AP English Language Flashcards
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| 6755606231 | adage | A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language. | 0 | |
| 6755611110 | allegory | A story in which a second meaning is to be read beneath the surface. | 1 | |
| 6755613906 | allusion | A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea. | 2 | |
| 6755613907 | ambiguity | A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings or interpretations. | 3 | |
| 6755616334 | anachronism | A person, scene, event or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era. | 4 | |
| 6755616335 | analogy | A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things; a passage that points out several similarities between two unlike things is called an extended analogy. | 5 | |
| 6755619953 | anecdote | A brief explanation, summary, or evaluation of a text or work of literature. | 6 | |
| 6755622469 | antecedent | A word to which a pronoun refers. | 7 | |
| 6755626337 | aphorism | A short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment. | 8 | |
| 6755626338 | Apollonian | In contrast to Bionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior. | 9 | |
| 6755628684 | apostrophe | A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present. | 10 | |
| 6755628685 | arch | (adj.) Characterized by clever or sly humor, often saucy, playful, and somewhat irreverent. | 11 | |
| 6755628686 | archetype | An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form. | 12 | |
| 6755633896 | bathos | Insincere or overdone sentimentality. | 13 | |
| 6755638014 | bombast | Inflated, pretentious language. | 14 | |
| 6777564389 | burlesque | A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation. | 15 | |
| 6777566336 | cacophony | Grating, inharmonious sounds. | 16 | |
| 6777569803 | canon | The works considered the most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied. | 17 | |
| 6777571169 | circumlocution | Literally, "talking around" a subject; i.e., discourse that avoids direct reference to a subject. | 18 | |
| 6777576159 | classical, classicism | Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity, and restraint. | 19 | |
| 6777578317 | clause | A structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate. | 20 | |
| 6777582736 | independent clauses | sometimes called main clauses, ay stand on their own as complete sentences | 21 | |
| 6777584392 | dependent clauses | are used as nouns or modifiers, are incomplete sentences and cannot stand alone grammatically; they are sometimes called subordinate clauses; those that function as adjectives, nouns, or adverbs are known, respectively, as adjective, noun, and adverbial clauses | 22 | |
| 6777586282 | conceit | A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language. | 23 | |
| 6777589271 | consonance | The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a unit of speech or writing. | 24 | |
| 6777591921 | cynic | One who expects and observes nothing but the worst of human conduct. | 25 | |
| 6777594350 | deductive reasoning | A method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions, and theorems are drawn from general principles. | 26 | |
| 6777596319 | dénouement | The resolution that occurs at the end of a narrative or drama, real or imagined. | 27 | |
| 6777600915 | deus ex machina | In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem. | 28 | |
| 6777602481 | didactic | Having an instructive purpose; intending to convey information or teach a lesson, usually in a dry, pompous manner. | 29 | |
| 6777604405 | Dionysian | As distinguished from Apollonian, the word refers to sensual, pleasure-seeking, impulses. | 30 | |
| 6777606139 | dramatic irony | A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character. | 31 | |
| 6777607957 | elliptical construction | A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. | 32 | |
| 6777612654 | epigram | A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement. | 33 | |
| 6777616570 | epithet | An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing; Can also be used to apply to vulgar or profane exclamations. | 34 | |
| 6777622708 | eponymous | A term for the title character of a work of literature. | 35 | |
| 6777779474 | ethos | A speaker or one's authority to express opinions on a subject. | 36 | |
| 6777620213 | euphony | Pleasing, harmonious sounds. | 37 | |
| 6777634047 | exegesis | A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of prose or poetry. | 38 | |
| 6777790310 | explication | The interpretation or analysis of a text. | 39 | |
| 6777792407 | exposé | A factual piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings. | 40 | |
| 6777797678 | exposition | The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of an essay or other work; setting forth the meaning or purpose of a piece of writing or discourse. | 41 | |
| 6777802279 | fallacy, fallacious reasoning | An incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, false information, or flawed logic. | 42 | |
| 6777803642 | farce | A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose. | 43 | |
| 6777805286 | frame | A structure that provides a premise or setting for a narrative or other discourse. | 44 | |
| 6777806759 | harangue | A forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade. | 45 | |
| 6777808677 | homily | A lecture or sermon on a religious or moral theme meant to guide human behavior. | 46 | |
| 6777810335 | hubris | Excessive pride that often affects tone. | 47 | |
| 6777811929 | humanism | A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity. | 48 | |
| 6777813886 | hyperbole | Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect. | 49 | |
| 6777815700 | idyll | A lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place. | 50 | |
| 6777817607 | indirect quotation | A rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased. | 51 | |
| 6777819220 | inductive reasoning | A method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization. | 52 | |
| 6777820430 | invective | A direct verbal assault; a denunciation; casting blame on someone or something. | 53 | |
| 6777823175 | kenning | A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities. | 54 | |
| 6777825151 | lampoon | A mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation. | 55 | |
| 6777826042 | litotes | A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. | 56 | |
| 6777828000 | logos | The logic used by a speaker or writer to support a claim or point of view. | 57 | |
| 6777831209 | loose sentence | A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences, i.e., subject-verb-objects. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses. | 58 | |
| 6777832913 | lyrical prose | Personal, reflective prose that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject. | 59 | |
| 6777834630 | maxim | A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth. | 60 | |
| 6777840716 | metaphysical | A term describing poetry that uses elaborate conceits, expresses the complexities of love and life, and is highly intellectual. More generally, it refers to ideas that are neither analytical nor subject to empirical verification; that is, ideas that express an attitude about which rational argument is impossible. | 61 | |
| 6777842158 | metonymy | A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. | 62 | |
| 6777844947 | mock serious | Characterized by feigned or deliberately artificial seriousness, often for satirical purposes. | 63 | |
| 6777848705 | mode | The general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a piece of discourse. | 64 | |
| 6777852545 | naturalism | A term often used as a synonym for realism; also a view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic. | 65 | |
| 6777854528 | non sequitur | A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before. | 66 | |
| 6777855635 | objective | (adj.) Of or relating to facts and reality, as opposed to private and personal feelings and attitudes. | 67 | |
| 6777857202 | omniscient narrator | A narrator with unlimited awareness, understanding, and insight of characters, setting, background, and all other elements of the story. | 68 | |
| 6777860237 | oxymoron | A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect. | 69 | |
| 6777861250 | parable | A story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived. | 70 | |
| 6777862727 | paradox | A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true. | 71 | |
| 6777866023 | parallel structure | The structure required for expressing two or more grammatical elements of equal rank. Coordinate idea,s compared and contrasted ideas and correlative constructions call for parallel construction. | 72 | |
| 6777869233 | pathetic fallacy | Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects. | 73 | |
| 6777871488 | pathos | That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow. Also, the emotional appeal used to persuade an audience to accept a certain point of view or position. | 74 | |
| 6777875416 | pedantic | Narrowly academic instead of broad and humane; excessively petty and meticulous. | 75 | |
| 6777878435 | periodic sentence | A sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support. | 76 | |
| 6777878436 | predicate | The part of a sentence that is not the grammatical subject. It often says something about the subject. | 77 | |
| 6777883078 | psuedonym | A false name or alias used by writers. | 78 | |
| 6777884684 | pulp fiction | Novels written for mass consumption, often emphasizing exciting and titillating plots. | 79 | |
| 6777885834 | realism | The depiction of people, things, and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect. | 80 | |
| 6777887661 | rebuttal/ refutation | The part of discourse wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and answered. | 81 | |
| 6777890904 | retraction | The withdrawal of a previously stated idea or opinion. | 82 | |
| 6777894580 | rhetoric | The language of a work and its style; words, often highly emotional, used to convince or sway an audience. | 83 | |
| 6777895754 | rhetorical mode | A general term that identifies discourse according to its chief purpose. Includes exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. | 84 | |
| 6777900018 | rhetorical stance | Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject. | 85 | |
| 6777902924 | sentence structure | The arrangement of the parts of a sentence. A sentence may be simple, compound, or complex. Sentences may also contain any of these structures in combination with each other. Each variation leaves a different impression on the reader, and along with other rhetorical devices, may create a countless array of effects. | 86 | |
| 6777908464 | simple sentence | one subject and one verb | 87 | |
| 6777910854 | compound sentence | two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction | 88 | |
| 6777912385 | complex sentence | an independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses | 89 | |
| 6777915042 | simile | A figurative comparison using the words like or as. | 90 | |
| 6777917116 | stylistic devices | A general term referring to diction, syntax, tone, figurative language, and all other elements that contribute to the "style" or manner of a given piece of discourse. | 91 | |
| 6777918798 | subject complement | The name of a grammatical unit that is comprised of predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives. | 92 | |
| 6777920336 | subjective | (adj.) Of or relating to private and personal feelings and attitudes as opposed to facts and reality. | 93 | |
| 6777921804 | subtext | The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of an essay or other work. | 94 | |
| 6777924739 | syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning in which given certain ideas or facts, other ideas or facts must follow. | 95 | |
| 6777927008 | synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part. When the name of a material stands for the thing itself, that, too, is this. | 96 | |
| 6777929054 | transition | A stylistic device used to create a link between ideas. These often endow discourse with continuity and coherence. | 97 | |
| 6777930646 | verbal irony | A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words. | 98 | |
| 6777931766 | verisimilitude | Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is or could have been. | 99 |