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Necessary Terminology- AP Literature Flashcards

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5858774713imagerylanguage that describes by appealing to the senses-- providing a sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell0
5858781917figurative languagelanguage not meant to be taken literally1
5858786729similedirect comparison of dissimilar things, usually using like or as (the snow was dry as cotton) (life is like a road)2
5858789853metaphorindirect comparison of dissimilar things, without using like or as (when she smiled, he was firmly hooked) (life is a road)3
5858798415personificationtype of metaphor or simile giving human qualities to inanimate objects (the wind screamed in anger) (nature spoke to her)4
5858798416hyperboleobviously saying more than intended (I have a million things to do tonight)5
5858801035understatementobviously saying less than intended (Hitler was a bit of a problem)6
5858801036metonymyusing a thing to stand for a thing associated with it (the crown has spoken) (the bench has ruled against us)7
5858803865synecdocheusing a part to stand for the whole (all hands were called on deck)8
5858803866synesthesiadescribing one sense in terms of another (the music was as cool and blue as the sky) (I tasted blue and desolation)9
5858809404contrast/antithesisuse of marked difference for an effect (he was at the same time a transcendent thinker and a bit of a doofus)10
5858809405dictionword choice (they have to choose some words and sometimes, the particular choice yields particular effects) (the leaves and flowers were clean and virginal . . . the air was drowsy with its weight of perfume)11
5858809406syntaxsentence structure12
5858812155parallel structureequivalent ideas are linked by equivalent wording (out heats were engaged by his words, and our minds by his ideas)13
5858812156polysyndetonrepeating a connector (usually "and") more than is necessary (harry was cold and tired and depressed and totally unmagical)14
5858812157asyndetonNOT using a connector where it would be expected (CGS students must be bright, creative, independent, self-motivated)15
5858814157periodic sentencesentence in which the main thought is not finished till the end (the king, although the court made great efforts to pretend otherwise, was dead)16
5858816930cumulative sentencesentence that builds force from added subordinate clauses or phrases (for his last then minutes Hamlet was king, a king of his own mind, dying but clear-headed, his last words uttered not in self-pity, but in defense of his friend, his state, his cause)17
5858816931loose sentencemain clause is followed by subordinate elements (the judge smiled because he knew there was an ironic justice in the sentence)18
5858818866simple sentencecontains one clause (CSG is very competitive)19
5858818867compound sentencecontains two or more independent clauses (CGS is competitive, but it is also friendly) NOTE: a compound sentence may contain independent elements that are loose, or cumulative, etc.20
5858824274persuasion/argumentationseeks to produce agreement21
5858824275expositionconveys information22
5858825759narrationrelates events in story form23
5858825760descriptionconveys a picture or impression of something (by using sensory details)24
5858833231methods of organization/developmentchronological, order of importance (or reverse), elaboration (adds complexity), item/example, cataloguing (listing), contrast/antithesis25
5858833232rhetoricseeks to influence the reader/listener26
5858836862rhetorical purposeseffects the writer seeks to achieve (to produce a reasoned agreement, to produce LOL hilarity, to produce increased understanding, to produce awe or respect, to produce fear, to arouse emotions)27
5858850483slanginformal conversational usage, not appropriate in formal situations28
5858852823idioma commonly used phrase whose sense is not subject to literal translation (he made up the story)29
5858852824dialectordinary speech of particular region or class (differs from slang in its association with region or class)30
5858852825jargonhighly technical language whose effect is to confuse, rather than enhance, meaning (bureaucratic, military or business jargon "we need to conceptualize the time-lining . . .")31
5858854744boilerplateformulaic and cliché-ridden language, particularly associated with bureaucratic or political circumstances (as in a mission statement, political speech, press release, memo, etc.), full of bromides and platitudes32
5858854745Latinatedominated by words with derivation/ construction reminiscent of Latin: lots of -tion and -ate endings (. . . those sedentary structures in which functional illiterates predominantly congregate), usually pretty awkward!!!!!33
5858856263parallel structurecoordinating items suing similar syntax (to follow is as difficult to lead)34
5858863452anaphorarepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a construction (we cannot dedicate... we cannot hollow... we cannot consecrate)35
5858866572ellipsiswords are left out because they are understood (our minds were clear and our hearts willing)36
5858866573chiasmusan immediate reversal of two terms (typical form is A-B-B-A) (fair is foul and foul is fair)37
5858866574asyndetonomission of expected connectors (our students are competitive, bright, eager to learn)38
5858869988polysyndetonmore than the expected connectors (our students are competitive, and bright, and eager to learn)39
5858869989coordinationconnection with equal weighting (our students are competitive, and they work well as a team)40
5858869990subordinationconnection with unequal weighting (although competitive, our students work well as a team)41
5858873090parts of speechnoun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.42
5859328659parts of sentencesubject, object, clause, phrase43
5858873091allusionreference (direct or indirect) to other source material (mythological, historical, Biblical, literary)44
5858875060ellipsissome word or construction is understood ("our hearts are brave and our minds ready" . . . "are" is elliptical)45
5858876660paradoxa condition or idea that seems contradictory, but is true, in at least some sense (the more I learn, the less I think I know)46
5858876661contrastuse of elements that are different, for effect (the school-mistress that passed on her way to school/ and the old drunkard staggering home from the outhouse)47
5858878910antithesis(type of contrast) use of elements that are opposites (the terrors of the night and of the day)48
5858878911imageryappeal to the senses-- visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, touch, kinetic, organic49
5858878912onomatopoeiause of spelling to suggest sound (quack!, vroom!, boing!)50
5858881281level of discourse (formality)NOTE: formality and tone are not the same thing-- but either may contribute to the other... examples include ceremonial (will the honorable representative from Arizona yield to a question?), formal (may I ask you a question, ma'am?), informal (so, what do you think about...?), colloquial/vernacular (dude, what you think...?)51
5858898836motifa pattern (of imagery, events, details, settings)52
5858898837denouementconclusion-- often occurring after the climax53
5858898838climaxpoint in a story at which the conflict is resolved54
5858898839symbolismuse of physical things or animals or persona to stand for ideas55
5858901967manipulation of timepresenting events in or out of chronological order56
5858901968frame devicea narrative device through which the principal story is told (by a character in the frame story)57
5858904971examples of structural devicescomparable or contrasting characters, comparable or contrasting settings, parallel events, recurring events58

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