AP Language Terms Flashcards
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| 5727113476 | Allegory | the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. ex: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe | 0 | |
| 5727113477 | Alliteration | the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. ex: She sells sea-shells down by the sea-shore | 1 | |
| 5727214915 | Allusion | a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly, such as an event, book, myth, or work art; can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. ex: You're a regular Einstein. | 2 | |
| 5727248503 | Ambiguity | the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. ex: I have never tasted a cake quite like that one before! Was the cake good or bad? | 3 | |
| 5727261224 | Anaphora | A sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. ex: My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration. | 4 | |
| 5727286092 | Antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. ex: Even though the party was fun, IT was crowded | 5 | |
| 5727310777 | Antithesis | the opposition or contrast of ideas expressed in a grammatically balanced statement(s). ex: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind | 6 | |
| 5727334908 | Aphorism | a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. ex: Don't judge a book by its cover | 7 | |
| 5727358126 | Apostrophe | a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such a liberty or love. ex: Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. | 8 | |
| 5727388411 | Cacophony | words combining unpleasant, discordant sounds that produce an effect of harshness. ex: He is a rotten, dirty, terrible, trudging, stupid dude! | 9 | |
| 5727407341 | Caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. ex: Her eyes were lasers, boring a hole through me. Her ears were smoking, and her hair was on fire. Mom was mad. | 10 | |
| 5727430417 | Catharsis | a purging of pity and/or terror in the audience when watching or reading a tragic event. ex: A man who killed someone in a drunk driving incident experiences cleansing by volunteering in a children's shelter | 11 | |
| 5727441938 | Clause | a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. ex: dep; When it is raining indep; I want some cereal. | 12 | |
| 5727488275 | Colloquialism | the use if slang or informalities in speech or writing. ex: a bunch of numpties - a group of idiots | 13 | |
| 5727507831 | Connotation | the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning; involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. ex: "Cheap" versus "Affordable": While both words mean that something does not cost a lot, "cheap" can also connote something that it not well-made or of low value, while "affordable" can refer to a quality item or service that happens to be well-priced | 14 | |
| 5727526611 | Diction | related to styles, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. ex: "I'll do it right away, sir," Vs. "Yeah, just a sec." | 15 | |
| 5727540669 | Digression | the use of material unrelated to the subject of the work. ex: | 16 | |
| 5727552104 | Euphemism | a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. ex: You are becoming a little thin on top (bald) | 17 | |
| 5727568226 | Ethos | the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. (Credibility) ex: | 18 | |
| 5727602698 | Foil | a character that provides a sharp contrast to another character in the same work. ex: God and Satan. The negative traits of Satan and the positive traits of God are frequently compared which consequently brings to the surface the contrast between the two characters. | 19 | |
| 5727617655 | Foreshadowing | hints or clues that suggest events yet to occur. ex: | 20 | |
| 5727628787 | Genre | the major category into which a literary work fits. (basics divisions are prose, poetry, and drama) ex: | 21 | |
| 5727680013 | Hyperbole | a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. ex: I am so hungry I could eat a horse | 22 | |
| 5727693765 | Imagery | the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotions, or represent abstractions. ex: The golden yellow sunlight filtered down through the pale new leaves on the oak trees, coming to rest on Jessica's brown toes that were splayed in the red Georgia mud | 23 | |
| 5727713638 | Invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. ex: Labeling someone who took credit for your idea as a cheater | 24 | |
| 5727728388 | Irony | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. (3 types of irony = verbal, situational, and dramatic) ex: | 25 | |
| 5727774451 | Logos | a literary device that can be defined as a statement, sentence or argument used to convince or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason or logic. ex: | 26 | |
| 5727788979 | Metaphor | a figure of speech using implies comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. ex: Her eyes were fireflies | 27 | |
| 5727816352 | Metonymy | a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. ex: Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help.) | 28 | |
| 5727835721 | Mood | the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work; setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. ex: | 29 | |
| 5727851217 | Motif | an image that occurs throughout a work that is in and of itself, but also may have symbolic meaning. ex: | 30 | |
| 5727863872 | Narrative | the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. ex: | 31 | |
| 5727872403 | Onomatopoeia | a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. (hiss, buzz, crack) | 32 | |
| 5727888054 | Oxymoron | a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. ex: jumbo shrimp | 33 | |
| 5728014958 | Pathos | a quality of an experience in life or a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy and sorrow. | 34 | |
| 5727903604 | Parable | a story designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral, or answer a question. | 35 | |
| 5727917327 | Paradox | a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth and validity. ex: a good loss | 36 | |
| 5727959937 | Parody | a work that closely imitates the styles or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. | 37 | |
| 5727980050 | Pastoral | a rural or natural setting. | 38 | |
| 5727987173 | Personification | a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or animate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions; make these things more vivid to reader. | 39 | |
| 5728037005 | Point Of View | the perspective from which the story is told; first or third person POV. | 40 | |
| 5728048103 | Rhetoric | describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 41 | |
| 5728066895 | Rhetorical Question | a question asked for effect, not in the expectation of reply. | 42 | |
| 5728083814 | Satire | a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule; best seen as a style instead of a purpose for writing. | 43 | |
| 5728109559 | Setting | the background of the story - the physical location of a play, story or novel - involves time and place. | 44 | |
| 5728123156 | Simile | a figure of speech comparing two unlike objects using like, as, or than. | 45 | |
| 5728142746 | Symbols | anything that represents itself and stands for something else; usually something concrete representing something more abstract. (3 types = natural, conventional, and literary symbols) | 46 | |
| 5728283401 | Theme | the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. | 47 | |
| 5728298249 | Thesis | the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. | 48 | |
| 5728312088 | Tone | describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. (playful, sarcastic, serious) | 49 |