AP Language Terms Flashcards

5053415151	ethos	appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader	0
5053415152	logos	appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason	1
5053415153	pathos	appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response	2
5053416791	abstract	a summary of the contents of a book, article, or formal speech	3
5053417983	allusion/alludes/classical allusion	an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference; suggest or call attention to indirectly; reference to a particular event or character in classical works of literature, such as ancient Roman or Greek works	4
5053419377	ambiguity	uncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language	5
5053420903	anecdote/anecdotal	a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person; not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research	6
5053424605	antithesis/antithetical	figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other; connected with, containing, or using the rhetorical device of antithesis	7
5053430634	author's purpose	reason an author decides to write about a specific topic, the purpose for writing is to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain his ideas to the reader	8
5053432220	dichotomy/dichotomous	division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different; exhibiting or characterized by dichotomy	9
5053435528	didactic	intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive	10
5053435529	analogy	comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification	11
5053435530	antecedent	thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another	12
5053436907	aphorism	pithy observation that contains a general truth	13
5053438313	clause	unit of grammatical organization next below the sentence in rank and in traditional grammar said to consist of a subject and predicate	14
5053438314	cliché	phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought	15
5053439749	colloquialism	word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation	16
5053443983	concrete	existing in a material or physical form; real or solid; not abstract	17
5053443984	connotation	idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning	18
5053445918	contemplative	expressing or involving prolonged thought	19
5053445919	deductive	characterized by the inference of particular instances from a general law	20
5053447960	denotation	literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests	21
5053447961	diction	choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing; style of enunciation in speaking or singing	22
5053450034	elegiac (meter)	poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic	23
5053451230	euphemism	mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing	24
5053451231	expository	intended to explain or describe something	25
5053453276	extended metaphor	comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem	26
5053453277	figures of speech	word or phrase used in a nonliteral sense to add rhetorical force to a spoken or written passage	27
5053456648	footnote	ancillary piece of information printed at the bottom of a page	28
5053456649	homily	tedious moralizing discourse	29
5053457885	hyperbole	exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally	30
5053461037	hypothetical example	fictional example that can be used when a speaker is explaining a complicated topic that makes the most sense when it is put into more realistic or relatable terms	31
5053463182	illustrate/illustrative	provide (a book, newspaper, etc.) with pictures; explain or make (something) clear by using examples, charts, pictures, etc.; serving as an example or explanation	32
5053467123	imagery	visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work; visual symbolism	33
5053467124	inference	conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning	34
5053469230	invective	insulting, abusive, or highly critical language	35
5053469231	irony	expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect; state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result; literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character	36
5053470518	jargon	special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand	37
5053470519	juxtaposition	fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect	38
5053473663	lyrical	expressing the writer's emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way	39
5053473664	metaphor	figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable	40
5053474908	narrative	spoken or written account of connected events; a story	41
5053474909	oxymoron	figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction	42
5053477013	paradox/paradoxical	statement that is self contradictory because it often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time; seemingly absurd or self-contradictory	43
5053478588	parallelism/parallel structure	use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc.	44
5053483592	pedantic	of or like a pedant; excessive concern with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning	45
5053485105	personification	attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form	46
5053485106	point of view	particular attitude or way of considering a matter; the narrator's position in relation to the story being told; position from which something or someone is observed	47
5053486859	prosaic	having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty	48
5053486860	prose	written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure	49
5053486861	pun	joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings	50
5053492095	purpose	reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists	51
5053492096	qualify	be entitled to a particular benefit or privilege by fulfilling a necessary condition	52
5053496199	rebuttal	refutation or contradiction	53
5053497835	refute/refutation	prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove; negation of an argument, opinion, testimony, doctrine, or theory, through contradicting evidence	54
5053500386	rhetoric/rhetorical strategy/rhetorical purpose	art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques; help a writer organize evidence, connect facts into a sequence, and provide clusters of information necessary for conveying a purpose or an argument; seeks to persuade an audience, seeks to manipulate the way that audience thinks about the given subject	55
5053504600	sarcasm	use of irony to mock or convey contempt; verbal irony	56
5053507645	satire/satirical/satirize	use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues; containing or using satire; deride and criticize by means of satire	57
5053509487	subordinate clause	clause, typically introduced by a conjunction, that forms part of and is dependent on a main clause	58
5053512073	symbol	thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract	59
5053512074	syntax/syntaxical	arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language; of, relating to, or involving syntax, especially grammatical syntax	60
5053515029	tone	general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.	61
5053518171	allegory	story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one	62
5053518172	alliteration	occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words	63
5053519510	conceit	fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor	64
5053519511	cynicism	inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest; skepticism	65
5053521385	digression	temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing	66
5053522888	epilogue	section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened	67
5053522889	epiphany	experience of sudden and striking realization	68
5053524220	fallacy	mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument	69
5053524221	inversion	action of inverting something or the state of being inverted	70
5053525682	metonymy	substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant	71
5053525683	parody	imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect	72
5053528259	periodic sentence	sentence containing main clause or predicate at the end	73
5053528260	syllogism	instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion	74