AP English Language Flash Cards Flashcards

7093581038	Antithesis \| anˈtiTHəsəs	the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by phrase, clause, or paragraphs. "To be or not to be . . ." "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times . . ." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country . . ."	0
7093581039	Oxymoron \| ˌäksəˈmôrˌän	From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," ___ is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness."	1
7093581041	Synecdoche \| səˈnekdəkē	A figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. "All hands on deck" is an example.	2
7093581043	Anaphora \| əˈnaf(ə)rə	repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent.	3
7093581044	Euphony \| ˈyo͞ofənē	the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work.	4
7093581046	Metonomy \| məˈtänəmē	a term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name" __ is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example: a news release that claims "The White House declared" rather than "The President declared"	5
7093581050	Cacophony \| kəˈkäfənē	harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary word.	6
7093581054	Invective \| inˈvektiv	an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.	7
7093581055	Understatement \| ˈəndərˌstātmənt	the opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.	8
7093581057	Homily \| ˈhäməlē	This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.	9
7093581068	Periodic Sentence Structure	A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. The independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect is to add emphasis and structural variety.	10
7093581074	Syllogism \| ˈsiləˌjizəm	From the Greek for "reckoning together," a __ is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.	11
7093581108	Ellipsis \| əˈlipsis	Indicated by a series of three periods, the __ indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text.	12
7093581110	Didactic \| dīˈdaktik	writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A ___ work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns.	13
7093581111	Ambiguity ˌambəˈɡyo͞owədē	an event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.	14
7093581118	Colloquial \| kəˈlōkwēəl	the use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. Huckleberry Finn in written in a __ style.	15
7093581130	Asyndeton \| əˈsindəˌtän	Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z.	16
7093635648	Antimetabole \| AN-ti-mə-TAB-ə-lee	A sentence strategy in which the arrangement of ideas in the second clause is a reversal o the first; it adds power to the sentence.	17
7093636880	Anticlimax \| ˌan(t)ēˈklīˌmaks,ˌanˌtīˈklīˌmaks	In writing, denotes a writer's intentional drop from the serious and elevated to the trivial and lowly, in order to achieve a comic or satiric effect. An event (as at the end of a series) that is strikingly less important than what has preceded it. The transition towards this ending.	18
7093643118	Anastrophe \| əˈnastrəfē	Inversion of the normal syntactical structure of a sentence. Ex. "Ready are you?"	19
7093653571	Archaic Diction \| ärˈkāik	Language that is old-fashioned -not completely obsolete but no longer in current use.	20
7093665391	Digression \| ˌdīˈɡreSH(ə)n	a temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing	21
7093669100	Conceit \| kənˈsēt	An elaborate, extended, and sometimes surprising comparison between things that, at first sight, do not have much in common ; a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made.	22
7093676639	Elegiac \| ˌeləˈjīək	mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone	23
7093720425	Epigram \| ˈepəˌɡram	a brief witty statement	24
7093722199	Inverted Syntax	reversing the normal word order of a sentence	25
7093723065	Jargon \| ˈjärɡən	the special language of a profession or group	26
7197556549	Juxtaposition \| ˌjəkstəpəˈziSH(ə)n	Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.	27
7197580394	Litotes \| ˈlīdəˌtēz,līˈtōdēz,ˈlidəˌtēz	A particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used.	28
7197583281	Non-sequitur	A non sequitur, in formal logic, is an invalid argument. In a non sequitur, the conclusion could be either true or false, but the argument nonetheless asserts the conclusion to be true and is thus fallacious.	29
7197585537	Oversimplification \| ˈˌōvərˌsimpləfəˈkāSHən	When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument	30
7197587697	Paradox \| ˈperəˌdäks	A contradiction or dilemma	31
7197588957	Parallel Syntactic Structure	Same pattern of words to show that two or more words or ideas are of equal importance and to help the reader comprehend what is being written.	32
7197589496	Pedantic \| pəˈdan(t)ik	tending to show off one's learning	33
7197590167	Pedantry \| ˈped(ə)ntrē	Act of showing off learning in a manner that is needless and unimaginative	34
7197590971	Polemic \| pəˈlemik	controversy; argument; verbal attack	35
7197771743	Polysyndeton	Deliberate use of many conjunctions	36
7197773344	Synesthesia \| ˌsinəsˈTHēZHə	describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")	37
7197775696	Trope \| trōp	a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression	38
7197776176	Zeugma \| ˈzo͞oɡmə	a device in which a number of items in a sentence are linked together by a shared word	39