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AP Language Diction Terms Flashcards

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4808264392monosyllabicone syllable in length0
4808266106polysyllabicmore than one syllable (more use, more difficult the content)1
4808271732colloquial/informalconversational; usually includes slang2
4808279966slangnon-standard words or phrases, often limited to a particular group of users3
4808289597dialectlanguage particular to a region or group4
4808292034formalliterary; rules of Standard American English5
4808299899jargonlanguage specific to a field, profession, discipline6
4808303950generalbroad7
4808304910specificexact names or items8
4808308951denotativecontaining a literal meaning (dress, table)9
4808317094connotativecontaining a suggestive meaning (cackle-witch, evil)10
4808320878concretedetected by the five senses (hot, apple, sour)11
4808323330abstractconceptual (United States of America, nature, Nasdaq)12
4808329623literalapparent, word-for-word (use in context)13
4808331511figurativeserving as an illustration (metaphor, similes, personification)14
4808339889antiquatedold-fashioned, no longer used in everyday speech (hath, yonder)15
4808344366bombastichigh-sounding, pompous, ostentatious; sometimes used for humor in satirical writing; unnecessary16
4808359830euphemisticinsincere, affected-- a euphemism is a word that sugarcoats a harsher meaning (old-mature or death-passed away)17
4808367156exactprecise, detailed, used to communicate clearly18
4808369810homespunfolksy, native, rustic, informal. HAS A POSITIVE CONNOTATION19
4808383139pedanticdidactic, bookish20
4808385356poeticlyric, melodious, figurative language21
4808400848pretentiouspompous, inflated language, unnecessary NEGATIVE CONNOTATION22
4808405833provincialrural, rustic, unpolished NEGATIVE COMPARED TO HOMESPUN23
4808416943scholarlyintellectual, academic, higher vocabulary, precise, single words24
4808429290tritecommon, banal, stereotypical (it it what is is, since the dawn of man)25
4808433699vulgarcoarse, indecent, tasteless, swear words, informal26

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