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AP English Language Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for AP English Language

Terms : Hide Images
15395934843Ad Hominem ArgumentAttacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand0
15395934844AllegoryFictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts1
15395934845AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words2
15395934846AllusionA reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person3
15395934847AmbiguityUncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation4
15395934848AnalogyThe correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different5
15395934849AnecdoteA short story used to illustrate a point the author is making6
15395934850AntecedentEvery pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun7
15395934851AntithesisAn opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses8
15395934852ApostropheA figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker9
15395934853AppositiveA word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity10
15395934854AssonanceA type of internal rhyming in which vowel souds are repeated11
15395934855AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence12
15395934856AtmosphereThe emotional feeling -or mood- of a place, scene, or event13
15395934857AttitudeThe feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea14
15395934858ContrastOppositions15
15395934859Colloquial LanguageSlang or common language that is informal16
15395934860ConnotativeThe interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning17
15395934861Deductive ArgumentThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example18
15395934862DictionAn author's choice of words19
15395934863DidacticWriting which has the purpose of teaching or instructing20
15395934864ElegyA work that expresses sorrow21
15395934865EllipsesIndicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted22
15395934866EthosRefers to generally ethics, or values23
15395934867EuphemismA mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea24
15395934868ExpositionWriting or speech that is organized to explain25
15395934869Figurative LanguageAll uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison26
15395934870ForeshadowingA purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative27
15395934871HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis28
15395934872ImageryA mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations29
15395934873Inductive ArgumentCreating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide30
15395934874IronyWhen a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected31
15395934875JuxtapositionWhen two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison32
15395934876LogosThe use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument33
15395934877MetaphorA figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly34
15395934878MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
15395934879MoodThe prevailing or dominant feeling of a work, scene, or event36
15395934880OnomatopoeiaAn effect created by words that have sounds that reinforce their meaning37
15395934881OxymoronTwo contradictory words in one expression38
15395934882ParadoxA seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth39
15395934883ParallelismA literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures40
15395934884ParodyAn effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work41
15395934885PathosA sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work42
15395934886Periodic SentencePresents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis43
15395934887PersonaThe character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text44
15395934888PersonificationA figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities45
15395934889Point of ViewThe particular perspective from which a story is told46
15395934890PunA play on words47
15395934891RepetitionThe reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis48
15395934892RhetoricThe art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose49
15395934893Rhetorical StrategyThe way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose50
15395934894Rhetorical DevicesThe specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax)51
15395934895Rhetorical QuestionA question that is asked for the sake of argument52
15395934896SatireTo ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines53
15395934897Selection of DetailThe specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative54
15395934898SimileA commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as"55
15395934899SpeakerThe narrator of a story, poem, or drama56
15395934900SyllogismA form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion57
15395934901SymbolSomething that stands for something else58
15395934902SynonymA word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word59
15395934903SyntaxThe way words are arranged in a sentence60
15395934904TensionA feeling excitement and expectation the reader or audience feels because of the conflict, mood, or atmosphere of the work61
15395934905ThemeThe central idea62
15395934906ToneAttitude63
15395934907UnderstatementWhen an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves64
15395934908ZeugmaWhen 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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