emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument.14
6985170504AssumptionA belief or statement taken for granted without proof. Asyndeton: Leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses.15
6985171369AttitudeThe speaker's position on a subject as revealed through his or her tone.16
6985172355AudienceOne's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.17
6985172356AuthorityA reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge. E.g.: Professor/Professional in specific area.18
6985173945BiasPrejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue.19
6985174575CiteIdentifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source.20
6985175740ClaimAn assertion, usually supported by evidence.21
6985176650Close readingA careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text.22
6985177264Colloquial/ismAn informal or conversational use of language.23
6985178816Common groundShared beliefs, values, or positions.24
6985179646Complex sentenceA sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.25
6985180349ConcessionA reluctant acknowledgment or yielding.26
6985181170ConnotationThat which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation).27
6985181171ContextWords, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.28
6985182297CoordinationGrammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but.29
6985183092CounterargumentA challenge to a position; an opposing argument.30
6985183442Cumulative sentenceAn independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail.31
6985183874Declarative sentenceA sentence that makes a statement.32
6985183875DeductionReasoning from general to specific.33
6985184686DenotationThe literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition. (E.g.: Aroma = smell)34
6985185797DictionWord choice.35
6985185803DocumentationBibliographic information about the sources used in a piece of writing.36
6985189063ElegiacMournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone. E.g.: Poems: Sylvia Plath37
6985189798EpigramA brief witty statement. E.g.: "I can resist everything but temptation"38
6985189801EthosA Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos). Credibility39
6985190352Figurative languageThe use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.40
6985191193Figure of speechAn expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning.41
6985191728HyperboleExaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.42
6985192317ImageryVivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).43
6985192777Imperative sentenceA sentence that requests or commands.44
6985192780InductionReasoning from specific to general.45
6985193397InversionA sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.46
6985193403IronyA contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result.47
6985194172JuxtapositionPlacement of two things side by side for emphasis. E.g.: God and Satan // It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...48
6985194748LogosA Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos)49
6985194749MetaphorA figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.50
6985195729MetonymyUse of an aspect of something to represent the whole.51
6985196232OccasionAn aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing.52
7059361406OxymoronA figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.53
7059361407ParadoxA statement that seems contradictory but is actually true. E.g.: I can resist anything but temptation / I know one thing: that I know nothing.54
7059361722ParallelismThe repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.55
7059362037ParodyA piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule.56
7059362562PathosA Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and logos).57
7059362827PersonaThe speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing.58
7059362828PersonificationAssigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.59
7059364095PolemicAn argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion.60
7059364096PolysyndetonThe deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.61
7059364558PremiseMajor, minor Two parts of a syllogism. The concluding sentence of a syllogism takes its predicate from the major premise and its subject from the minor premise.62
7059365609PropagandaA negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information.63
7059365884PurposeOne's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.64
7059365885RefuteTo discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument.65
7059366366RhetoricThe study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion."66
7059367162Rhetorical modesPatterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification and division, process analysis, and argumentation.67
7059367166Rhetorical questionA question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer.68
7059367676Rhetorical triangleA diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience (see Aristotelian triangle).69
7059368627SatireAn ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it.70
7059368628SchemeA pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect.71
7059369476Sentence patternsThe arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.72
7059369477Sentence varietyUsing a variety of sentence patterns to create a desired effect.73
7059369890SimileA figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things.74
7059369891Simple sentenceA statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause.75
7059370171SourceA book, article, person, or other resource consulted for information.76
7059370541SpeakerA term used for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing.77
7059370542Straw manA logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position.78
7059371906StyleThe distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech.79
7059372189SubjectIn rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing.80
7059372190Subordinate clauseCreated by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause.81
7059372433SubordinationThe dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence.82
7059372889SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by a major and minor premise (see premise; major, and minor).83
7059373649SyntaxSentence structure.84
7059373375SynthesizeCombining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex.85
7059375295ThesisThe central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer.86
7059375738Thesis statementA statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit.87
7059375739ToneThe speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience.88
7059376038Topic sentenceA sentence, most often appearing at the beginning of a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's idea and often unites it with the work's thesis.89
7059376039TropeArtful diction; the use of language in a nonliteral way; also called a figure of speech.90
7059378426UnderstatementLack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect.91
7059379110VoiceIn grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun (active or passive voice). In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing.92
7059379727ZeugmaA construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more words in a sentence.93

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