| 11486242608 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom, usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.
A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself. |  | 0 |
| 11486242609 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words |  | 1 |
| 11486242610 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art, can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers | | 2 |
| 11486242611 | Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. |  | 3 |
| 11486242612 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them, can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar | | 4 |
| 11486242613 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. A question from the 2001 AP test as an example follows: "But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never absolutely novel to the meanest of minds; it exists eternally, by way of germ of latent principle, in the lowest as in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted." | | 5 |
| 11486242614 | Antithesis | the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite. |  | 6 |
| 11486242615 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) | | 7 |
| 11486242616 | Apostrophe | A prayer like figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee." Another example is Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn," in which Keats addresses the urn itself: rarely on an AP exam, but important when there. ALWAYS Pathos | | 8 |
| 11486242617 | Atmosphere | The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to it. Frequently foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood. | | 9 |
| 11486242618 | Caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. Example: The pupils of her eyes are small; like a pebble of sand floating atop a can of blue paint. | | 10 |
| 11486242619 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate , cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent . The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. | | 11 |
| 11486242620 | Colloquial/Colloquialism | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, give a work a conversational, familiar tone, includes local or regional dialect | | 12 |
| 11486242621 | Literary Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects Displays intellectual cleverness through unusual comparisons that make good sense | | 13 |
| 11486242622 | Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning, may involve ideas, emotions or attitudes | | 14 |
| 11486242623 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. | | 15 |
| 11486242624 | Diction | Related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. | | 16 |
| 11486242625 | Didactic | From the Greek, literally means "teaching, " have the primary aim of teaching or instructing,especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | | 17 |
| 11486242626 | Euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept - POLITICALLY CORRECT | | 18 |
| 11486242627 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | | 19 |
| 11486242628 | Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid | | 20 |
| 11486242629 | Figure of speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. includes apotrophe hyperbole irony metaphor oxymoron paradox personification simile syneddoche understatement | | 21 |
| 11486242630 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | | 22 |
| 11486242631 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") | | 23 |
| 11486242632 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. | | 24 |
| 11486242633 | Inference/infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. | | 25 |
| 11486242634 | Invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. (For example, in Henry IV, Part hill of flesh.") | | 26 |
| 11486242635 | Irony/ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. | | 27 |
| 11486242636 | Loose sentence/non-periodic sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. | | 28 |
| 11486242637 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. | | 29 |
| 11486242638 | Metonymy | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. | | 30 |
| 11486242639 | Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. | | 31 |
| 11486242640 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | | 32 |
| 11486242641 | onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. | | 33 |
| 11486242642 | Oxymoron | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," an a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." | | 34 |
| 11486242643 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. (Think of the beginning of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....") | | 35 |
| 11486242644 | Parallelism | Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity....") | | 36 |
| 11486242645 | Parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author's expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.) | | 37 |
| 11486242646 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words). | | 38 |
| 11486242647 | Periodic sentence | The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. | | 39 |
| 11486242648 | Personification | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. | | 40 |
| 11486242649 | Point of view | In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. | | 41 |
| 11486242650 | Prose | one of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line. | | 42 |
| 11486242651 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | | 43 |
| 11486242652 | Rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | | 44 |
| 11486242653 | Rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. | | 45 |
| 11486242654 | Sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic (that is, intended to ridicule). | | 46 |
| 11486242655 | Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the satirist: irony, wit, parody, caricature, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition. | | 47 |
| 11486242656 | Style | The consideration of blank has two purposes: (1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other We can analyze and describe an author's personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. | | 48 |
| 11486242657 | Subject complement | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it (the predicate nominative) or (2) describing it (the predicate adjective). | | 49 |
| 11486242658 | Subordinate clause | Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. | | 50 |
| 11486242659 | Syllogism | From the Greek for "reckoning together," is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second called "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. | | 51 |
| 11486242660 | Symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. U | | 52 |
| 11486242661 | Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. | | 53 |
| 11486242662 | Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life | | 54 |
| 11486242663 | Thesis | In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. | | 55 |
| 11486242664 | Tone | Similar to mood, describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. | | 56 |
| 11486242665 | Transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. | | 57 |
| 11486242666 | Understatement | the ironic minimalizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. | | 58 |
| 11486242667 | Wit | in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. | | 59 |
| 11486242668 | Ad Hominem | An attack on the person rather than the issue at hand - a common fallacy - common in elections | | 60 |
| 11486242669 | Chiasmus | 'chi structure' unlike abab / language listed in an abba form:
Ask not what your country
Can do for you,
But what you
Can do for your country | | 61 |
| 11486242670 | Malapropism | a word humorously misused: Example, he is the AMPLE of her eye... instead of ' he is the APPLE of her eye, | | 62 |
| 11486242671 | Parallelism (parallel syntax) | a pattern of language that creates a rhythm of repetition often combined with some other language of repetition. Like a train gaining momentum.
Ex: When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative. | | 63 |
| 11486242672 | Poisoning the Well | Discrediting a person's claim by presenting unfavorable information (true or false) about the person. Person B attacking Person A before Person A can make his/her claim. Example: 'John, an abusive alcoholic, will now give his argument for the legalization of public drinking'. | | 64 |
| 11486242673 | Slippery Slope | This is the failure to provide evidence to support a claim that one event will lead to a catastrophic chain of events. | | 65 |
| 11486242674 | straw man | When a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. | | 66 |
| 11486242675 | Ethos | One of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle. is basically an appeal to credibility. The writer is seeking to convince you that he or she has the background, history, skills, and/or expertise to speak on the issue. Whenever you encounter an ethos argument, always ask yourself is the credibility is substantiated and valid. | | 67 |
| 11486242676 | Juxtaposition | Making on idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite. In art it is called chiaroscuro, where a bright white object is placed next to a black object and thus both are made more visible. | | 68 |
| 11486242677 | Logos | An appeal to reason. one of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle. It occurs when a writer tries to convince you of the logic of his argument. writers may use inductive argumentation or deductive argumentation, but they clearly have examples and generally rational tome to their language. | | 69 |
| 11486242678 | Pathos | An appeal to emotion. This is one of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle. | | 70 |
| 11486242679 | Predicate Adjective | Am adjective that follows a linking web and modifies the subject of the sentence. The gigantic whirlpool was inky black, and there was no moon. | | 71 |
| 11486242680 | Rhetorical Question | A question whose answer is assumed, designed to force the reader to respond in a predetermined manner and is a significant tool in the study of rhetoric. | | 72 |
| 11486242681 | Simile | A critical figure of speech in an argument when what is unknown is compared to something that is known using the word "like," "as," or "than" in order to better perceive its importance. | | 73 |
| 11486242682 | concrete detail | Strictly defined, concrete refers to nouns that name physical objects, -a bridge. a book, or a coat. | | 74 |
| 11486242683 | descriptive detail | When an essay uses this phrase, look for the writer's sensory description. appealing to the visual sense is usually the most predominant, but don't overlook other sensory details. | | 75 |
| 11486242684 | stylistic devices | note and analyze all of the elements in language that contribute to style-such as diction, syntax, tone, attitude, figures of speech, connotations, and repetition. | | 76 |
| 11486242685 | Anadiplosis | Figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or terms in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of the next sentence, clause, or phrase. | | 77 |
| 11486242686 | Anaphora | Figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases; repetition of the initial words over successive phrases or clauses | | 78 |
| 11486242687 | Anathema | (n.) an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation (often used adjectivally without the article) | | 79 |
| 11486242688 | Anecdote | A brief story that illustrates or makes a point | | 80 |
| 11486242689 | Antimeria | the substitution of one part of speech for another | | 81 |
| 11486242690 | Antimetabole | Figure of emphasis in which the words in one phrase or clause are replicated, exactly or closely, in reverse grammatical order in the next phrase or clause; a chiasmus on the level of words (A-B, B-A). For example, "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" (JFK). | | 82 |
| 11486242691 | Argumentation | one of the four forms of discourse which uses logic, ethics, and emotional appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to develop an effective means to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way. | | 83 |
| 11486242692 | Assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity | | 84 |
| 11486242693 | Asyndeton | A series of words separated by commas (with no conjunction), e.g. "I came, I saw, I conquered." The parts of the sentence are emphasized equally; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. | | 85 |
| 11486242694 | attitude | A speaker's, author's, or character's disposition toward or opinion of a subject. | | 86 |
| 11486242695 | audience | One's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed. | | 87 |
| 11486242696 | Balanced sentence | A sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast | | 88 |
| 11486242697 | Begging the question | Often called circular reasoning, __ occurs when the believability of the evidence depends on the believability of the claim. | | 89 |
