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AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

sources of definitions are The Princeton Review (TPR) and Barron's AP study guides. and class notes that Mr. Enns distributed :)

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6911012318	abstract	an abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research	0
6911012319	adage	a saying/proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language	1
6911012320	allegory	a story in which the narrative/characters carry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical or possibly an ethical meaning	2
6911012321	alliteration	the repetition of one or more initial consonant in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose. writers use this for ornament or for emphasis	3
6911012322	allusion	a reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea	4
6911012323	ambiguity	a vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation	5
6911012324	anachronism	a person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time/era in which the work is set	6
6911012325	analogy	a comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things	7
6911012326	annotation	a brief explanation,summary, or evaluation of a text or work of literature	8
6911012327	antagonist	a character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the protagonist produces tension or conflict	9
6911012328	antithesis	a rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences	10
6911012329	aphorism	a short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment	11
6911012330	Apollonian	in contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior	12
6911012331	apostrophe	a locution that addresses a person/personified thing not present	13
6911012332	archetype	an abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model/form	14
6911012333	assonance	the repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose	15
6911012334	ballad	a simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited; a long narrative poem, usually in very regular meter and rhyme, typically has a naive folksy quality	16
6911012335	bard	a poet, in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment	17
6911012336	bathos	the use of insincere or overdone sentimentality	18
6911012337	belle-lettres	the French term for the world of books, criticism, and literature in general	19
6911012338	bibliography	a list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or other work	20
6911012339	Bildungsroman	a German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal	21
6911012340	blank verse	poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton. its lines generally do not rhyme	22
6911012341	bombast	inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects	23
6911012342	burlesque	a work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation; a broad parody and exaggerates it into ridiculousness	24
6911012343	cacophony	grating, inharmonious sounds	25
6911012344	caesura	a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not always marked by punctuation)	26
6911012345	canon	the works considered most important in national literature or period; works widely read and studied	27
6911012346	caricature	a grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things; a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality	28
6911012347	carpe diem	"seize the day"	29
6911012348	catharsis	a cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy	30
6911012349	classic	a highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time, similar to canon	31
6911012350	classicism	deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity and restraint	32
6911012351	climax	the high point, or turning point, of a story/play	33
6911012352	novel	a tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood. the character may develop understanding via disillusionment, education, doses of reality, or any other experiences that alter his/her emotional/intellectual maturity. e.g. Invisible Man	34
6911012353	conceit	a witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language; a startling or unusual metaphor, or a metaphor developed and expanded upon several lines	35
6911012354	anticlimax	this occurs when an action produces far smaller results than one had been led to expect, it is frequently comic in effect	36
6911012355	antihero	a protagonist who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities	37
6911012356	aside	a speech (usually just a short comment) made by an actor to the audience, as though momentarily stepping outside of the action on stage	38
6911012357	aspect	a trait of characteristic, as in "an aspect of the dew drop"	39
6911012358	atmosphere	the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene	40
6911012359	black humor	this is the use of disturbing themes in comedy. e.g. two tramps comically debating over which should commit suicide first, and whether the branches of a tree will support their weight	41
6911012360	cadence	the beat or rhythm of poetry in a general sense	42
6911012361	canto	is a divider in long poems, much like chapters in a novel	43
6911012362	coinage	a.k.a. neologism, inventing a word	44
6911012363	colloquialism	this is a word or phrase used in everyday conversational English that isn't a part of accepted "schoolbook" English	45
6911012364	controlling image	when an image dominates and shapes the entire work	46
6911012365	metaphysical conceit	a type of conceit that occurs only in metaphysical poetry	47
6911012366	connotation	the suggest or implied meaning of a word/phrase	48
6911012367	consonance	the repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a group of words or a line of poetry	49
6911012368	couplet	a pair of lines that end in rhyme	50
6911012369	heroic couplet	two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter are called this	51
6911012370	denotation	the literal, dictionary definition of a word	52
6911012371	denouement	the resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work or fiction	53
6911012372	deus ex machina	in literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem	54
6911012373	Dionysian	as distinguished from Apollonian, the word refers to sensual, pleasure seeking impulses	55
6911012374	diction	the choice of words in oral and written discourse	56
6911012375	syntax	the ordering and structuring of the words in a sentence	57
6911012376	dirge	a song for the dead, its tone is typically slow, heavy, and melancholy	58
6911012377	dissonance	the grating of incompatible sounds	59
6911012378	doggerel	crude, simplistic verse, often in sing-song rhyme	60
6911012379	dramatic irony	when the audience knows something that the characters in the drama do not	61
6911012380	dramatic monologue	when a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience	62
6911012381	elegy	a poem or prose selection that laments or meditates on the passing/death of something/someone of value	63
6911012382	elements	the basic techniques of each genre of literature. IN SHORT STORY: characters, irony, theme, symbol, plot, setting. IN POETRY: figurative language, symbol, imagery, rhythm, rhyme. IN DRAMA: conflict, characters, climax, conclusion, exposition, rising action, falling action, props. IN NONFICTION: argument, evidence, reason, appeals, fallacies, thesis.	64
6911012383	ellipsis	three periods (...) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation	65
6911012384	empathy	a feeling of association or identification with an object/person	66
6911012385	end stopped	a term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation	67
6911012386	enjambment	the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line or couplet of a poem to the next with no pause	68
6911012387	epic	an extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero that is generally larger than life and is often considered a legendary figure	69
6911012388	mock epic	a parody form that deals with mundane events and ironically treats them as worthy of epic poetry	70
6911012389	epitaph	lines that commemorate the dead at their burial place. usually a line or handful of lines, often serious or religious, but sometimes witty and even irreverent	71
6911012390	epigram	a concise but ingenious, witty and thoughtful statement	72
6911012391	euphony	when sounds blend harmoniously; pleasing, harmonious sounds	73
6911012392	epithet	an adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing	74
6911012393	eponymous	a term for the title character of a work of literature	75
6911012394	euphemism	a mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term	76
6911012395	exegesis	a detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature	77
6911012396	expose	a piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, or other short comings	78
6911012397	explicit	to say or write something directly and clearly	79
6911012398	explication	the interpretation/analysis of a text	80
6911012399	extended metaphor	a series of comparisons between two unlike objects that occur over a number of lines	81
6911012400	fable	a short tale often featuring nonhuman character that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior. i.e Orwell's "Animal Farm"	82
6911012401	falling action	the action in a play or story that occurs after the climax and that leads to the conclusion and often to the resolution of the conflict	83
6911012402	fantasy	a story containing unreal, imaginary features	84
6911012403	farce	a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose	85
6911012404	figurative language	in contrast to literal language, this implies meanings. It includes devices such as metaphors, similes, and personification, etc.	86
6911012405	foil	a secondary character whose purpose is to highlight the characteristics of a main character, usually by contrast	87
6911012406	first person narrative	a narrative told by a character involved in the story, using first-person pronouns such as "I" and "we"	88
6911012407	flashback	a return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present actions or circumstances i.e. Invisible Man	89
6911012408	foreshadowing	an event or statement in a narrative that suggests, in miniature, a larger event that comes later	90
6911012409	foot	the basic rhythmic unit of a line in poetry. it is formed by a combination of two or three syllables, either stressed or unstressed	91
6911012410	frame	a structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative	92
6911012411	free verse	a kind of poetry without rhymed lines, rhythm or fixed metrical feet	93
6911012412	genre	a term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, and essay	94
6911012413	Gothic novel	a novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terror pervades the action. i.e. "Frankenstein"	95
6911012414	harangue	a forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade	96
6911012415	hubris	the excessive pride/ambition that leads to the main character's downfall	97
6911012416	hyperbole	exaggeration/deliberate overstatement	98
6911012417	humanism	a belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity	99
6911012418	implicit	to say or write something that suggests and implies but never says it directly or clearly	100
6911012419	in medias res	Latin for "in the midst of things"; a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point	101
6911012420	idyll	a lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place	102
6911012421	image	a word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled or felt	103
6911012422	inversion	switching customary order of elements in a sentence or phrase. when done badly it can give a stilted, artificial look-at-me-I'm-poetry feel to the verse. type of syntax	104
6911012423	irony	a mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm	105
6911012424	invective	a direct verbal assault; a denunciation. i.e. Candide	106
6911012425	kenning	a device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions/qualities, as in "ring-giver" for king and "wale-road" for ocean	107
6911012426	lament	a poem of sadness or grief over the death of a loved one or over some other intense loss	108
6911012427	lampoon	a satire	109
6911012428	light verse	a variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse, butt sometimes with a satirical thrust	110
6911012429	loose sentence	a sentence that is complete before its end. follows customary word order of English sentences i.e. subject-verb-object	111
6911012430	periodic sentence	a sentence not grammatically complete until it has reached its final phrase; sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end	112
6911012431	lyric	personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject; the word is used to describe tone, it refers to a sweet, emotional melodiousness	113
6911012432	melodrama	a form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure.	114
6911012433	litotes	a form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity	115
6911012434	maxim	a saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth	116
6911012435	metaphor	a figure of speech that compares unlike objects	117
6911012436	metaphysical poetry	the work of poets, particularly those of 17th c., that uses elaborate conceits, is highly intellectual, and expresses the complexities of love and life	118
6911012437	meter	the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry	119
6911012438	metonymy	a figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. e.g. "The White House says..."	120
6911012439	mode	the general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a work of literature	121
6911012440	montage	a quick succession of images/impressions used to express an idea	122
6911012441	mood	the emotional tone in a work of literature	123
6911012442	nemesis	the protagonist's archenemy or supreme and persistent difficulty	124
6911012443	objectivity	this treatment of a subject matter is an impersonal/outside view of events	125
6911012444	subjectivity	this treatment of a subject matter uses the interior/personal view of a single observer and is typically colored with that observer's emotional responses	126
6911012445	onomatopoeia	words that sound like what they mean	127
6911012446	moral	a brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature	128
6911012447	motif	a phrase, idea, event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature.	129
6911012448	muse	one of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts. the imaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer	130
6911012449	myth	an imaginary story that has become accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group/society. often used to explain natural phenomena.	131
6911012450	narrative	a form of verse or prose that tells a story	132
6911012451	naturalism	a term often used as a synonym for "realism"; also a view of experiences that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic	133
6911012452	non sequitur	a statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before	134
6911012453	novel of manners	a novel focusing on and describing the social customs and habits of a particular social group	135
6911012454	ode	a lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful and exalted feelings toward the subject.	136
6911012455	omniscient narrator	a narrator with unlimited awareness, understanding, and insight of characters, setting, background, and all other elements of the story	137
6911012456	oxymoron	a phrase composed of opposites; a contradiction. juxtaposition of contradictory element to create a paradoxical effect	138
6911012457	opposition	one of the most useful concepts in analyzing literature. it means that you have a pair of elements that contrast sharply.	139
6911012458	ottava rima	an eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem	140
6911012459	parable	like a fable or an allegory, it's a story that instructs; a story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived	141
6911012460	paradox	a statement that seems self-contradictory yet true	142
6911012461	parallelism	repeated syntactical similarities used for effect	143
6911012462	parody	an imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject	144
6911012463	paraphrase	a version of a text put into simpler, everyday, words	145
6911012464	pastoral	a work of literature dealing with rural life	146
6911012465	pathetic fallacy	faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects	147
6911012466	pathos	that element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow	148
6911012467	pentameter	a verse with five poetic feet per line	149
6911012468	persona	the role/facade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader, viewer, or the world at large; the narrator in a non-first-person novel	150
6911012469	personification	giving an inanimate object human like qualities or form	151
6911012470	plot	the interrelationship among the events in a story, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution	152
6911012471	picaresque novel	an episodic novel about a roguelike wanderer who lives off his wits. e.g. "Don Quixote", "Moll Flanders"	153
6911012472	plaint	a poem or speech expressing sorrow	154
6911012473	point of view	the perspective from which the action of a novel in presented.	155
6911012474	omniscient narrator	3rd person narrator who sees like God into each character's mind and understands all the action going on.	156
6911012475	limited omniscient narrator	3rd person narrator who generally reports only what one character (usually the main) sees, and who only reports the thoughts of that one privileged character.	157
6911012476	objective narrator	3rd person narr. who only reports on what would be visible to a camera, doesn't know what the character is thinking unless the character speaks of it.	158
6911012477	first person narrator	this is a narrator who is a character in the story and tells the tale from his/her POV. when the narrator is crazy, a liar, very young, or for some reason not entirely credible, the narrator is "unreliable"	159
6911012478	prosody	the grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry	160
6911012479	protagonist	the main character in a work of literature	161
6911012480	prelude	an introductory poem to a longer work of verse	162
6911012481	pun	the usually humorous use of a word in such a way to suggest two or more meanings	163
6911012482	pseudonym	also called "pen name", a false name or alias used by writers. i.e Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) George Orwell (Eric Blair)	164
6911012483	quatrian	a four-line poem or a four-line unit of a longer poem	165
6911012484	refrain	a line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem	166
6911012485	requiem	a song of prayer for the dead	167
6911012486	realism	the depiction of people, things, and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect	168
6911012487	rhetoric	the language of a work and its style; words, often highly emotional, used to convince or sway an audience	169
6911012488	rhetorical question	a question that suggests an answer. in theory, the effect is that it causes the listener to feel they have come up with the answer themselves	170
6911012489	rhapsody	an intensely passionate verse or section of verse, usually of love or praise	171
6911012490	rhyme	the repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals, used mostly in poetry	172
6911012491	rhyme scheme	the patterns of rhymes within a given poem i.e. abba	173
6911012492	rhythm	the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up a line of poetry. similar to meter	174
6911012493	romance	an extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places	175
6911012494	sarcasm	a sharp, caustic expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt	176
6911012495	satire	a literary style used to poke fun at, attack or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change. great subjects for this include hypocrisy, vanity and greed, especially if those characteristics have become institutionalized in society	177
6911012496	simile	figurative comparison using the words "like" or "as"	178
6911012497	setting	the total environment for the action in a novel/play. it includes time, place, historical milieu, and social, political and even spiritual circumstances	179
6911012498	sentimental	a term that describes characters' excessive emotional response to experience; also nauseatingly nostalgic and mawkish	180
6911012499	sentiment	a synonym for "view" or "feeling"; also refined and tender emotion in literature	181
6911012500	scansion	the act of determining the meter of a poetic line.	182
6911012501	sonnet	a popular form of verse consisting of fourteen lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme. two types: Shakespearean and Petrarchan	183
6911012502	soliloquy	a speech spoken by a character alone on stage. meant to convey the impression that the audience is listening to the character's THOUGHTS. unlike an aside, it is not meant to imply that the actor acknowledges the audience's presence	184
6911012503	stanza	a group of lines in verse, roughly analogous in function to the paragraph in prose; a group of two or more lines in poetry combined according to subject matter, rhyme, or some other plan	185
6911012504	stream of consciousness	a style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind, e.g. Ernest Hemingway	186
6911012505	stock characters	standard or cliched character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc.	187
6911012506	suggest	to imply, infer indicate. goes along with the concept of implicit	188
6911012507	style	the manner in which an author uses and arranges words, shapes ideas, forms sentences and creates a structure to convey ideas	189
6911012508	subplot	a subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or play, usually connected to the main plot	190
6911012509	subtext	the implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work of literature	191
6911012510	summary	a simple retelling of what you've just read. what you DON'T want to do in the Open Essay section :)	192
6911012511	symbolism	a device in literature where an object represents an idea	193
6911012512	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part	194
6911012513	theme	the main idea or meaning, often an abstract idea upon which a work of literature is built	195
6911012514	thesis	the main position of an argument. the central contention that will be supported	196
6911012515	tone	the author's attitude toward the subject being written about. it's the characteristic emotion that pervades a work or part of a work	197
6911012516	tragic flaw	in a tragedy, this is the weakness of a character in an otherwise good individual that ultimately leads to his demise	198
6911012517	tragedy	a form of literature in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and a set of forces that cause the hero considerable anguish, or even death	199
6911012518	travesty	a grotesque parody	200
6911012519	truism	a way-too-obvious truth	201
6911012520	utopia	an idealized place. imaginary communities in which people are able to live in happiness, prosperity and peace. Sir Thomas More came up with this idea.	202
6911012521	verbal irony	a discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words	203
6911012522	verse	a synonym for poetry. also a group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry	204
6911012523	verisimilitude	similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is	205
6911012524	versification	the structural form of a line of verse as revealed by the number of feet it contains. i.e. monometer = 1 foot; tetrameter = 4 feet; pentameter = 5 feet, etc.	206
6911012525	villanelle	a French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of 19 lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes	207
6911012526	voice	the real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker. a verb is in the active voice when it expresses an action performed by its subject. a verb is in the passive voice when it expresses an action performed upon its subject or when the subject is the result of the action. Active: The crew raked the leaves. Passive: The leaves were raked by the crew.	208
6911012527	wit	the quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that surprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene	209
6911012528	zeugma	the use of a word to modify two or more words, but used for different meanings. "He close the door and his heart on his lost love."	210
6911012529	anastrophe	inversion of the natural or usual word order	211
6911012530	parenthesis	insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal syntactical flow of the sentence	212
6911012531	apposition	placing side by side two coordinate elements, the second of which serves as an explanation or modification of the first. "The mountain was the earth, her home."	213
6911012532	ellipsis	deliberate omission of a word or words which are readily implied by context	214
6911012533	asyndeton	deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses. used to produce a hurried rhythm in the sentence.	215
6911012534	polysyndeton	the deliberate use of many conjunctions. its effect is to slow down the rhythm of the sentence	216
6911012535	anaphora	repetition of the same words or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses. e.g. "I have a dream..."	217
6911012536	epistrophe	repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses "When we first came we were very many and you were very few. Now you are many and we are getting very few."	218
6911012537	epanalepsis	repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause. "Blood hat bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows"	219
6911012538	anadiplosis	repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause. "The crime was common, common be the pain."	220
6911012539	climax	the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of importance	221
6911012540	antimetabole	repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order. "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."	222
6911012541	chiasmus	reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses. "Exalts his enemies, his friends destroys."	223
6911012542	polyptoton	repetition of words derived from the same root. "But in this desert country they may see the land being rendered USELESS by OVERUSE."	224
6911012543	antanaclasis	repetition of a word in two different senses. "Your argument is sound, nothing but sound."	225
6911012544	paronomasia	use of words alike in sound but different in meaning. "ask for me tomorrow and you will find me a GRAVE man."	226
6911012545	syllepsis	the use of a word understood differently in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies/governs. "The ink, like our pig, keeps running out of the pen."	227
6911012546	anthimeria	the substitution of one part of speech for another "I'll UNHAIR they head."	228
6911012547	periphrasis	substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name or of a proper name for a quality associated with the name. "They do not escape JIM CROW; they merely encounter another, not less deadly variety."	229
6911012548	autobiography	an account of a person's own life	230
6911012549	dialect	a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region/group of people	231
6911012550	epiphany	in a literary work, a moment of sudden insight/revelation that a character experiences	232
6911012551	essay	a short piece of non-fiction prose that examines a single subject from a limited POV	233
6911012552	suspense	the uncertainty/anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story	234

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Chapter 16 AP World History Terms Flashcards

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632658110	Bhakti	(Hinduism) loving devotion to a deity leading to salvation and Nirvana	0
632658111	Catholic Counter-Reformation	The movement in the 16th century within the Catholic church to reform itself as a result of the Protestant Reformation.	1
632658112	Condorcet and the idea of progress	The Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794) was a French philosopher and political scientist who argued that human affairs were moving into an era of near infinite improvability, with slavery, racism, tyranny, and other human trials swept away by the triumph of reason	2
632658113	Nicolaus Copernicus	Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)	3
632658114	Council of Trent	an ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church convened in Trento in three sessions between 1545 and 1563 in response to the Reformation	4
632658115	Charles Darwin	English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)	5
632658116	Deism	the form of theological rationalism that believes in God on the basis of reason without reference to revelation	6
632658117	Edict of Nantes	1598 - Granted the Huguenots liberty of conscience and worship.	7
640328439	European Enlightenment	18th Century philosophical movement that proposed individual self-interest, rather than Greek virtue or Christian humility, as the motivating factor in human behavior	8
640328444	Sigmund Freud	austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis	9
640328447	Galileo Galilei	Scientist who built the first telescope and proved that planets and moons move. Persecuted for supporting Copernicus' ideas	10
640328451	Huacas	Sacred spirits and powers that resided or appeared in caves, mountains, rocks, rivers, and other natural phenomena; typical of Andean societies.	11
640328461	Huguenots	French Protestants. The Edict of Nantes (1598) freed them from persecution in France, but when that was revoked in the late 1700s, hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled to other countries, including America.	12
640328468	Jesuits in China	recorded the court life and successes of Qing government, Series of Jesuit missionaries in the late 16th and 17th centuries who, inspired by the work of Matteo Ricci, made extraordinary efforts to understand and become a part of the Chinese culture in their efforts to convert the Chinese elites, although with limited success.	13
640328474	Kaozheng	A notion of "researched based evidence" that occurred in China as a foil to Neo-Confucian orthodoxy	14
640328481	Martin Luther	a German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Roman Catholic Chruch. In 1517, he wrote 95 theses, or statements of belief attacking the church practices.	15
640328487	Karl Marx	German journalist and philosopher, founder of the Marxist branch of socialism. He is known for two books: The Communist Manifesto (1848) and Das Kapital (Vols. I-III, 1867-1894).	16
640328494	Mirabai	One of India's most beloved bhakti poets (1498-1547), She helped break down the barriers of caste and tradition.	17
640328498	Guru Nanak	Indian religious leader who founded Sikhism in dissent from the caste system of Hinduism	18
640328502	Isaac Newton	Defined the laws of motion and gravity. Tried to explain motion of the universe.	19
640328505	Ninety-five Thesis	written by martin luther and posted on the door of the church of wittenberg, they were a direct critique of the catholic church, he wrote them in latin and in german so that the common people could read them as well	20
640328509	Protestant Reformation	a religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches	21
640328514	Matteo Ricci	An Italian Jesuit who by his knowledge of Astronomy and science was accepted as a missionary of China	22
640328519	Scientific Revolution	an era between 16th and 18th centuries when scientists began doing research in a new way using the scientific method	23
640328523	Sikhism	the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam	24
640328527	Society of Jesus	a Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1534 to defend Catholicism against the Reformation and to do missionary work among the heathen	25
640328531	Taki Onqoy	Dance sickness which was a purification and renounce christanity and people believed would be leaders and were to lead a rebellion.	26
640328534	Thirty Years' War	(1618-48) A series of European wars that were partially a Catholic-Protestant religious conflict. It was primarily a batlte between France and their rivals the Hapsburg's, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire.	27
640328538	Voltaire	French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)	28
640328543	Wahhabi Islam	Major Islamic movement led by the Muslim theologian Abd al Wahhab (1703-1792) that advocated an austere lifestyle and strict adherence to the sharia or Islamic law	29
640328546	Wang Yangmin	Prominent Chinese philosopher (1472-1529) who argued that it was possible to achieve a virtuous life by introspection without the extensive education of traditional Confuciansim	30

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AP Literature Terms Flashcards

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6745748836	Allusion	reference to something outside of the piece of literature, especially something well-known from history or literature	0
6745748837	Attitude	opinion on a subject by a character or author	1
6745748838	Details	individual pieces or parts that make a picture or story	2
6745748839	Devices of sound	techniques around sound, especially in poetry, such as rhyme/alliteration/onomatopoeia	3
6745748840	Diction	word choice, often words with a similar effect	4
6745748841	Figurative language	figures of speech such as metaphor/simile/irony	5
6745748842	Foil	a character who serves to emphasize another's qualities by contrasts or similarities	6
6745748843	Irony	figure of speech in which the intended meaning and actual meaning differ	7
6745748844	Metaphor	figure of speech in which a comparison is stated as reality	8
6745748845	Narrative techniques	methods of telling a story such as point of view and dialogue	9
6745748846	Omniscient point of view	a narrator sees and tells all	10
6745748847	Point of view	a vantage point from which a story is told	11
6745748848	Resources of language	all techniques such as diction/figurative language/imagery	12
6745748849	Rhetorical techniques	devices such as contrast/paradox/repetition/sarcasm/rhetorical question	13
6745748850	Satire	using ridicule to arouse readers' disapproval	14
6745748851	Setting	background of a story	15
6745748852	Simile	directly expressed comparison	16
6745748853	Rhetorical strategy	also known as simply the second word, the management of language for a purpose, placing elements to achieve an effect	17
6745748854	Structure	arrangement or division of parts in relation to a whole, such as series/contrast /repetition or play/novel/poem	18
6745748855	Style	mode of expression, such as diction/figurative language/imagery	19
6745748856	Symbol	something both itself and a sign of something else, especially something tangible standing in for something intangible	20
6745748857	Syntax	the structure or arrangement of words/sentences/paragraphs, comes in types/length/order	21
6745748858	Theme	main thought expressed by a work	22
6745748859	Tone	manner in which an author expresses an attitude, described by adjectives and subject to change, a result of diction/figurative language/imagery	23
6745748860	Allegory	a story in which people/things/events have another extended meaning	24
6745748861	Ambiguity	multiple meanings, especially when two meanings are incompatible	25
6745748862	Analogy	a comparison, especially for clarification	26
6745748863	Apostrophe	direct address, especially to something not present	27
6745748864	Connotation	the implication of a word or phrase, not literal meaning	28
6745748865	Denotation	the literal meaning of a word or phrase as found in the dictionary, not implication	29
6745748866	Convention	a device of style used so often that it becomes a mean of expression	30
6745748867	Didactic	explicitly instructive	31
6745748868	Digression	material unrelated to the subject	32
6745748869	Euphemism	a figure of speech used to avoid bluntness and offensiveness	33
6745748870	Hyperbole	a deliberate exaggeration	34
6745748871	Jargon	the specialized language of a group	35
6745748872	Literal	the precise meaning, not figurative	36
6745748873	Lyrical	song-like, with emotion/subjectivity/imagination	37
6745748874	Oxymoron	a combination of opposites, two contradictions in unison	38
6745748875	Parable	an allegory which suggests a principle/moral/answer in the story	39
6745748876	Paradox	a statement that seems self-contradictory but is true	40
6745748877	Parody	a composition that imitates the style of another, especially for humor	41
6745748878	Personification	figurative language that makes the nonhuman seem human	42
6745748879	Reliability	whether a narrator can/should be trusted	43
6745748880	Rhetorical question	asked for effect expecting no answer	44
6745748881	Soliloquy	a speech in which a character who is alone voices thoughts	45
6745748882	Stereotype	a conventional pattern/expression/character/idea	46
6745748883	Thesis	the theme/meaning/position a writer tries to prove	47
6745748884	Slant rhyme	near or half rhyme	48
6745748885	Pentameter	a line with five feet	49
6745748886	Stanza	repeated grouping of three or more lines, especially with the same meter and rhyme scheme	50
6745748887	Sonnet	iambic pentameter poem, especially with fourteen lines	51
6745748888	English/Shakespearean sonnet	rhymed abab cdcd efef gg	52
6745748889	Italian/Petrarchan sonnet	rhymed abba abba cde cde	53
6745748890	Tetrameter	a line with four feet	54
6745748891	Ode	a poem composed in address to something, especially elevated in style/written in admiration/using irregular or varied meter	55
6745748892	Romantic	idealistic poetry written about the individual experience/nature/youth/emotion	56
6745748893	Neoclassical	poetry written about order/reason/society/balance	57
6745748894	Caesura	a break within a line	58
6745748895	Meter	rhythm within a poem determined by length and number of feet	59
6745748896	Metaphysical conceit	an analogy between spiritual qualities and a physical object, may control a poem's structure	60
6745748897	Meditative lyric	addressing an object or text to contemplate	61
6745748898	Alliteration	repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the beginnings of words	62
6745748899	Assonance	repetition of vowel sounds	63
6745748900	Ballad	tells a story, narrative	64
6745748901	Ballad stanza	four-line section in iambic meter, lines 1 and 3 are unrhymed with four feet, lines 2 and 4 are rhymed with three feet	65
6745748902	Blank verse	unrhymed iambic pentameter	66
6745748903	Dactyl	type of foot, accented unaccented unaccented (three syllables)	67
6745748904	End-stopped	line that stops at the end	68
6745748905	Enjambment	line that continues past the end	69
6745748906	Free verse	not written in traditional meter	70
6745748907	Heroic couplet	pair of end-stopped rhyming lines in iambic pentameter	71
6745748908	Hexameter	a line with six feet	72
6745748909	Iamb	type of foot, unaccented accented (two syllables)	73
6745748910	Internal rhyme	end sound repetition within a line	74
6745748911	Onomatopoeia	the sound suggests the meaning	75
6745748912	Bildungsroman	a coming-of-age story	76
6745748913	Doppleganger	an eerie double	77
6745748914	In medias res	a story that starts in the middle	78
6745748915	Dramatis personae	list of characters, especially at the beginning of a play	79
6745748916	Double entendre	two meanings, especially when one is sexual	80
6745748917	Pun	two meanings, especially when using homophones	81
6745748918	Deus ex machina	"God from the machine," sudden solving of a problem by a new character/event/ability	82
6745748919	Elegy	poem of serious reflection, especially lamenting the dead	83
6745748920	Eulogy	praises someone highly, especially someone who recently died	84
6745748921	Epithet	an adjective describing a quality, especially as a term of abuse	85
6745748922	Epistle	a letter or a poem in the form of a letter	86
6745748923	Epitaph	short text honoring the dead, especially on a tombstone	87
6745748924	Epigram	pithy remark that is funny, OR a short and blunt poem with a witty ending	88
6745748925	Entreaty	to earnestly or humbly make a request	89

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AP Literature Terms Flashcards

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4059022801	ethos	Appeal to ethics, a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader	0
4059023476	logos	Appeal to logic	1
4059023477	pathos	Appeal to emotion	2
4059025473	refute	To disprove	3
4059026271	enumeration	listing items in order the listing or detailing of the parts of something. Ex. I love her eyes, her hair, her nose, her cheeks, her lips.	4
4059029702	metonymy	A figure of speech in which the name of one object is SUBSTITUTED for that of another closely associated with it. ex. The pen is mightier than the sword	5
4059031688	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa (Suits to represent businessmen	6
4059034464	anaphora	A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences.	7
4059036806	asyndeton	Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words, speeds up flow of sentence. X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z."He eats, sleeps, drinks"	8
4059043033	epistrophe	Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses "For no government is better than the men who compose it, and I want the best, and we need the best, and we deserve the best. - John F. Kennedy	9
4059046419	antithesis	Direct opposite	10
4059464742	Epanalepsis	repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause "Next time there won't be a next time"	11
4059471940	Polysyndeton	Deliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. "He ran and jumped and laughed for joy"	12
4131022026	warrant	to justify	13
4131023124	flippant	Lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy	14
4131023325	adage	A proverb, wise saying	15
4131023840	logical fallacy	Common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument	16
4131024757	evocative	tending to call to mind or produce a reaction	17
4131025768	process analysis	Presences a chronological sequence of steps that can explain how something is done, how something happens, or how readers can do something.	18

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AP Literature Terms Flashcards

AP Literary Terms, taken from Barron's 2008 edition of their AP English Lit and Comp study book. Some definitions may be modified to allow them to function better with Space Race.

Terms : Hide Images

2515103289	abstract	An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research	0
2515103290	adage	A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language	1
2515103291	allegory	A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical, or possibly an ethical meaning	2
2515103292	alliteration	The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose	3
2515103293	allusion	A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea	4
2515103294	ambiguity	A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation	5
2515103295	anachronism	A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set	6
2515103296	analogy	A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things	7
2515103297	annotation	A brief explanation, summary, or evaluation of a text or work of literature	8
2515103298	antagonist	A character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the protagonist produces tension or conflict	9
2515103299	antithesis	A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences: "They promised freedom but provided slavery"	10
2515103300	aphorism	A short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment	11
2515103301	Apollonian	In contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior	12
2515103302	apostrophe	A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present	13
2515103303	archetype	An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form	14
2515103304	assonance	The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose	15
2515103305	ballad	A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited	16
2515103306	bard	A poet; in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment	17
2515103307	bathos	The use of insincere or overdone sentimentality	18
2515103308	belle-lettres	French term for the world of books, criticism, and literature in general	19
2515103309	bibliography	A list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or other work.	20
2515103310	Bildungsroman	A German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal	21
2515103311	blank verse	Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton	22
2515103312	bombast	Inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects	23
2515103313	burlesque	A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation	24
2515103314	cacophony	Grating, inharmonious sounds	25
2515103315	caesura	A pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not always) marked by punctuation	26
2515103316	canon	The works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied	27
2515103317	caricature	A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things	28
2515103318	carpe diem	Literally, "seize the day"; enjoy life while you can, a common theme in literature	29
2515103319	catharsis	A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy	30
2515103320	classic	A highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time	31
2515103321	classicism	Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity, and restraint	32
2515103322	climax	The high point, or turning point, of a story or play	33
2515103323	coming-of-age story	A tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood. The character may develop understanding via disillusionment, education, doses of reality, or any other experiences that alter his or her emotional or intellectual maturity	34
2515103324	conceit	A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language	35
2515103325	connotation	The suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase	36
2515103326	consonance	The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry	37
2515103327	couplet	A pair of rhyming lines in a poem	38
2515103328	denotation	The dictionary definition of a word	39
2515103329	denouement	The resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction	40
2515103330	deus ex machina	In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem	41
2515103331	diction	The choice of words in oral and written discourse	42
2515103332	Dionysian	As distinguished from Apollonian, the word refers to sensual, pleasure-seeking impulses	43
2515103333	dramatic irony	A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character, ex. Oedipus Rex	44
2515103334	elegy	A poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of something or someone of value	45
2515103335	ellipsis	Three periods (. . .) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation	46
2515103336	elliptical construction	A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. In the sentence "May was hot and June the same," the verb "was" is omitted from the second clause	47
2515103337	empathy	A feeling of association or identification with an object or person	48
2515103338	end-stopped	A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation.	49
2515103339	enjambment	In poetry, the use of successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them	50
2515103340	epic	An extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero that is generally larger than life and is often considered a legendary figure, i.e. Odysseus, Beowulf, Homer's Iliad, Vergil's Aeneid.	51
2515103341	epigram	A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement	52
2515103342	euphony	Pleasing, harmonious sounds	53
2515103343	epithet	An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing, ex. sun-bright topaz, sun-lit lake, sun-bright lake	54
2515103344	eponymous	A term for the title character of a work of literature	55
2515103345	euphemism	A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term; i.e. "pass away" instead of "die"	56
2515103346	exegesis	A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature	57
2515103347	expose	A piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings	58
2515103348	exposition	The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature	59
2515103349	explication	The interpretation or analysis of a text.	60
2515103350	extended metaphor	A series of comparisons between two unlike objects	61
2515103351	fable	A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior	62
2515103352	falling action	The action in a play or story that occurs after the climax and that leads to the conclusion and often to the resolution of the conflict	63
2515103353	fantasy	A story containing unreal, imaginary features	64
2515103354	farce	A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose.	65
2515103355	figurative language	Also called figure of speech. In contrast to literal language, it implies meanings. Includes metaphors, similes, and personification, among others.	66
2515103356	first-person narrative	A narrative told by a character involved in the story, using first-person pronouns such as I and we.	67
2515103357	flashback	A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances.	68
2515103358	foot	A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line.	69
2515103359	foreshadowing	Providing hints of things to come in a story or play	70
2515103360	frame	A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative	71
2515103361	free verse	A kind of poetry without rhymed lines, rhythm, or fixed metrical feet	72
2515103362	genre	A term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, and essay	73
2515103363	Gothic novel	A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action	74
2515103364	harangue	A forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade	75
2515103365	heroic couplet	Two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter and used widely in eighteenth-century verse.	76
2515103366	hubris	The excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death	77
2515103367	humanism	A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity	78
2515103368	hyperbole	Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect	79
2515103369	idyll	A lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place	80
2515103370	image	A word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or felt	81
2515103371	in medias res	"In the middle of things"--a Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events, but at some other critical point.	82
2515103372	indirect quotation	A rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased	83
2515103373	invective	A direct verbal assault; a denunciation	84
2515103374	irony	A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected	85
2515103375	kenning	A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities, as in "ring-giver" for king and "whale-road" for ocean	86
2515103376	lampoon	A mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation	87
2515103377	light verse	A variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse, but sometimes with a satirical thrust	88
2515103378	litotes	A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Ex: He's not a bad dancer	89
2515103379	loose sentence	A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences, i.e. subject-verb-object. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses	90
2515103380	lyric poetry	Personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject	91
2515103381	maxim	A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth	92
2515103382	melodrama	A literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotional response	93
2515103383	metaphor	A figure of speech that compares unlike objects	94
2515103384	metaphysical poetry	The work of poets, particularly those of the seventeenth century, that uses elaborate conceits, is highly intellectual, and expresses the complexities of love and life	95
2515103385	meter	The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry	96
2515103386	metonymy	A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. Ex: "The White House says..."	97
2515103387	Middle English	The language spoken in England roughly between 1150 and 1500 A.D.	98
2515103388	mock epic	A parody of traditional epic form. It usually treats a frivolous topic with extreme seriousness, using conventions such as invocations to the Muse, action-packed battle scenes, and accounts of heroic exploits.	99
2515103389	mode	The general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a work of literature	100
2515103390	montage	A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea	101
2515103391	mood	The emotional tone in a work of literature	102
2515103392	moral	A brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature	103
2515103393	motif	A phrase, idea, or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature	104
2515103394	muse	One of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts. The imaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer	105
2515103395	myth	An imaginary story that has become an accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group or society	106
2515103396	narrative	A form of verse or prose that tells a story	107
2515103397	naturalism	A term often used as a synonym for realism, also a view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic.	108
2515103398	non sequitur	A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before	109
2515103399	novella	A work of fiction of roughly 20,000 to 50,000 words--longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel	110
2515103400	novel of manners	A novel focusing on and describing the social customs and habits of a particular social group	111
2515103401	ode	A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feeling towards the subject	112
2515103402	Old English	The Anglo-Saxon language spoken in what is now England from approximately 450 to 1150 A.D.	113
2515103403	omniscient narrator	A narrator with unlimited awareness, understanding, and insight of characters, setting, background, and all other elements of the story	114
2515103404	onomatopoeia	The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning	115
2515103405	ottava rima	An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem	116
2515103406	oxymoron	A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect	117
2515103407	parable	A story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived	118
2515103408	paradox	A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true	119
2515103409	paraphrase	A version of a text put into simpler, everyday words	120
2515103410	pastoral	A work of literature dealing with rural life	121
2515103411	pathetic fallacy	Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects	122
2515103412	pathos	That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow	123
2515103413	pentameter	A verse with five poetic feet per line	124
2515103414	periodic sentence	A sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main though only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support.	125
2515103415	persona	The role or facade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader, a viewer, or the world at large	126
2515103416	personification	A figure of speech in which objects and animals are given human characteristics	127
2515103417	plot	The interrelationship among the events in a story; the plot line is the pattern of events, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.	128
2515103418	picaresque novel	An episodic novel about a roguelike wanderer who lives off his wits. Ex: Don Quixote, Moll Flanders	129
2515103419	point of view	The relation in which a narrator or speaker stands to the story or subject matter of a poem.	130
2515103420	prosody	The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry	131
2515103421	protagonist	The main character in a work of literature	132
2515103422	pseudonym	Also called "pen name" or "nom de plume"; a false name or alias used by writers. Ex: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)	133
2515103423	pulp fiction	Novels written for mass consumption, often emphasizing exciting and titillating plots	134
2515103424	pun	A humorous play on words, using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings	135
2515103425	quatrain	A four-line poem or a four-line unit of a longer poem	136
2515103426	realism	The depiction of people, things, and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect.	137
2515103427	rhetoric	The language of a work and its style; words, often highly emotional, used to convince or sway an audience	138
2515103428	rhetorical stance	Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject	139
2515103429	rhyme	The repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals, used mostly in poetry.	140
2515103430	rhyme scheme	The pattern of rhymes within a given poem	141
2515103431	rhythm	The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up a line of poetry	142
2515103432	roman a clef	French for a novel in which hisotrical events and actual people appear under the guise of fiction	143
2515103433	romance	An extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places	144
2515103434	sarcasm	A sharp, caustic expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt; different from irony, which is more subtle	145
2515103435	satire	A literary style used to poke fun at, attack, or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change	146
2515103436	scan	The act of determining the meter of a poetic line.	147
2515103437	sentiment	A synonym for view or feeling; also a refined and tender emotion in literature	148
2515103438	sentimental	A term that describes characters' excessive emotional response to experience; also nauseatingly nostalgic and mawkish	149
2515103439	setting	The total environment for the action in a novel or play. It includes time, place, historical milieu, and social, political, and even spiritual circumstances	150
2515103440	simile	A figurative comparison using the words like or as	151
2515103441	sonnet	A popular form of verse consisting of fourteen lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme.	152
2515103442	stanza	A group of two or more lines in poetry combined according to subject matter, rhyme, or some other plan	153
2515103443	stream of consciousness	A style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind	154
2515103444	style	The manner in which an author uses and arranges words,	155
2515103445	subplot	A subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or play, usually connected to the main plot	156
2515103446	subtext	The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work of literature	157
2515103447	symbolism	The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object	158
2515103448	synecdoche	A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole ("fifty masts" for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part ("days" for life, as in "He lived his days in Canada"). Also when the name of the material stands for the thing itself ("pigskin" for football)	159
2515103449	syntax	The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular pattern of words	160
2515103450	theme	The main idea or meaning, often an abstract idea upon which a work of literature is built	161
2515103451	title character	A character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; also known as the eponymous character	162
2515103452	tone	The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence	163
2515103453	tragedy	A form of literature in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and a set of forces that cause the hero considerable anguish	164
2515103454	trope	The generic name for a figure of speech such as image, symbol, simile, and metaphor	165
2515103455	verbal irony	A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words	166
2515103456	verse	A synonym for poetry. Also a group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry	167
2515103457	verisimilitude	Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is.	168
2515103458	versification	The structural form of a line of verse as revealed by the number of feet it contains. For example: monometer = 1foot; tetrameter = 4 feet; pentameter = 5 feet, and so forth	169
2515103459	villanelle	A French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of nineteen lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes	170
2515103460	voice	The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker	171
2515103461	wit	The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that suprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene	172
2515159434	anapestic	A metrical foot in poetry that consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed.	173
2515160930	anaphora	The regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.	174
2515163154	anecdote	A brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature	175
2515164229	asyndeton	A style in which conjunctions are omitted, usually producing a fast-paced, more rapid prose	176
2515164950	attitude	The sense expressed by the tone of voice/or the mood of a piece of writing; the feelings the author holds toward his subject, the people in his narrative, the events, the setting, or even the theme.	177
2515170973	ballad stanza	A common stanza form, consisting of a quatrain (a stanza of four lines) that alternates four-beat and three-beat lines: one and three are unrhymed iambic tetrameter (four beats), and two and four are rhymed iambic trimeter (three beats)	178
2515175309	chiasmus	A figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first two parallel clauses is reversed in the second.	179
2515176936	colloquial	Ordinary language, the vernacular.	180
2515177874	dactylic	A metrical foot in poetry that consists of two stressed syllables followed by one unstressed syllable.	181
2515179797	dialect	The language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people.	182
2515181273	dramatic monologue	A monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience.	183
2515182211	formal diction	Language that is lofty, dignified and impersonal. Such diction is often used in narrative epic poetry.	184
2515184056	iambic	A metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.	185
2515186167	imagery	Broadly defined, an sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object. Basically involves any or all five of the senses.	186
2515190218	informal diction	Language that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech	187
2515190812	jargon	Specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group	188
2515192723	juxtaposition	The location of one thing as being adjacent or juxtaposed with another. This placing of two items side by side creates a certain effect, reveals an attitude, or accomplishes some purpose of the writer.	189
2515196549	limited point of view	A perspective confined to a single character, whether a first person or third person; the reader cannot know for sure what is going on in the minds of other characters.	190
2515196996	message	A misleading term for theme; the central idea or statement of a story, or area of inquiry or explanation; misleading because it suggests a simple, packaged statement that pre-exists and for the simple communication of which the story is written.	191
2515199665	narrative structure	A textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework.	192
2515200029	narrator	The "character" who "tells" the story.	193
2515201084	occasional poem	A poem written about or for a specific occasion, public or private.	194
2515201777	omniscient point of view	Also called unlimited focus: a perspective that can be seen from one character's view, then another's, then another's, or can be moved in or out of the mind of any character at any time. The reader has access to the perceptions and thoughts of all the characters in the story.	195
2515209562	overstatement	Exaggerated language	196
2515211224	parallel structure	The use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts.	197
2515216124	petrarchan sonnet	Also called Italian sonnet: a sonnet form that divides the poem into one section of eight lines (octave) and a second section of sex lines (sestet), usually following the abba abba cde cde rhyme scheme, through the sestet's rhyme varies.	198
2515219062	refrain	A repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song.	199
2515221733	rhetorical question	A question that is asked simply for stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered.	200
2515223507	rising action	The development of action in a work, usually at the beginning. The first part of plot structure.	201
2515228719	Shakespearean sonnet	Also called an English sonnet: a sonnet form that divides the poem into three units of four lines each and a final unit of two lines, usually abab cdcd efef gg.	202
2515230408	shaped verse	Another name for concrete poetry: poetry that is shaped to look like an object.	203
2515236237	soliloquy	A monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself.	204
2515236815	speaker	The person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of a poem.	205
2515238808	stereotype	A characterization based on conscious or unconscious assumptions that some aspect, such as gender, age, ethnic or national identity, religion, occupation, martial status, and so on, are predictably accompanied by certain character traits, actions, even values.	206
2515244582	stock character	One who appears in a number of stories or plays, such as the cruel stepmother, the femme fatale, etc.	207
2515247780	structure	The organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work.	208
2515248600	terza rima	A verse form consisting of three-line stanzas in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next.	209
2515252855	trochaic	A metrical foot in poetry that is the opposite of iambic. The first syllable is stressed, the second is not.	210
2515253696	turning point	The third part of plot structure, the point at which the action stops rising and begins falling or reversing. Sometimes referred to as the climax of the story.	211

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AP Language Terminology Flashcards

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9955926749	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 lie hope or freedom; can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.	0
9955926750	Alliteration	The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in tow or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells)	1
9955926751	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	2
9955926752	Ambiguity (am-bi-gyoo-i-tee)	The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.	3
9955926753	Analogy	A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them	4
9955926754	Anaphora (uh-naf-er-uh)	One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.	5
9955926755	Anecdote	A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person	6
9955926756	Antecedent (an-tuh-seed-nt)	The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.	7
9955926757	Antithesis (an-tih-theh-sis)	Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Antithesis creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas.	8
9955926758	Aphorism	A terse statement of know authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle	9
9955926759	Apostrophe	A 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.	10
9955926760	Atmosphere	The emotional mood 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	11
9955926761	Chiasmus (kahy-az-muhs)	From the Greek word for "criss-cross," a figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words.	12
9955926762	Clause	a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb	13
9955926763	Colloquial/colloquialism (kuj-loh-kwee-uhl)	The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing	14
9955926764	Coherence	A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible	15
9955926765	Conceit	A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects; displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made.	16
9955926766	Connotation	- The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning; may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes.	17
9955926767	Denotation	The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color.	18
9955926768	Diction	Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.	19
9955926769	Didactic (dahy-dak-tik)	the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.	20
9955926770	Expletive (ek-spli-tiv)	Figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side of the expletive.	21
9955926771	Euphemism (yoo-fuh-miz-uhm)	From the Greek for "good speech," a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.	22
9955926772	Exposition	In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration; is to explain something	23
9955926773	Extended metaphor	A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work.	24
9955926774	Figurative language	- Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.	25
9955926775	Figure of speech	A device used to produce figurate language. Many compare dissimilar things; include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.	26
9955926776	Generic conventions	This term describes traditions for each genre	27
9955926777	Genre	The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.	28
9955926778	Homily (hom-uh-lee)	This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.	29
9955926779	Hyperbole (hahy-pur-buh-lee)	A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.	30
9955926780	Imagery	The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstraction	31
9955926781	Inference/infer	To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented	32
9955926782	Invective	an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attach using strong, abusive language.	33
9955926783	Irony/ironic	The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, can be verbal, situational, or dramatic	34
9955926784	Juxtaposition (juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn)	When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast.	35
9955926785	Metaphor	A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity	36
9955926786	Mood	meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.	37
9955926787	Narrative	The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.	38
9955926788	Onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh)	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	39
9955926789	Oxymoron	From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." This term does not usually appear in the multiple-choice questions, but there is a chance that you might find it in an essay. Take note of the effect which the author achieves with this term.	40
9955926790	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.	41
9955926791	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 phrase. A famous example of parallelism begins Charles Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity . . ." The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.	42
9955926792	Parody	A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, parody distorts or exaggerated distinctive features of the original. As ridicule, it mimics the work by repeating and borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weaknesses in the original. Well-written parody offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written parody offers only ineffectual imitation. Usually an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being parodied in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, parodies take on a life of their own and don't require knowledge of the original	43
9955926793	Pedantic (puh-dan-tik)	An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.	44
9955926794	Periodic 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. For example: "Ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout!" The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence.	45
9955926795	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. Personification is used to make these abstractions, animal, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.	46
9955926796	Polysyndeton (paulee-sin-dih-tawn)	Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) not normally found in successive words, phrases or clauses; the deliberate and excessive use of conjunctions in successive words or clauses. The effect is a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up - a persistence or intensity.	47
9955926797	Predicate adjective	One type of subject complement is an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is an the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject.	48
9955926798	Predicate nominative	A second type of subject complement - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that names the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence.	49
9955926799	Prose	One of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and non-fiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line	50
9955926800	Repetition	The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.	51
9955926801	Rhetoric	From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.	52
9955926802	Rhetorical modes	This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common rhetorical modes and their purposes are as follows: (1) The purpose of exposition (or expository writing) is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. The AP language exam essay questions are frequently expository topics. (2) The purpose of argumentation is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader. Persuasive writing is a type of argumentation having an additional aim of urging some form of action. (3) The purpose of description is to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in description; good descriptive writing can be sensuous and picturesque. Descriptive writing may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional and subjective. (4) The purpose of narration is to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing. These four modes are sometimes referred to as mode of discourse.	53
9955926803	Rhetorical Question [erotesis]	- differs from hypophora in that it is not answered by the writer because its answer is obvious or obviously desired, and usually just a yes or no answer would suffice. It is used for effect, emphasis, or provocation, or for drawing a conclusionary statement from the fact at hand.	54
9955926804	Sarcasm	From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," sarcasm involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony is a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic, that is, intended to ridicule. When well done, sarcasm can be witty and insightful; when done poorly, it's simply cruel	55
9955926805	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, satire is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively the satirist: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects of satire are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but good satire, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.	56
9955926806	Semantics	The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another	57
9955926807	Style	The consideration of style has two purposes: (1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Some authors' styles are so idiosyncratic that we can quickly recognize works by the same author (or a writer emulating that author's style)/ Compare, for example, Jonathan's Swift to George Orwell or William Faulkner to Ernest Hemingway. We can analyze and describe an author's personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. Styles can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, or laconic, to name only a few examples. (2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author's style reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance of the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as the romantic, transcendental or realist movement.	58
9955926808	Subject complement	The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it. The former is the technically a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. Multiple-choice questions.	59
9955926809	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. Also called a dependent clause, the subordinate clause depends on a main clause, sometimes called an independent clause, to complete its meaning. Easily recognized key words and phrases usually begin these clauses 0 for example: although, because, unless, if even though, since, as soon as, while who, when , where, how and that.	60
9955926810	Syllogism (sil- uh-jiz-uhm)	From the Greek for "reckoning together, " a syllogism (or syllogistic-reasoning or syllogistic logic is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the firs one called "major" and the second, "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows;	61
9955926811	Symbol/symbolism	Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete - such as object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. However, symbols, and symbolism can be much more complex. One system classifies symbols in three categories: (1) Natural symbols are objects and occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning, a rose symbolizing love, a tree symbolizing knowledge). (2) Conventional symbols are those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols, such as a flag or an eagle; or group symbols, such as a skull an crossbones for pirates or the scales of justice for lawyers). (3) Literary symbols are sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are generally recognized. However, a work's symbols may be more complicated as is the whale in Moby Dick and the jungle in Heart of Darkness. On the AP exam, try to determine what abstraction an object is a symbol for and to what extent it is successful in representing that abstraction.	62
9955926812	Synecdoche (si-nek-duh-kee)	is a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion , section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa).	63
9955926813	Syntax	The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as the groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. In the multiple-choice section, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates syntax. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how syntax produces effects.	64
9955926814	Theme	The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in exposityr or argumentative writing.	65
9955926815	Thesis	In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or a group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively, and thoroughly a writer has proved the thesis.	66
9955926816	Tone	Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if ti were read aloud can help in identifying an author's tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber	67
9955926817	Transition	A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. A few commonly used transitional words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly and on the contrary. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition. We will discuss these methods later.	68
9955926818	Understatement	The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.	69
9955926819	Undertone	An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a work may have threatening undertones. William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" from the Songs of Innocence has a grim undertone.	70
9955926820	Wit	In modern usage, intellectually amazing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, wit originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally (in the early seventeenth century), it grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception.	71

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AP Language and Composition Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

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5505945728	Allegory	the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning	0
5505947526	Alliteration	the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"	1
5505947527	Allusion	a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumable commonly known, such as an even, book, myth, place or work of art	2
5505948042	Ambiguity	the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word or phrase, sentence or passage	3
5505948043	Analogy	a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them	4
5505949173	Antecedent	the word, phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun	5
5505949174	Aphorism	a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle	6
5505949988	Apostrophe	a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love	7
5505986191	Clause	a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb	8
5505986192	Colloquial	the use or slang or informalities in speech or writing	9
5505986193	Conciet	a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between two seemingly dissimilar objects	10
5505986872	Connotation	the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning	11
5506002392	Denotation	the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude or color	12
5506003399	Diction	related to style, it refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness or effectiveness	13
5506003400	Didactic	from the Greek, didatic literally means "teaching" they have the primary aim of teaching or instruction, especially the teaching or moral or ethical principles	14
5506016058	Euphemism	from the Greek for "good speech", it is more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept	15
5506017853	Extended metaphor	a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work	16
5506017854	Figurative language	writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid	17
5506021400	Figure of speech	a device used to produce figurative language	18
5506031289	Generic conventions	describes tradition for each genre	19
5506031290	Genre	the major category into which a literary work fits	20
5506032118	Homily	literally means "sermon", but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice	21
5506032119	Hyperbole	a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement	22
5506054908	Imagery	the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion or represent abstractions	23
5506055659	Inference	to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented	24
5506055660	Invective	an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language	25
5506055661	Irony	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	26
5506070522	Loose sentence	a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses	27
5506071077	Metaphor	a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity	28
5506071078	Metonymy	a term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name", it is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it	29
5506071614	Mood	the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work	30
5506082467	Narrative	the telling of a story or an account of an event of series of events	31
5506086270	Onomatopoeia	a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words	32
5506086271	Oxymoron	from the Greek for "pointedly foolish", it is a figure of speech where in the author apparently uses contradictory terms to suggest a paradox	33
5506101018	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	34
5506101019	Parallelism	comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another"; it refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing or words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs to give structural similarity	35
5506101518	Parody	a work the closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comedic effect and/ or ridicule	36
5506101519	Pedantic	an adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic or bookish	37
5506101520	Periodic sentence	the opposite of a loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end	38
5506102322	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	39
5506102323	Point of view	in literature, the perspective from which a story is told	40
5506102324	Prose	one of the major divisions of genre, it refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms	41
5506126114	Repetition	the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any language such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence or grammatical pattern	42
5506126812	Rhetoric	from Greek for "orator", this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently and persuasively	43
5506126813	Rhetorical modes	describes the variety, the conventions and the purposes of the major kinds of writing; exposition, argumentation, description, narration	44
5506137615	Sarcasm	from Greek meaning "to tear flesh"; it involves bitter caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something	45
5506137616	Satire	a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule	46
5506137617	Semantic	the branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of works, their historical and psychological development, their connotations and their relation to one another	47
5506137618	Style	- an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language and other literary devices - classification of authors to a group and comparison of an other to a similar author	48
5506138623	Syllogism	Greek for "reckoning together" and is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (major and minor) that lead to sound conclusion	49
5506138624	Symbol	anything that represents itself and stands for something else	50
5506141793	Syntax	the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses and sentences	51
5506163156	Theme	the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life	52
5506163157	Thesis	the sentence or group of sentences that directly express the author's opinion, purpose meaning or position	53
5506163898	Tone	similar to mood, it describes the author's attitude towards his material, the audience or both	54
5506166121	Transition	a word or phrase that links different ideas	55
5506173640	Understatement	the ironic minimalizing fact, understatement presents something as less significant as it is	56
5506173641	Wit	intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights	57

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AP Language Rhetorical Terms: List 3 Flashcards

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9652143834	abstract	Words or phrases denoting ideas, qualities, and conditions that exist but cannot be seen--opposite of these types terms are concrete terms	0
9652143835	ad populem argument	A fallacious argument that appeals to the passions and prejudices of a group rather than its reason. An example is using the phrase "It's the American Way"	1
9652143836	allegory	The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. This type of meaning usually deals with moral truth or generalization about human existence.	2
9652143837	anaphora	The repetition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses.	3
9652143838	aphorism	A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. Can be a memorable summation of the author's point.	4
9652143839	apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction--may add familiarity or emotional intensity.	5
9652143840	attitude	A writer's intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject of the writing.	6
9652143841	audience	The group for whom a work is intended.	7
9652143842	claim	The ultimate conclusion, generalization, or point, backed up by support, of an argument.	8
9652143843	cliché	A stale image or expression, and the bane of good expository writing.	9
9652143844	comparison/contrast	A rhetorical mode used to develop essays that systematically match two items for similarities and differences	10
9652143845	complex sentence	A sentence with one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.	11
9652143846	concrete	Said of words or terms denoting objects or condition that are palpable, visible, or evident to the senses---opposite of abstract.	12
9652143847	evidence	The logical bases or supports for an assertion or idea.	13
9652143848	genre	The major category into which a literary work fits--the basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.	14
9652143849	inversion	The reversal of the normal order of words in a sentence to achieve some desired effect, usually emphasis.	15
9652143850	loose sentence	A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. A work containing many of these often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational.	16
9652143851	metonymy	A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.	17
9652143852	periodic 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.	18
9652143853	process analysis	A type of development in writing that stresses how a sequence of steps produces a certain effect.	19
9652143854	rhetorical question	A question posed with no expectation of receiving an answer. Used in public speaking to launch or further discussion.	20
9652143855	synecdoche	A part of something used to refer to the whole.	21
9652143856	syntax	The order of words in a sentence and their relationships to each other.	22
9652143857	transition	Words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that indicate connections between the writer's ideas.	23
9652143858	unity	The characteristic of having all parts contribute to the overall effect.	24

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AP Literature Poetry Terms 1 Flashcards

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9317355065	apostrophe	addressing a nonhuman object as if it were present and could reply	0
9317358304	connotation	what a word suggests beyond its basic definition; a word's overtones of meaning	1
9317363204	denotation	the dictionary definition of a word	2
9317366753	ekphrasis	the poetic representation of a painting or sculpture in words	3
9317371747	epigram	1) short witty poem expressing a single thought or observation 2) concise, clever, often paradoxical statement	4
9317390156	extended figure	figure of speech developed through a considerable number of lines/whole poem	5
9317395829	figurative language	language that cannot be taken literally	6
9317398532	juxtaposition	positioning opposites next to each other to heighten the contrast	7
9317401160	metaphor	a comparison between two things	8
9317403008	metonymy	a significant aspect/detail of an experience is used to represent the whole experience	9
9317410092	onomatopoeia	words that sound like what they mean (boom, click, plop)	10
9317412780	personfication	giving inanimate objects human qualities or characteristics	11
9317420116	rhythm	any wavelike recurrence of motion or sound	12
9317423179	sentimentality	unmerited or contrived tender feeling; seeks to elicit tears	13
9317428596	simile	comparison between two things using like or as	14
9317430378	synecdoche	figure of speech in which the part is used for the whole	15
9317433795	syntax	word organization and order	16
9317436390	alliteration	repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning (or accented syllables) of important words)	17
9317443621	anapest	metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by one accented syllable (understand)	18
9317448514	anapestic meter	meter in which the majority of feet are anapests	19
9317453065	approximate rhyme	words in a rhyming pattern that have some sort of sound correspondence but do not rhyme exactly	20
9317462140	assonance	repetition of vowel sounds	21
9317464004	blank verse	poetry with meter, but not rhymed (usually iambic pentameter)	22
9317467951	consonance	repetition of consonant sounds	23
9317470237	couplet	two successive lines, usually in the same meter, linked by rhyme	24
9317493331	dactyl	a metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables (merrily)	25
9317500428	dactylic meter	meter in which a majority of the feet are dactyls	26
9317502463	end rhyme	rhymes that occur at the ends of lines	27
9317505001	end-stopped line	line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation (opposite of enjambment)	28
9317516535	enjambment	a line which has no natural speech pause at its end, allowing the sense to flow uninterruptedly into the next line (opposite of end-stopped line)	29
9317525469	English/Shakespearean sonnet	three quatrains and one couplet, rhyme pattern ababcdcdefefgg	30
9317532763	feminine rhyme	rhyme in which the stress is on the penultimate syllable of the words (picky)	31
9317536520	foot	basic unit used in scansion (measurement of verse); usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables	32
9317544565	free verse	nonmetrical verse; no pattern/rhyme expectation	33
9317547861	half rhyme (slant rhyme)	consonance of the final consonants of the words involved	34
9317553476	heroic couplet	poems constructed in a sequence of two lines of (usually rhyming) verse in iambic pentameter	35
9317559540	iamb	a metrical foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable (rehearse)	36

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AP Language and Composition 2 Flashcards

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9628170639	Third Person Limited Omniscient	This type of point of presents the feeling and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all remaining characters	0
9628177685	Third Person Omniscient	The narrator, with a godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters	1
9628183185	Rhetoric	from the Greek for "orator," this terms describes the principle governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively	2
9628189585	Didactic	A "" work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns	3
9628200818	Ellipsis	Indicated by a series of three periods, the "" indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text	4
9628207254	Exposition	The purpose of this rhetorical mode is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion	5
9628217558	Synecdoche	a figure of speech the utilizes a part as representative of the whole. "All hands on deck" is an example.	6
9628220461	Anaphora	repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition an helps make the writer's point more coherent.	7
9628226815	Euphony	the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work	8

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