AP Language Terms Flashcards
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| 6019726191 | Rhetoric/Rhetorical Triangle | Effective, persuasive, eloquent language use; Aristotle said it is "available means of persuasion." Rhetoric comes from "orator" Subject Audience Speaker/Writer (Context/Purpose) | 0 | |
| 6019739366 | Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds ("and the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain.") | 1 | |
| 6019754592 | Allusion | An indirect reference to something outside of the text "may the force be with you" (Star Wars) | 2 | |
| 6019760871 | Ambiguity | Unclear. "I'm going to the bank." two or more possible meanings. | 3 | |
| 6019769832 | Analogy | An extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things. "Their marriage was like fine wine..." | 4 | |
| 6019782714 | Anaphora | Repetition of a word or phase at the beginning of successive clauses. "I have a dream..." (MLK Jr.) | 5 | |
| 6019789717 | Antithesis | Parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas (some like it hot, some like it cold.) (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.) | 6 | |
| 6019801312 | Aphorism | A short astute statement of general truth. ("Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.") | 7 | |
| 6019808757 | Apostrophe | Rhetorical term addressing someone or something not present. ("Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?") | 8 | |
| 6019816178 | Bias | Prejudice or a predisposition toward one side of an object or issue. | 9 | |
| 6019824512 | Claim | A statement that asserts a belief or truth. | 10 | |
| 6019827349 | Cliche | An overused expression ("Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.") | 11 | |
| 6019838888 | Colloquial/ism | Language distinctive to a certain time/place. | 12 | |
| 6019844593 | Concession | Reluctant acknowledgement or yielding. | 13 | |
| 6019853019 | Connotation | Implied meaning/definition of a word. | 14 | |
| 6019857792 | Deduction | Argument/reasoning from general to specific (thesis is most specific point). | 15 | |
| 6019863890 | Denotation | Literal definition of a word. Dictionary definition. | 16 | |
| 6019868712 | Diction | Author's word choice. | 17 | |
| 6019871979 | Double Entendre | Double meaning of a group of words the author has purposefully left ambiguous. "The bawdy hand of the dial is now on the prick of noon." (Romeo and Juliet), "Children make delicious snacks." | 18 | |
| 6019886590 | Elegiac | Mournful over what has passed or been lost. | 19 | |
| 6019892053 | Epigram | A brief, witty statement "A fool and his money are soon elected." | 20 | |
| 6019897163 | Epithet | A word or phrase adding a characteristic to a thing or person's name (eg. Richard the Lionhearted) (Blood Red Moon). | 21 | |
| 6019909300 | Ethos | An appeal that focuses on the credibility of a person. | 22 | |
| 6019915415 | Euphemism | A word that serves as a substitute for an unpleasant word. (Administrative Assistant vs. Secretary) (Passed Away vs. Died) | 23 | |
| 6019927183 | Figurative Language | Figures of speech that go beyond literal meaning to achieve a literary effect (metaphors, similes, hyperboles, personification) | 24 | |
| 6019944393 | Grounds | The material a writer uses to support a claim (evidence/appeals). | 25 | |
| 6019950157 | Hyperbole | Great exaggeration for emphasis (I'm starving) (I'm drowning in homework) (This is going to take forever). | 26 | |
| 6019960322 | Imagery | Descriptive words that appeal to a reader's senses (sight, taste, hearing, touch). | 27 | |
| 6019966712 | Induction | Reasoning from specific to general (1+3=4, 4 is even, therefore, an odd number plus an odd number equals an even number). | 28 | |
| 6019978707 | Inference | Reasonable conclusion drawn from presented information. | 29 | |
| 6019988631 | Invective | Spiteful, angry language. | 30 | |
| 6019990315 | Inversion | A sentence in which the verb precedes the subject (Yoda) ("Never have I experienced something more frightening.") | 31 | |
| 6019998896 | Irony | Dramatic - When the audience knows what will happen before the characters. Verbal - Opposite of what is said is meant. Situational - The opposite happens from what you expected to happen. | 32 | |
| 6020014494 | Jargon | The specialized vocabulary of a profession or academic field. (medical, legalese, education, etc.) | 33 | |
| 6020020200 | Juxtaposition | Placement of two things side by side for emphasis. | 34 | |
| 6020024098 | Litotes | Understatement; Sarcasm | 35 | |
| 6020025990 | Logos | Appeal to logic (facts, statistics, logical information). | 36 | |
| 6020032529 | Metaphor | Implied comparison (The lake is a piece of glass). | 37 | |
| 6020037435 | Metonymy | Use of one aspect of something to represent the whole (nice wheels, or the crown - referring to royalty). | 38 | |
| 6020049651 | Narration | Storytelling. | 39 | |
| 6020053485 | Onomatopoeia | Words that are spelled the same way they sound. (crash, buzz, achoo.) | 40 | |
| 6020058195 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms. (Jumbo shrimp; walking dead; bittersweet). | 41 | |
| 6020070364 | Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory but is actually true. | 42 | |
| 6020076694 | Parallelism | A repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns. | 43 | |
| 6020082449 | Parody | A piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule (SNL; Weird Al). | 44 | |
| 6020095678 | Pathos | Appeal to emotion. | 45 | |
| 6020097703 | Personification | Giving human characteristics to a non-human object (The wind cried "Mary"). | 46 | |
| 6020106866 | Point of View | The perspective from which the story is told. 1st: "I" "me" 2nd: "you" 3rd Omniscient: All-knowing, all-seeing 3rd Limited: One character's perspective | 47 | |
| 6020125618 | Purpose | One's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing. | 48 | |
| 6020150999 | Repetition | The action of repeating something that has already been said or written. Duplication of a word, phrase, or sentence. | 49 | |
| 6020159501 | Rhetorical Modes | Patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose. Can include narration, description, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, definition, etc. | 50 | |
| 6020173260 | Rhetorical Question | A question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer. | 51 | |
| 6020178462 | Sarcasm | Bitter language meant to hurt or ridicule. | 52 | |
| 6020181151 | Satire | Ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something but actually argues against it; ridicules the flaws of human society/nature. | 53 | |
| 6020194444 | Simile | Comparison that uses "like" or "as". (School is like a zoo.) | 54 | |
| 6020210970 | Subordinate Clause | Dependant, created by using a subordination conjunction ("because"), a clause that modifies an independent clause. "While I was shopping, someone stole my car." | 55 | |
| 6020230317 | Independent Clause | Simple sentence or a complete thought. | 56 | |
| 6020234673 | Syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning supported by a major/minor premise. "Drinking soda every day will cause people to get diabetes. You drink soda every day. You will get diabetes." | 57 | |
| 6020248583 | Symbol | A concrete object that represents a more abstract concept. | 58 | |
| 6020257873 | Synecdoche | Metonymy. 50 head of cattle. | 59 | |
| 6020265463 | Syntax | Sentence structure. | 60 | |
| 6020267671 | Thesis | A central idea in a work to which ALL parts of the work refer (directly expresses author's opinion/purpose). | 61 | |
| 6020283072 | Tone | A writer's attitude toward the subject or audience. | 62 | |
| 6020287866 | Voice | A distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing. | 63 | |
| 6020295421 | Warrant | A logical connection between the claim and its supporting reason. | 64 | |
| 6020304080 | Zeugma | A figure of speech in which a word applies to the others in a different sense. One word (usually a verb) that modifies or governs often in different, sometimes congruent ways - two or more words in a sentence. "He carried a strobelight and the responsibility for the lives of his men." | 65 |