AP Language and Composition Key Terminology Flashcards
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| 10305529333 | allegory | a narrative in which the characters. behavior, and even setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance; a universal symbol or personified abstraction | 0 | |
| 10305529334 | alliteration | the sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables | 1 | |
| 10305529335 | allusion | a literary, historical, religious, or mythical reference | 2 | |
| 10305529336 | anaphora | the regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses | 3 | |
| 10305529337 | antithesis | the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting words or ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure or ideas | 4 | |
| 10305529338 | aphorism | a concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief | 5 | |
| 10305529339 | apostrophe | an address or invocation to something inanimate | 6 | |
| 10305529340 | appeals to... authority, emotion, or logic | rhetorical arguments in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field, or attempts to play upon the emotions, or appeals to the use of reason | 7 | |
| 10305529341 | assonance | the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words | 8 | |
| 10305529342 | asyndeton | a syntactical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose | 9 | |
| 10305529343 | attitude | the sense expressed by the tone of voice and/or mood of a piece of writing; the authors feelings toward his or her subject, characters, events, or theme | 10 | |
| 10305529344 | begging the question | an argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict, evades or ignores the real question | 11 | |
| 10305529345 | canon | that which has been accepted as authentic | 12 | |
| 10305529346 | chiasmus | a figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second | 13 | |
| 10305529347 | claim | in argumentation, an assertion of something as fact | 14 | |
| 10305529348 | colloquial | a term identifying the diction of common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area | 15 | |
| 10305529349 | comparison and contrast | a mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared, contrasted, or both | 16 | |
| 10305529350 | connotation | the implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase; opposite of denotation | 17 | |
| 10305529351 | Conceit | a comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem; can also be used in non-fiction and prose | 18 | |
| 10305529352 | consonance | The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels | 19 | |
| 10305529353 | convention | an accepted manner, model, or tradition | 20 | |
| 10305529354 | critique | an assessment or analysis of something, such as a passage of writing, for the purpose of the determining what it is, what its limitations are. and how it conforms to the standard of the genre | 21 | |
| 10305529355 | deductive reasoning (deduction) | the method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles: movement from the general to the specific, in contrast to inductive reasoning (induction) | 22 | |
| 10305529356 | dialect | the language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people | 23 | |
| 10305529357 | diction | the specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect | 24 | |
| 10305529358 | didactic | (meaning "good teaching") when writing or speech has an instructive purpose or a lesson; often associated with a dry, pompous presentation, regardless of its innate value to the reader | 25 | |
| 10305529359 | elegy | a poem or prose that LAMENTS, or meditates upon the death of a person; may end with words of consolation | 26 | |
| 10305529360 | epistrophe | in rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences | 27 | |
| 10305529361 | epitaph | writing in praise of a dead person, most inscribed upon a headstone | 28 | |
| 10305529362 | ethos | in rhetoric, the appeal of text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator | 29 | |
| 10305529363 | euphemism | An indirect, kinder, less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information | 30 | |
| 10305529364 | exposition | the interpretation or analysis of a text | 31 | |
| 10305529365 | eulogy | a speech or written passage in PRAISE of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person | 32 | |
| 10305529366 | extended metaphor | a series of comparisons within a piece of writing; if consistently one concept = conceit | 33 | |
| 10305529367 | figurative language | contains levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, oxymoron, litote | 34 | |
| 10305529368 | flashback | an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration (retrospection) | 35 | |
| 10305529369 | genre | a type of class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history | 36 | |
| 10305529370 | homily | a sermon, but more contemporary uses include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual life | 37 | |
| 10305529371 | hyperbole | overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point of draw attention | 38 | |
| 10305529372 | imagery | broadly defined, any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or to describe an object | 39 | |
| 10305529373 | inductive reasoning (induction) | the method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principals: movement from the specific to the general; a general supposition is made after investigation specific instances, a common logic used in study | 40 | |
| 10305529374 | inference | a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data | 41 | |
| 10305529375 | irony | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; often suggesting light sarcasm; verbal,situational and dramatic | 42 | |
| 10305529376 | isocolon | parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure, but also in length | 43 | |
| 10305529377 | jargon | specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group | 44 | |
| 10305529378 | juxtaposition | the location of one thing adjacent to another to create an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose | 45 | |
| 10305529379 | litote | a figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement | 46 | |
| 10305529380 | loose sentence | a long sentence that starts with its main clause followed by many dependent clauses and modifying phrases (a term from syntax) | 47 | |
| 10305529381 | metaphor | one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy; direct comparison | 48 | |
| 10305529382 | metonymy | a figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something | 49 | |
| 10305529301 | mode of discourse | the way in which information is presented in written or spoken form; narration, description, exposition (cause and effect, process analysis, comparison and contrast), and argumentation | 50 | |
| 10305529302 | mood | a feeling or ambience resulting from the tine of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view; a feeling that establishes the atmosphere in a work of literature or other discourse | 51 | |
| 10305529303 | narrative | a mode of discourse that tells a story of some sort and is based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework | 52 | |
| 10305529304 | onomatopoeia | a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes; to make a passage more effective for the reader and listener | 53 | |
| 10305529305 | oxymoron | a figure of speech that combines two apperently contradictory elements | 54 | |
| 10305529306 | paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true | 55 | |
| 10305529307 | parallel structure | the use of similar forms in writing nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts | 56 | |
| 10305529308 | pathos | the element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow | 57 | |
| 10305529309 | periodic sentence | a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end | 58 | |
| 10305529310 | Personification | Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by enfowing it human features or qualities. | 59 | |
| 10305529311 | point of view | the relation in which a narrator/author stands to a subject of discourse; requires the reader to establish the historical perspective of what is being said | 60 | |
| 10305529312 | prose | the ordinary form of written language without metrical structure in contrast to verse and poetry | 61 | |
| 10305529313 | realism | attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail | 62 | |
| 10305529314 | rebuttle/refutation | an argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered | 63 | |
| 10305529315 | rhetoric | the art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking | 64 | |
| 10305529316 | rhetorical question | a question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect and its not expected to be answered | 65 | |
| 10305529317 | sarcasm | a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical; can be light and gently poke fun at something or be harsh, caustic, and mean | 66 | |
| 10305529318 | satire | a literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure | 67 | |
| 10305529319 | simile | a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection | 68 | |
| 10305529320 | style | The manner in which an author combines and arranges words, shapes ideas, and utilizes syntax and structure | 69 | |
| 10305529321 | symbolism | use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or stands for something else | 70 | |
| 10305529322 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole | 71 | |
| 10305529323 | syntax | the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences; sentence structure and how it influences the way the reader receives a particular piece of writing | 72 | |
| 10305529324 | theme | the central of dominant idea or focus of work; the statement a passage makes about its subject | 73 | |
| 10305529325 | tone | the attitude the narrator/writer takes toward a subject and theme; the tenor of a piece writing based on particular stylistic devices employed by the writer | 74 | |
| 10305529326 | voice | the acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker's or narrator's particular "take" on an idea based on particular passage and how all the elements of the style of the piece come together to express his or her feelings | 75 | |
| 10305529327 | zeugma | a grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated; often used to comic effect | 76 |
