AP Language Important Terms Flashcards

6705103558	anaphora	the regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of two or more successive phrases or clauses.	0
6705103559	chiasmus	a reversal in the word order of words in two otherwise parallel sentences	1
6705103560	apostrophe	the direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea.	2
6705103561	hyperbole	a rhetorical figure in which emphasis is achieved through exaggeration	3
6705103562	metaphor	figurative language that describes something as though it actually were something else	4
6705103563	metonymy	the substitution of one term for another that is generally associated with it. (ex. the crown declared that the man would be executed.)	5
6705103564	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole (ex. all hands on deck)	6
6705103565	onomatopoeia	the use of words that sound like a noise	7
6705103566	paradox	a statement or expression so surprisingly self-contradictory but ends up being true on some level	8
6705103567	parallelism	the use of similar and consistent grammatical structures or word order.	9
6705103568	personification	the use of human characteristics to describe animals, things, or ideas.	10
6705103569	point of view	the perspective that a narrator takes toward the events it describes	11
6705103570	protagonist	the central character in a story	12
6705103571	pun	a witty word-play which reveals that words with different meanings have similar or even identical sounds	13
6705103572	satire	writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of individuals or groups	14
6705103573	polysyndeton	the repetition of conjunctions in a sentence	15
6705103574	asyndeton	the omission of conjunctions in a sentence	16
6705103575	archetype	a repeating symbol or type of character found in many cultures	17
6705103576	dramatic irony	a situation where the audience knows something that the characters on stage are not aware of	18
6705103577	allusion	a reference to a piece of literature, character, historical figure that the author assumes the reader will recognize	19
6705103578	dramatic climax	the turning point in a story when the action turns against the protagonist	20
6705103579	diction	the word choices made by a writer	21
6705103580	didactic	having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing	22
6705103581	flat (static) character	a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story	23
6705103582	dynamic (round) character	a character who undergoes a change or transformation in the course of a story	24
6705103583	exposition	the important background information revealed in the story about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, etc.	25
6705103584	exciting force	the spark or complication that "gets the action going" in the play the event that sets the plot into motion	26
6705103585	rising action	Events leading up to the climax	27
6705103586	denouement (catastrophe)	The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work or the outcome of a complicated sequence of events	28
6705103587	omniscient narrator	a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters	29
6705103588	theme	Central idea of a work of literature	30
6705103589	tone	A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.	31
6705103590	deus ex machina	an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel	32
10902998258	syntax	The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language	33
10903003596	vernacular	the language or dialect (a regional or specific form of language) spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.	34
10903031601	zeugma	a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses Example: She broke both John and his heart.	35
10903064603	antithesis	A person or thing is the direct opposite of someone or something else; a contrast	36
10903076582	oxymoron	A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms Example: deafening silence	37
10903092672	refuted	to prove wrong; disprove	38
10903096318	evoke	bring up or recall	39
10903110641	subjective	based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions	40
10903118017	assertion	a declaration or statement	41
10903135629	synthesis	combining parts into a whole	42
10903135630	rhetoric	the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.	43
10903401029	sojourner	traveler; seeker of the truth	44