AP Language lit terms Flashcards
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| 7622633178 | Allusion | a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known | 0 | |
| 8063127615 | Allegory | Device using character and/ or story elements symbolically to represent an abstract and literal meaning | 1 | |
| 8063137324 | Ambiguity | multiple meaning, intentional/ unintentional, word phrase sentence or passage | 2 | |
| 8063170494 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between 2 things | 3 | |
| 8063174275 | Anecdote | brief story used to illustrate an idea or make a point | 4 | |
| 8063183834 | antecedent | word phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun (it) | 5 | |
| 8063193495 | antithesis | opposite or contrast of ideas-direct opposite | 6 | |
| 8063197396 | aphorism | a tense statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle | 7 | |
| 8063219638 | Apostrophe | a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person of personified principle | 8 | |
| 8063242918 | atmosphere | emotional background created by the entirety of a literary work, established by setting, choice of objects described | 9 | |
| 8063251012 | Bathos | insincere/ overdone sentimentality | 10 | |
| 8063256915 | Bombast | Inflated, pretentious language | 11 | |
| 8063267280 | caricature | verbal description, exaggerate or distort for comic effect | 12 | |
| 8063272071 | circumlocution | speech that avoids direct reflection to the subject | 13 | |
| 8063276144 | clause | the grammatical unit contains subject and verb- independent, main expresses complete thought, can stand alone | 14 | |
| 8063306117 | climax | high point, turning point | 15 | |
| 8063311615 | colloquial/ colloquialism | use of slang or informalities | 16 | |
| 8063314793 | conceit | fanciful expression- extended metaphor | 17 | |
| 8063322665 | concrete detail | highly specific detail, tangible detail | 18 | |
| 8063329160 | connotation | non-literal meaning, associative meaning | 19 | |
| 8063333521 | deductive reasoning | method of reasoning by which conclusions are drawn from general principals | 20 | |
| 8063341291 | denotation | strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of emotion or color | 21 | |
| 8063348347 | diction | writers word choice | 22 | |
| 8063351279 | didactic | using words that have the primary aim of teaching or instructing | 23 | |
| 8063356694 | digression | a portion of discourse or narrative that departs from main subject | 24 | |
| 8063363293 | elliptical construction | omitting a word or phrase used to describe a person | 25 | |
| 8063371427 | euphemism | more agreeable or less offensive substitute for unpleasant word | 26 | |
| 8063401216 | extended metaphor | developed at great length, occuring frequently | 27 | |
| 8063410895 | figurative language | writing or speech not to carry literal meaning | 28 | |
| 8063416403 | genre | major category which a literary work fits best-prose (fiction/ non-fiction), poetry, drama | 29 | |
| 8063425354 | harangue | forceful sermon or lecture | 30 | |
| 8063428719 | homily | sermon on moral theme | 31 | |
| 8063431851 | Hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration or overstatement | 32 | |
| 8063436233 | imagery | sensory details- arouse emotion or represent abstractions- visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, olfactory | 33 | |
| 8063446733 | inductive reasoning | specific facts used to make generalization | 34 | |
| 8063456469 | infrence/ infer | to draw a reasonable conclusion based on the info presented | 35 | |
| 8063471527 | invective | emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack with strong, abusive language. | 36 | |
| 8063480873 | Irony/ ironic | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant | 37 | |
| 8063487392 | verbal irony | when the words literally state the opposite of writers meaning | 38 | |
| 8063491066 | situational irony | events turn out opposite of what was expected | 39 | |
| 8063495239 | dramatic irony | facts or events are unknown to the character but known to the reader or other characters | 40 | |
| 8063501697 | litotes | understatement which uses negative to affirm positive | 41 | |
| 8063519213 | loose sentence | where main idea is presented first and other follow | 42 | |
| 8063526077 | malapropism | confused use of words, appropriate word replaced by one that sounds the same | 43 | |
| 8063536398 | metaphor | a figure of speech used to imply comparison of unlike things | 44 | |
| 8063541299 | mood | emotional amtompshere in a work | 45 | |
| 8063544507 | motif | unifying phrase presented throughout an entire work | 46 | |
| 8063547781 | myth | a story that has become an accepted part of the culture often an allusion | 47 | |
| 8063555967 | onomatopoeia | figure of speech in which natural sounds are limited in the sounds of words | 48 | |
| 8063559866 | oxymoron | figure of speech wherein the author groups- contradictory terms | 49 | |
| 8063565920 | paradox | a self-contradictory statement or opposed to common sense | 50 | |
| 8063572220 | parallelism | structural similarity in writing | 51 | |
| 8063587716 | anaphora parallelism | exact repetition of words or phrases beginning | 52 | |
| 8063599338 | isocolon parallelism | series of clauses of same length | 53 | |
| 8063601972 | chiasmos parallelism | two clauses related by reversal of structure | 54 | |
| 8063606519 | parody | work closely imitates style or content of another ex: SNL | 55 | |
| 8063612247 | pastoral | a work or literature dealing with rural life | 56 | |
| 8063617329 | pedantic | an adjective describes words, phrases or general tone- overly scholarly | 57 | |
| 8063622302 | periodic sentence | the sentence that presents its central meaning in the main clause | 58 | |
| 8063629654 | personification | giving objects human- like attributes | 59 | |
| 8063632883 | point of view | perspective in which story is told | 60 | |
| 8063636935 | first person point of view | I, character in the story | 61 | |
| 8063639934 | omniscient third person point of view | he, she, it, narrator in the story- inside heads | 62 | |
| 8063655716 | limited third person point of view | presented thoughts by narrator- actions | 63 | |
| 8063658953 | objective third person point of view | present thoughts and feeling- no character, narrator not in the head | 64 | |
| 8063664604 | second person point of view | you | 65 | |
| 8063667396 | polysydeton | using many coordinating conjunctions in a sentence- and | 66 | |
| 8063681087 | pun | humorous play on words using similar sounds words to suggest different meanings | 67 |
AP Language Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 6634742041 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction lie hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. |  | 0 |
| 6634742042 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in tow or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells). Although the term is not used frequently in the multiple-choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. |  | 1 |
| 6634742043 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. |  | 2 |
| 6634742044 | Ambiguity (am-bi-gyoo-i-tee) | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. |  | 3 |
| 6634742045 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. Ex. He that voluntarily continues ignorance is guilty of all the crimes which ignorance produces, as to him |  | 4 |
| 6634742046 | 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. Ex: it was the best of times... |  | 5 |
| 6634742047 | 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 |
| 6634742048 | Antecedent (an-tuh-seed-nt) | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP Language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. Adeline bit her lip. Adeline = antecedent; her = personal pronoun. Our carnivorous friends will not attend the picnic because they despise tofu hotdogs and black bean burgers. Friends = antecedent; they = personal pronoun. |  | 7 |
| 6634742049 | Antithesis (an-tih-theh-sis) | a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind To err is human; to forgive divine |  | 8 |
| 6634742050 | Aphorism | An aphorism is a brief sentence or phrase that expresses an opinion or makes a statement of wisdom (known authorship? Unknown = folk proverb) |  | 9 |
| 6634742051 | 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. The effect is to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back: |  | 10 |
| 6634742052 | Asyndeton (uh-sin-di-tuhn) | omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity Asyndetic lists can be more emphatic than if a final conjunction were used. Caesar: "I came, I saw, i rocked out lol" |  | 11 |
| 6634742053 | 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. Even such elements as description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere forshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood. |  | 12 |
| 6634742054 | Chiasmus (kahy-az-muhs) | figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words. "Readers don't need to write, but writers need to read." |  | 13 |
| 6634742055 | Clause | Grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. -Independent (main) clause: expresses a complete thought/can stand alone as a sentence -Dependent (subordinate) clause: cannot stand alone as a sentence/must be accompanied by independent clause |  | 14 |
| 6634742056 | Colloquial/colloquialism (kuj-loh-kwee-uhl) | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. |  | 15 |
| 6634742057 | 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. Words, phrases, clauses within the sentence; and sentences, paragraphs, and chpters in larger pieces of writing are the unit that by their progressive and logical arrangement, make for coherence. |  | 16 |
| 6634742058 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. |  | 17 |
| 6634742059 | Connotation | - The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. |  | 18 |
| 6634742060 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. |  | 19 |
| 6634742061 | Diacope | repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase: repetition "O Antony, Antony, Antony! Help, Charmian, help, Iras, help; Help, friends below;" |  | 20 |
| 6634742062 | Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author's style. |  | 21 |
| 6634742063 | Didactic (dahy-dak-tik) | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. |  | 22 |
| 6634742064 | Enumeratio | Figure of amplification in which a subject is divided into constituent parts or details, and may include a listing of causes, effects, problems, solutions, conditions, and consequences; the listing or detailing of the parts of something. |  | 23 |
| 6634742065 | 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. |  | 24 |
| 6634742066 | Euphemism (yoo-fuh-miz-uhm) | From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be sued to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. |  | 25 |
| 6634742067 | Exposition | In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose of exposition is to explain something. In drama, the exposition is the introductory material, which creates the tone, gives the setting, and introduces the characters and conflict. |  | 26 |
| 6634742068 | Extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. |  | 27 |
| 6634742069 | Figurative language | - Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. |  | 28 |
| 6634742070 | Figure of speech | A device used to produce figurate language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. |  | 29 |
| 6634742071 | Generic conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. |  | 30 |
| 6634742072 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. However, genre is a flexible term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions that are often called genres themselves. For example, prose can be divided into fiction (novels and short stories) or nonfiction (essays, biographies, autobiographies, etc). Poetry can be divided into lyric, dramatic, narrative, epic, etc. Drama can be divided into tragedy, comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. ON the AP language exam, expect the majority of the passages to be from the following genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. |  | 31 |
| 6634742073 | 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. |  | 32 |
| 6634742074 | Hyperbole (hahy-pur-buh-lee) | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. |  | 33 |
| 6634742075 | Hypophora | Figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). A common usage is to ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph and then use the paragraph to answer it. You can use hypophora to raise questions which you think the reader obviously has on his/her mind and would like to see formulated and answered. |  | 34 |
| 6634742076 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imager y uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection (It is the highest flower on the Great Chain of Being). An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figure s of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. ON the AP exam, pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of this imagery. |  | 35 |
| 6634742077 | Inference/infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple-choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it's unlikely to be the correct answer. Note that if the answer choice is directly stated, it is not inferred and is wrong. You must be careful to note the connotation - negative or positive - of the choices. |  | 36 |
| 6634742078 | Invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attach using strong, abusive language. |  | 37 |
| 6634742079 | Irony/ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language; (1) In a verbal irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) true meaning. (2) In situational irony, events turn out the opposite of what was expected. What the characters and the readers think ought to happen. (3) In dramatic irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction, but know to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work. Irony is used for many reasons, but frequently, it's used to create poignancy or humor. |  | 38 |
| 6634742080 | Juxtaposition (juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn) | When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. |  | 39 |
| 6634742081 | Litotes (lahy-toh-teez) | From the Greek word "simple" or "plain." Litotes is a figure of thought in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite. It is a special form of understatement, where the surface denial serves, through ironic contrast, to reinforce the underlying assertion. |  | 40 |
| 6634742082 | Loose sentence | a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by wdependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational. Generally loose sentences create loose style. |  | 41 |
| 6634742083 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. Metaphorical language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful. |  | 42 |
| 6634742084 | Metonymy (mi-ton-uh-mee) | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name." Metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. A news release that claims "the White House declared" rather that "the President declared" is using metonymy. The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional response. |  | 43 |
| 6634742085 | Mood | This term has two distinct technical meanings in English writing. The first meaning is grammatical and eals with verbal units and a speaker's attitude. The indicative mood is used only for factual sentences. For example, "Joe eats too quickly." The subjective mod is used to express conditions contrary to fact. For example, "If I were you, I'd get another job." The imperative mood is used for commands. For example, "Shut the door!" The second meaning of mood is literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. In this usage, mood is similar to tone and atmosphere. |  | 44 |
| 6634742086 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. |  | 45 |
| 6634742087 | 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. If you not eexamples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect. |  | 46 |
| 6634742088 | 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. |  | 47 |
| 6634742089 | 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. |  | 48 |
| 6634742090 | 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. |  | 49 |
| 6634742091 | 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 |  | 50 |
| 6634742092 | Pedantic (puh-dan-tik) | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. |  | 51 |
| 6634742093 | 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. |  | 52 |
| 6634742094 | 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. |  | 53 |
| 6634742095 | 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. |  | 54 |
| 6634742096 | 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. |  | 55 |
| 6634742097 | 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. |  | 56 |
| 6634742098 | 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 |  | 57 |
| 6634742099 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. |  | 58 |
| 6634742100 | Rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 59 | |
| 6634742101 | 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. |  | 60 |
| 6634742102 | 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. |  | 61 |
| 6634742103 | 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 |  | 62 |
| 6634742104 | 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. |  | 63 |
| 6634742105 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another |  | 64 |
| 6634742106 | 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. | | 65 |
| 6634742107 | 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. |  | 66 |
| 6634742108 | 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. |  | 67 |
| 6634742109 | 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; |  | 68 |
| 6634742110 | 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. |  | 69 |
| 6634742111 | 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). |  | 70 |
| 6634742112 | 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. |  | 71 |
| 6634742113 | 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. |  | 72 |
| 6634742114 | 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. |  | 73 |
| 6634742115 | 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 |  | 74 |
| 6634742116 | 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. |  | 75 |
| 6634742117 | 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. | 76 | |
| 6634742118 | 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. |  | 77 |
| 6634742119 | 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. |  | 78 |
AP Literature Set 1 Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 7330933245 | alliteration | the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words | 0 | |
| 7330933246 | allegory | a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstraction | 1 | |
| 7330933247 | allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize | 2 | |
| 7330933248 | analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way | 3 | |
| 7330933249 | anecdote | a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event | 4 | |
| 7330933250 | argument | a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work | 5 | |
| 7330933251 | cliché | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off | 6 | |
| 7330933252 | climax | the point of highest interest in a literary work | 7 | |
| 7330933253 | colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing | 8 | |
| 7330933254 | concrete details | details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events | 9 | |
| 7330933255 | connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word | 10 | |
| 7330933256 | denotation | the literal meaning of a word | 11 | |
| 7330933257 | dialect | a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region | 12 | |
| 7330933258 | dialogue | conversation between two or more people | 13 | |
| 7330933259 | diction | the word choices made by a writer | 14 | |
| 7330933260 | euphemism | an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant | 15 | |
| 7330933261 | exclamatory sentence | a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark | 16 | |
| 7330933262 | figurative language | language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.) | 17 | |
| 7330933263 | flashback | the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative | 18 | |
| 7330933264 | foreshadowing | the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work | 19 | |
| 7330933265 | genre | a major category or type of literature | 20 | |
| 7330933266 | hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect | 21 | |
| 7330933267 | hypothetical question | a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition | 22 | |
| 7330933268 | idiom | an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect | 23 | |
| 7330933269 | imagery | the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses | 24 | |
| 7330933270 | irony | the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs | 25 | |
| 7330933271 | juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast | 26 | |
| 7330933272 | metaphor | a direct comparison of two different things | 27 | |
| 7330933273 | metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it. e.g. The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]/ | 28 | |
| 7330933274 | narrative | a story or narrated account | 29 | |
| 7330933275 | narrator | the one who tells the story; maybe first- or third-person, limited or omniscient | 30 | |
| 7330933276 | parallelism | the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms | 31 | |
| 7330933277 | paraphrase | a restatement of a text in a different form or indifferent words, often for the purpose of clarity | 32 | |
| 7330933278 | personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics | 33 | |
| 7330933279 | plot | the action of a narrative or drama | 34 | |
| 7330933280 | point of view | the vantage point from which a story is told | 35 | |
| 7330933281 | sarcasm | harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule | 36 | |
| 7330933282 | scene | a real or fictional episode; a division of an act in a play | 37 | |
| 7330933283 | setting | the time, place, and environment in which action takes place | 38 | |
| 7330933284 | structure | the arrangement of framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work | 39 | |
| 7330933285 | style | the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work | 40 | |
| 7330933286 | symbol | an object that is used to represent something else | 41 | |
| 7330933287 | theme | a central idea of a work | 42 | |
| 7330933288 | thesis | the primary position taken by a writer or speaker | 43 | |
| 7330933289 | tone | the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience | 44 |
AP English Literature Devices Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 5655467968 | Allegory | Story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for otherpeople or events or for abstract ideas or qualities. EXAMPLE: Animal Farm; Dante's Inferno; Lord of the Flies | 0 | |
| 5655469760 | Alliteration | Repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together. | 1 | |
| 5655475312 | Allusion | Reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature, etc.). | 2 | |
| 5655477919 | Ambiguity | Deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way-- this is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work. | 3 | |
| 5655480567 | Analogy | Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike. | 4 | |
| 5655483454 | 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 and helps make the writer's point more coherent. | 5 | |
| 5655486061 | Anastrophe | Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose is rhythm or emphasis or euphony. It is a fancy word for inversion. | 6 | |
| 5655488622 | Anecdote | Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual. | 7 | |
| 5655491913 | Antagonist | Opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story. | 8 | |
| 5655494315 | Antimetabole | Repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order. Moliere: "One should eat to live, not live to eat." In poetry, this is called chiasmus. | 9 | |
| 5655497474 | Antithesis | Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure. | 10 | |
| 5655500908 | Antihero | Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. may lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples. | 11 | |
| 5655505063 | Anthropomorphism | Attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object (Personification) | 12 | |
| 5655507373 | Aphorism | Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram. | 13 | |
| 5655513414 | Apostrophe | Calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea. If the character is asking a god or goddess for inspiration it is called an invocation. Josiah Holland--- "Loacöon! Thou great embodiment/ Of human life and human history!" | 14 | |
| 5655516213 | Apposition | Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation, qualification, or modification of the first (often set off by a colon). Paine: "These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." | 15 | |
| 5655519421 | Assonance | The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together. | 16 | |
| 5655522382 | Asyndeton | Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z... the writer uses X,Y,Z.... see polysyndeton. | 17 | |
| 5655525084 | Balance | Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance. Sentences can be unbalanced to serve a special effect as well. | 18 | |
| 5655528185 | Characterization | The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. | 19 | |
| 5655529992 | Indirect Characterization | The author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character's private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the characters effect on other people (showing how other characters feel or behave toward the character), or by showing the character in action. Common in modern literature. | 20 | |
| 5655532666 | Direct Characterization | The author tells us directly what the character is like: sneaky, generous, mean to pets and so on. Romantic style literature relied more heavily on this form. | 21 | |
| 5655542084 | Static Character | Is one who does not change much in the course of a story. | 22 | |
| 5655546328 | Dynamic Character | Is one who changes in some important way as a result of the story's action. | 23 | |
| 5655568637 | Flat Character | Has only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard. They can be summed up in one phrase. | 24 | |
| 5655570926 | Round Character | Has more dimensions to their personalities---they are complex, just a real people are. | 25 | |
| 5655574684 | Chiasmus | In poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed. Coleridge: "Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike." In prose this is called antimetabole. | 26 | |
| 5655580994 | Cliche | Is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse. Avoid clichés like the plague. (That cliché is intended.) | 27 | |
| 5655600809 | Colloquialism | A word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations. Example: "He's out of his head if he thinks I'm gonna go for such a stupid idea." | 28 | |
| 5656982693 | Comedy | In general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character or characters. | 29 | |
| 5656984566 | Conceit | An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor. | 30 | |
| 5656987163 | Confessional Poetry | A twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet's life. | 31 | |
| 5656989677 | Conflict | The struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story. | 32 | |
| 5656991185 | External Conflict | Conflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine or between a person a whole society. | 33 | |
| 5656992143 | Internal Conflict | A conflict can be internal, involving opposing forces within a person's mind. | 34 | |
| 5656993706 | Connotations | The associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition. | 35 | |
| 5656996466 | Couplet | Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry. | 36 | |
| 5656998420 | Dialect | A way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area. | 37 | |
| 5657000273 | Diction | A speaker or writer's choice of words. | 38 | |
| 5657002762 | Didactic | Form of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. | 39 | |
| 5657004593 | Elegy | A poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died. A Eulogy is great praise or commendation, a laudatory speech, often about someone who has died. | 40 | |
| 5657006401 | Epanalepsis | Device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause, or sentence. Voltaire: "Common sense is not so common." | 41 | |
| 5657008319 | Epic | A long narrative poem, written in heightened language , which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society. | 42 | |
| 5657011118 | Epigraph | A quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme. | 43 | |
| 5657012057 | Epistrophe | Device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences (it is the opposite of anaphora). | 44 | |
| 5657013582 | Epithet | An adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality. "Father of our country" and "the great Emancipator" are examples. A Homeric epithet is a compound adjective used with a person or thing: "swift-footed Achilles"; "rosy-fingered dawn." | 45 | |
| 5657016125 | Essay | A short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a subject. | 46 | |
| 5657017014 | Argumentation Essay | One of the four forms of discourse which uses logic, ethics, and emotional appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to develop an effective means to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way. | 47 | |
| 5657018218 | Persuasive Essay | Relies more on emotional appeals than on facts | 48 | |
| 5657020290 | Argumentative Essay | Form of persuasion that appeals to reason instead of emotion to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way. | 49 | |
| 5657023075 | Causal Relationship Essay | Form of argumentation in which the writer claims that one thing results from another, often used as part of a logical argument. | 50 | |
| 5657027375 | Descriptive Essay | A form of discourse that uses language to create a mood or emotion. | 51 | |
| 5657028690 | Exposition Essay | One of the four major forms of discourse, in which something is explained or "set forth." | 52 | |
| 5657029683 | Narrative Essay | The form of discourse that tells about a series of events. | 53 | |
| 5657036298 | Explication | Act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language. | 54 | |
| 5657037889 | Fable | A very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life. | 55 | |
| 5657037890 | Farce | A type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations. | 56 | |
| 5657039393 | Figurative Langauge | Words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms. | 57 | |
| 5657040658 | Flashback | A scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time. | 58 | |
| 5657042491 | Foil | A character who acts as contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting the hero. | 59 | |
| 5657042492 | Foreshadowing | The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot. | 60 | |
| 5657044511 | Free Verse | Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme. | 61 | |
| 5657045733 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times...." | 62 | |
| 5657057826 | Hypotactic | Sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. (Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another is known as hypotaxis). I am tired because it is hot. | 63 | |
| 5657057827 | Imagery | The use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing, a place, or an experience. | 64 | |
| 5657057828 | Inversion | The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. | 65 | |
| 5657057829 | Irony | A discrepancy between appearances and reality. | 66 | |
| 5657057830 | Verbal Irony | Occurs when someone says one thing but really means something else. | 67 | |
| 5657057831 | Situational Irony | Takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen. | 68 | |
| 5657057832 | Dramatic Irony | Is so called because it is often used on stage. A character in the play or story thinks one thing is true, but the audience or reader knows better. | 69 | |
| 5657057833 | Juxtaposition | Poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit. Ezra Pound: "The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a wet, black bough." | 70 | |
| 5657061136 | Litotes | Is a form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form: Hawthorne--- "...the wearers of petticoat and farthingale...stepping forth into the public ways, and wedging their not unsubstantial persons, if occasion were, into the throng..." | 71 | |
| 5657062631 | Local Color | A term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape. | 72 | |
| 5657067120 | Loose Sentence | One in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units. See periodic sentence. Hawthorne: "Hester gazed after him a little while, looking with a half-fantastic curiosity to see whether the tender grass of early spring would not be blighted beneath him, and show the wavering track of this footsteps, sere and brown, across its cheerful verdure." | 73 | |
| 5657067121 | Lyric Poem | A poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker. A ballad tells a story. | 74 | |
| 5657067122 | Metaphor | A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles. | 75 | |
| 5657070431 | Implied Metaphor | Does not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison: "I like to see it lap the miles" is an implied metaphor in which the verb lap implies a comparison between "it" and some animal that "laps" up water. | 76 | |
| 5657070432 | Extended Metaphor | Is a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it. (conceit if it is quite elaborate). | 77 | |
| 5657071273 | Dead Metaphor | Is a metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid: "The head of the house", "the seat of the government", "a knotty problem" are all dead metaphors. | 78 | |
| 5657072867 | Mixed Metaphor | Is a metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. "The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas." | 79 | |
| 5657342388 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it. "We requested from the crown support for our petition." The crown is used to represent the monarch. | 80 | |
| 5657343510 | Mood | An atmosphere created by a writer's diction and the details selected. | 81 | |
| 5657345388 | Motif | A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author), unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme. Kurt Vonnegut uses "So it goes" throughout Slaughterhouse-Five to remind the reader of the senselessness of death. | 82 | |
| 5657346229 | Motivation | The reasons for a character's behavior. | 83 | |
| 5657346230 | Onomatopoeia | The use of words whose sounds echo their sense. "Pop." "Zap." | 84 | |
| 5657348684 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "Jumbo shrimp." "Pretty ugly." "Bitter-sweet" | 85 | |
| 5657349658 | Parable | A relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson about how to lead a good life. | 86 | |
| 5657350576 | Paradox | A statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth. | 87 | |
| 5657352451 | Koan | Is a paradox used in Zen Buddhism to gain intuitive knowledge: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" | 88 | |
| 5657352452 | Parallel Structure | (parallelism) The repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures. | 89 | |
| 5657353431 | Paratactic Sentence | Simply juxtaposes clauses or sentences. I am tired: it is hot. | 90 | |
| 5657355044 | Parody | A work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer's style. | 91 | |
| 5657356286 | Periodic | Sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements. | 92 | |
| 5657357459 | Personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. | 93 | |
| 5657398134 | Plot | The series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the storyline. | 94 | |
| 5657399400 | Characteristics of a Plot | EXPOSITION introduces characters, situation, and setting RISING ACTION complications in conflict and situations (may introduce new ones as well) CLIMAX that point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest. Also called "turning point" RESOLUTION the conclusion of a story, when all or most of the conflicts have been settled; often called the denouement. | 95 | |
| 5657400568 | Point of View | The vantage point from which the writer tells the story. | 96 | |
| 5657401285 | Points of View | FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW one of the characters tells the story. THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW an unknown narrator, tells the story, but this narrator zooms in to focus on the thoughts and feelings of only one character. OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW an omniscient or all knowing narrator tells the story, also using the third person pronouns. This narrator, instead of focusing on one character only, often tells us everything about many characters. OBJECTIVE POINT OF VIEW a narrator who is totally impersonal and objective tells the story, with no comment on any characters or events. | 97 | |
| 5657402449 | Polysyndeton | Sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series. Instead of X, Y, and Z... Polysyndeton results in X and Y and Z... Kurt Vonnegut uses this device. | 98 | |
| 5657403358 | Protagonist | The central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action. Usually the hero or anti-hero; in a tragic hero, like John Proctor of The Crucible, there is always a hamartia, or tragic flaw in his character which will lead to his downfall. | 99 | |
| 5657405359 | Pun | A "play on words" based on the multiple meanings of a single word or on words that sound alike but mean different things. | 100 | |
| 5657407213 | Quatrain | A poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be considered as a unit. | 101 | |
| 5657408063 | Refrain | A word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated, for effect, several times in a poem. | 102 | |
| 5657408064 | Rhythm | A rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language. | 103 | |
| 5657409012 | Rhetoric | Art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse. | 104 | |
| 5657409790 | Rhetorical Question | A question asked for an effect, and not actually requiring an answer. | 105 | |
| 5657410893 | Romance | In general, a story in which an idealized hero or heroine undertakes a quest and is successful. | 106 | |
| 5657412124 | Satire | A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about a change. | 107 | |
| 5657413412 | Simile | A figure of speech that makes an explicitly comparison between two unlike things, using words such as like, as , than, or resembles. | 108 | |
| 5657414255 | Soliloquy | A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage. | 109 | |
| 5657415215 | Stereotype | A fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea which does not allow for any individuality, often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices. | 110 | |
| 5657415216 | Stream of Consciousness | A style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind. | 111 | |
| 5657416216 | Style | The distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer's distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax. | 112 | |
| 5657417210 | Suspense | A feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story. | 113 | |
| 5657418613 | Symbol | A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself. | 114 | |
| 5657419302 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. "If you don't drive properly, you will lose your wheels." The wheels represent the entire car. | 115 | |
| 5657420271 | Syntactic Fluency | Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length. | 116 | |
| 5657421820 | Syntactic Permutation | Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. Often difficult for a reader to follow. | 117 | |
| 5657422797 | Tall Tale | An outrageously exaggerated, humorous story that is obviously unbelievable. | 118 | |
| 5657423784 | Telegraphic Sentence | A sentence shorter than five words in length. | 119 | |
| 5657424950 | Theme | The insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work. | 120 | |
| 5657425650 | Tone | The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization. | 121 | |
| 5657426743 | Tragedy | In general, a story in which a heroic character either dies or comes to some other unhappy end. | 122 | |
| 5657426744 | Tricolon | Sentence of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses. | 123 | |
| 5657427558 | Understatement | A statement that says less than what is meant. Example: During the second war with Iraq, American troops complained of a fierce sand storm that made even the night-vision equipment useless. A British commando commented about the storm: "It's a bit breezy." | 124 | |
| 5657428472 | Unity | Unified parts of the writing are related to one central idea or organizing principle. Unity is dependent upon coherence. | 125 | |
| 5657429654 | Vernacular | The language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality. | 126 | |
| 5657430403 | Impressionism | A nineteenth-century movement in literature and art which advocated a recording of the artist's personal impressions of the world, rather than a strict representation of reality. | 127 | |
| 5657431106 | Moderism | A term for the bold new experimental styles and forms that swept the arts during the first third of the twentieth century. | 128 | |
| 5657432368 | Naturalism | A nineteenth century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was. | 129 | |
| 5657433207 | Plain Style | Writing style that stresses simplicity and clarity of expression (but will still utilize allusions and metaphors), and was the main form of the Puritan writers. | 130 | |
| 5657433920 | Puritanism | Writing style of America's early English-speaking colonists. Emphasizes obedience to God and consists mainly of journals, sermons, and poems. | 131 | |
| 5657435378 | Rationalism | A movement that began in Europe in the seventeenth century, which held that we can arrive at truth by using our reason rather than relying on the authority of the past, on the authority of the Church, or an institution. ALSO CALLED NEOCLASSICISM AND AGE OF REASON | 132 | |
| 5657436208 | Realism | A style of writing, developed in the nineteenth century, that attempts to depict life accurately without idealizing or romanticizing it. | 133 | |
| 5657437019 | Regionalism | Literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and that reproduces the speech, behavior, and attitudes of the people who live in that region. | 134 | |
| 5657438014 | Romanticism | A revolt against Rationalism that affected literature and the other arts, beginning in the late eighteenth century and remaining strong throughout most of the nineteenth century. | 135 | |
| 5657439047 | Surrealism | In movement in art and literature that started in Europe during the 1920s. Surrealists wanted to replace conventional realism with the full expression of the unconscious mind, which they considered to be more real than the "real" world of appearances. | 136 | |
| 5657439048 | Symbolism | A literary movement that originated in late nineteenth century France, in which writers rearranged the world of appearances in order to reveal a more truthful version of reality. | 137 | |
| 5657440259 | Tracendentalism | A nineteenth century movement in the Romantic tradition , which held that every individual can reach ultimate truth through spiritual intuition, which transcends reasons and sensory experience. | 138 | |
| 5657441686 | Literature Timeline | Puritanism 1620 - 1770s Neoclassic 1770s - early 1800s Romanticism early 1800s - 1870s Realism 1850s -early 1900s Regionalism 1884 - early 1900s Naturalism - late 1800s - mid 1900s Modernism - 1920s - [1945] [Post-Modernism - 1945 - | 139 | |
| 5657064821 | Loose Sentence | one in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units. See periodic sentence. Hawthorne: "Hester gazed after him a little while, looking with a half-fantastic curiosity to see whether the tender grass of early spring would not be blighted beneath him, and show the wavering track of this footsteps, sere and brown, across its cheerful verdure." | 140 | |
| 5657055076 | Hypotactic | sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. (Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another is known as hypotaxis). I am tired because it is hot. | 141 | |
| 5657055077 | Imagery | the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing, a place, or an experience. | 142 | |
| 5657055078 | Inversion | the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. | 143 | |
| 5657055079 | Irony | a discrepancy between appearances and reality. | 144 | |
| 5657055080 | Verbal Irony | occurs when someone says one thing but really means something else. | 145 | |
| 5657055081 | Situational Irony | takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen. | 146 | |
| 5657052662 | Hypotactic | sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. (Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another is known as hypotaxis). I am tired because it is hot. | 147 | |
| 5657052663 | Imagery | the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing, a place, or an experience. | 148 | |
| 5657052664 | Inversion | the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. | 149 | |
| 5657052665 | Irony | a discrepancy between appearances and reality. | 150 | |
| 5657052666 | Verbal Irony | occurs when someone says one thing but really means something else. | 151 | |
| 5657050744 | Hypotactic | sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. (Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another is known as hypotaxis). I am tired because it is hot. | 152 | |
| 5657050745 | Imagery | the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing, a place, or an experience. | 153 | |
| 5657050746 | Inversion | the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. | 154 |
Flashcards
AP ENGLISH LITERATURE RHETORICAL TERMS Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 9243111024 | Alliteration | The repetition of the same initial consonanta of words or of stressed syllables in any sequence of neighboring words. Purpose: Alliteration highlights a particular part of a piece through the repetition of initial consonants. The repetition of certain sounds creates emphasizes not only the words in the passage themselves but on the pattern, creating a musical effect. Example: American Airlines, Best Buy, Coca-Cola | 0 | |
| 9243111025 | Allusion | An indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work.: Purpose: Allusion allows the audience to connect the characteristics of one object/ concept to another. More often than not, an allusion in a literary work refers to some feature of another, previous literary work. Example: One everyday example of an allusion is "The place is a Garden of Eden." Literally, the place probably isn't evocative of the biblical Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis, but the intended meaning is that the setting is a paradise. | 1 | |
| 9243111026 | Analogy | Comparing two things or instances in time often based on their structure and used to explain a complex idea in simpler terms. Purpose: Analogies are typically used to clarify or explain an author's idea to the reader by likening a new idea to an older, better known one. They typically appear as similes that allow the reader to more easily understand the author's meaning. It's important for the reader to be able to understand or able to infer using context clues the meaning of the comparison. Example: An everyday example of an analogy as a simile is "nails on a chalkboard." Readers understand the assaulting sound of nails on a chalkboard and are encouraged to liken it to some new occurrence that is assaulting or annoying. | 2 | |
| 9243111027 | Antithesis | A device used to create contrast by placing two parallel but opposite ideas in a sentence. Purpose: Antithesis literally means opposite, but the rhetorical definition calls for clauses structures of contrasting words or clauses. These opposing words or clauses are placed in close proximity within a sentence in order to create a focal point for the reader. Example: a well-known example of antithesis is "speech is silver, but silence is gold." The two opposites, speech and silence, are compared to one another by using the stratified value of silver and gold. | 3 | |
| 9243111028 | Consonance | Repetition of consonant sounds two or more times in short succession within a sentence or phrase. Purpose: consonance is, again, a device used by writers in order to create focus on a particular part of a piece. In many cases, consonance appears in poetry as a device used to create slant rhymes. Example: an easy way to think of consonance is to remember tongue twisters like "She sells sea shells down by the sea shore." | 4 | |
| 9243111029 | Diction | Refers to the author's word choice. Purpose: Diction is the umbrella term used to identify an author's choice of words. This is important to define because understanding diction allows the reader to identify other concepts like the tone of a piece, the intended audience, or even the era in which the piece was written. Example: Examples of diction are present throughout whatever piece you're reading. Notice repetitive words, phrases, and thoughts. Consider the lofty or lowly word choice such as the formal "ye" versus the informal "you." | 5 | |
| 9243111030 | Ellipses | When one or more words are omitted from a sentence. Purpose: Often, ellipsis is used to omit some parts of a sentence or even an entire story, forcing the reader to figuratively fill in the gaps. This heavily depends on the reader being not only invested but also immersed in the story enough to care about what happens during those gaps. Example: A good example of ellipsis is "I went to the park, and she went too." The reader can infer that she also went to the park, though "to the park" is omitted from the second clause. | 6 | |
| 9243111031 | Ethos (ethical appeal) | A characteristic spirit of a given culture, era, or community or its belief; Ethos, in purely rhetorical terms, is a label used to identify an appeal to the ethics of a culture or individual. Purpose: The purpose of an appeal to ethos, an ethical appeal, is to establish the speaker's credibility through exposition of that speaker's character. Identifying an ethical appeal will be of particular use to readers when analyzing the work of the ancients. Example: Consider the overlap between diction and appeal. The author's word choice can tip the reader off that an ethical appeal is being made. | 7 | |
| 9243111032 | Hyperbole | An intentionally exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally but creating a desired humorous effect. Purpose: A hyperbole involves exaggeration in order to create emphasis. Unlike other figurative languages devices, hyperbole creates emphasis through the humorous effect that is created by the author's overstatement. Example: One of the best examples is the phrase "I'm dying to..." One is literally not dying to see someone or do something, but the exaggeration intends to show affection or intense longing while maintaining a humorous tone. | 8 | |
| 9243111033 | Imagery | Visually descriptive or figurative language. Purpose: Imagery is used to characterize objects, actions, and ideas in a way that appeals to our physical senses. The true purpose of imagery is to create a visual imagination of our scenarios or things being described. Example: Again, consider the diction of the piece. Imagery is created by the writer's choice of words. Evocative words that arouse the senses- touch, sight, smell, etc -are indicators of imagery at work. | 9 | |
| 9243111034 | Irony | The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite of what the writer intends to achieve a humorous effect or to add emphasis. Purpose: A writer utilizes irony to show that the words they use do not necessarily represent their intended meaning. Further, irony can be manifest as a situation that does not pan out the way that the audience, speaker, or characters believe it will. Example: A common example of irony is the nickname "Tiny" for a large man. We know and see that a large man is not, in fact, tiny, yet we employ the nickname ironically. | 10 | |
| 9243111035 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Purpose: An oxymoron is a juxtaposition of two opposing words with the intended effect of creating emphasis through the nonsensical nature of this device. Oxymoron is used to characterize conflicting emotions, thoughts, or occurrences. Example: Jumbo shrimp. An easy example of oxymoron is a two-word, adjective and noun construction such as Original copy. | 11 | |
| 9243111036 | Pathos (emotion) | A quality that evokes pity or sadness. Purpose: Pathos is a term used to identify an appeal to the pathetic. A writer may want a reader to sympathize with a character and employ a pathetic appeal to inspire feelings of pity, sympathy, or sadness. Example: Examples of pathetic appeals are, once more, bound to diction. Look for clues in word choice that indicate an appeal to the emotions of an individual. A good, though sometimes sad, example of pathos is a call for donations to cancer research which features the stories or pictures of survivors and sufferers. | 12 | |
| 9243111037 | Personification | the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman Purpose: A writer might employ personification in order to apply human characteristics to something nonhuman, thus furthering the writer's use of imagery and figurative language. Example: "The wind whispers" is a fitting example of personification. The wind doesn't actually whisper, but the human action of whispering characterizes well the sounds that the wind can make. | 13 | |
| 9243111038 | Symbol/ Symbolism | A thing that represents or stands for another thing like an object that represents and abstract idea. Purpose: Employing symbolism is a way for a writer to attach meaning to an object or action, some symbol within the piece, that goes beyond the face- value of the symbol itself. Symbols represent something more than their literal meanings. Example: Consider the phrase "a new dawn." It literally refers to the beginning of a new day. However, figuratively speaking, the beginning of a new day signifies a new start. | 14 |
AP Language vocabulary Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 5025685744 | cliche | a trite, stereotyped expression. a sentence or phrase usually a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse | 0 | |
| 5026150681 | coherence | logical interconnection; overall sense or understanding that stems from the links among its underlying ideas and from the logical organization and development of ots thematic content | 1 | |
| 5026162582 | colloquial | ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or literary writing; informal | 2 | |
| 5026170857 | concrete | representing or applied to an actual substance or thing, as opposed to an abstract quality | 3 | |
| 5026176962 | connotation | the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning | 4 | |
| 5026188153 | denotation | the dictionary definition of a word | 5 | |
| 5026195159 | dialect | a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists | 6 | |
| 5026218361 | dichotomy | division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups | 7 | |
| 5026223489 | diction | an author's choice of words | 8 | |
| 5026228172 | didactic | writing designed explicitly to instruct; teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson | 9 | |
| 5026234098 | digression from topic | a temporary departure from one subject to another more or less distantly related topic before the discussion of the first subject is resumed | 10 | |
| 5026245967 | editorializing | to set forth one's position or opinion on some subject in, or as if in, an editorial | 11 | |
| 5026256903 | elegiac | expressing sorrow or lamentation | 12 | |
| 5026260116 | ellipsis | the omission of one or more words that would complete or clarify the construction | 13 | |
| 5026266733 | epigraph | a brief quotation which appears at the beginning of a literary work | 14 | |
| 5026270261 | equivocation | the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth of to avoid committing oneself, esp. in order to mislead or hedge; a fallacy caused by the double meaning of a word | 15 |
AP 2016, Language of Science Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 4859209794 | a or an | not or non | 0 | |
| 4859212036 | meso | middle | 1 | |
| 4859212037 | endo | inside | 2 | |
| 4859214271 | aero | needing oxygen | 3 | |
| 4859214272 | anti | against | 4 | |
| 4859215951 | arth | jointed | 5 | |
| 4859215952 | auto | self | 6 | |
| 4859215953 | bio | life | 7 | |
| 4859217654 | chloro | green | 8 | |
| 4859219816 | cyto | cell | 9 | |
| 4859221559 | di | double | 10 | |
| 4859229952 | mono | single | 11 | |
| 4859229953 | geo | earth | 12 | |
| 4859231390 | epi | above | 13 | |
| 4859231391 | exo | outer | 14 | |
| 4859233504 | gastro | stomach | 15 | |
| 4859235622 | hemo | blood | 16 | |
| 4859235623 | hetero | different | 17 | |
| 4859237571 | homo | same | 18 | |
| 4859237597 | macro | large | 19 | |
| 4859238860 | micro | small | 20 | |
| 4859238861 | multi | many units | 21 | |
| 4859241612 | photo | light | 22 | |
| 4859241613 | pre | before | 23 | |
| 4859241614 | lipo | fat | 24 | |
| 4859243012 | poly | many | 25 | |
| 4859243013 | cyst | pouch | 26 | |
| 4859244502 | derm | skin | 27 | |
| 4859244503 | saccharide | sugar | 28 | |
| 4859246145 | itis | inflammation | 29 | |
| 4859248116 | logy | study of | 30 | |
| 4859248117 | meter | measurement | 31 | |
| 4859249507 | osis | condition | 32 | |
| 4859249508 | phase | stage | 33 | |
| 4859251321 | phage | eater | 34 | |
| 4859251322 | pod | foot | 35 | |
| 4859251323 | stasis | stationary condition | 36 | |
| 4859253498 | lysis | to break open | 37 | |
| 4859254752 | synthesis | to make or build | 38 |
AP Language Vocabulary List 4 Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 5009671720 | claim | An assertion, usually supported by evidence. | 0 | |
| 5009674538 | close reading | A careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text. | 1 | |
| 5009687658 | colloquial/ism | An informal or conversational use of language. | 2 | |
| 5009691341 | common ground | Shared beliefs, values, or positions | 3 | |
| 5009694487 | concession | A reluctant acknowledgement or yielding | 4 | |
| 5009698775 | connotation | That which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning. | 5 | |
| 5009704390 | context | Words, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning. | 6 |
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