AP Language and Composition Terms Flashcards
Summer assignment 2016
Terms : Hide Images [1]
| 4777658942 | alliteration | a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series eg: she sells sea shells | 0 | |
| 4777752718 | allusion | a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance eg: "Don't act like a Romeo in front of her." | 1 | |
| 4777753969 | anadiplosis | the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause eg: "When I give, I give myself." | 2 | |
| 4777758833 | anaphora | the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect eg: "Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better" | 3 | |
| 4777760214 | anastrophe | the order of the noun and the adjective in the sentence is exchanged eg: How wonderful the weather is today! | 4 | |
| 4777764329 | antimetabole | repeating a phrase in reverse order eg: "Eat to live, not live to eat."- Socrates | 5 | |
| 4777767091 | antithesis | a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect eg: Speech is silver, but silence is gold. | 6 | |
| 4777768974 | aphorism | a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner eg: Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle; Old age regret. [Benjamin Disraeli] | 7 | |
| 4777771507 | apostrophe | a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O". A writer or a speaker detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech. eg: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky." | 8 | |
| 4777777080 | apposition | a noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it eg: "We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages." (A Hanging by George Orwell) In this line, "the condemned cells" is a noun phrase, while "a row of sheds" is an appositive that explains this noun phrase. | 9 | |
| 4777782959 | assonance | when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds eg: "Men sell the wedding bells." | 10 | |
| 4777784395 | asyndeton | a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the grammatical accuracy. This literary tool helps in reducing the indirect meaning of the phrase and presents it in a concise form. eg: Without looking, without making a sound, without talking | 11 | |
| 4777788439 | circumlocution | a rhetorical device that can be defined as an ambiguous or paradoxical way of expressing things, ideas or views eg: In the Harry Potter series, the dark lord Voldemort is frequently referred to as: You-know-who He-who-must-not-be-named | 12 | |
| 4777793920 | climax | highest point of a narrative | 13 | |
| 4777793921 | consonance | repetitive sounds produced by consonants eg: The ship has sailed to the far off shores. | 14 | |
| 4777795312 | denotation | literal meaning eg: Dove- a type of bird | 15 | |
| 4777795992 | connotation | symbolic meaning eg: A dove is used to suggest peace or gentility. | 16 | |
| 4777796789 | diction | style of speaking or writing by choice of words | 17 | |
| 4777798280 | ellipsis | omit some parts of a sentence for reader to fill in gaps eg: "I went to the mall on Monday, and she on Sunday." | 18 | |
| 4777799772 | epanalepsis | repeating the initial word or words of phrase at the end of same clause eg: "*The man who did the waking* buys the man who was sleeping a drink; the man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from *the man who did the waking.*" (Jack Sparrow, The Pirates of the Caribbean) | 19 | |
| 4777802719 | epistrophe | repetition of phrases or words at the end of clauses or sentences eg: Hourly joys be still upon you! Juno sings her blessings on you. . . . Scarcity and want shall shun you, Ceres' blessing so is on you." | 20 | |
| 4777803718 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant eg: He passed away. (He died.) | 21 | |
| 4777804457 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 22 | |
| 4777805740 | figures of speech | Expressions, such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations. | 23 | |
| 4777805741 | foreshadowing | A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader. | 24 | |
| 4777806477 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor eg: She's as big as an elephant! | 25 | |
| 4777806478 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 26 | |
| 4777807210 | verbal irony | A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant |  | 27 |
| 4777808637 | situational irony | An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected |  | 28 |
| 4777809730 | dramatic irony | Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. |  | 29 |
| 4777810795 | malapropism | a word humorously misused eg: "Alcoholics Unanimous" instead of "Alcoholics Anonymous". | 30 | |
| 4777811711 | metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. eg: Don't be a chicken! | 31 | |
| 4777812570 | mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader | 32 | |
| 4777812571 | motivation | a reason behind a character's actions and behaviors | 33 | |
| 4777815694 | narration | the act or process of telling a story | 34 | |
| 4777818044 | onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. eg: Dad released a belch from the pit of his stomach. | 35 | |
| 4777818045 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. eg: deafening silence | 36 | |
| 4777818763 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. eg: "I can resist anything but temptation." - Oscar Wilde | 37 | |
| 4777819831 | parallelism | Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other eg: Easy come, easy go. | 38 | |
| 4777820552 | periphrasis | a stylistic device that can be defined as the use of excessive and longer words to convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression or in a few words eg: using "I am going to" instead of "I will" | 39 | |
| 4777825730 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes eg: Winnie the Pooh | 40 | |
| 4777826431 | plot | Sequence of events in a story | 41 | |
| 4777827508 | point of view | The perspective from which a story is told eg: 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person | 42 | |
| 4777828867 | polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions eg: "And Joshua, and all of Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had." (The Bible) | 43 | |
| 4777831424 | prosody | the study of meter, intonation, and rhythm of a poetic work | 44 | |
| 4777833207 | protagonist | Main character | 45 | |
| 4777834314 | pun | A humorous play on words eg: Santa's helpers are known as subordinate Clauses. | 46 | |
| 4777835467 | repetition | Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis | 47 | |
| 4777835468 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected. | 48 | |
| 4777836583 | rhyme | Correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. eg: Cheap sheep | 49 | |
| 4777837140 | sarcasm | the use of irony to mock or convey contempt | 50 | |
| 4777837873 | satire | A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. It doesn't simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in sarcasm). It targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals. | 51 | |
| 4777838792 | setting | The context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs. | 52 | |
| 4777838793 | shift or turn | a change or movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker, a character, or the reader | 53 | |
| 4777841002 | simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" eg: "He is as brave as a lion." | 54 | |
| 4777842138 | sound devices | elements such as rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and onomatopoeia - gives poetry a musical quality | 55 | |
| 4777852913 | structure | framework that underlies the order and manner in which a narrative is presented | 56 | |
| 4777871995 | style | The author's choices regarding language, sentence structure, voice, and tone in order to communicate with the reader. | 57 | |
| 4777943311 | suspense | A feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story; key element in fiction and drama; "hook" writer uses to keep audience interested | 58 | |
| 4777944354 | symbol | A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. | 59 | |
| 4777946148 | synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole. eg: The word "sails" refers to a whole ship. | 60 | |
| 4777947275 | syntax | The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. | 61 | |
| 4777950447 | theme | Central idea of a work of literature | 62 | |
| 4777950448 | tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. | 63 | |
| 4777952506 | understatement | the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. eg: "It rained a bit more than usual" while describing an area being flooded after heavy rainfall. | 64 |