AP English Language and Composition: Academic Vocabulary Flashcards

7124788613	absolute	a word free from limitations or qualifications (best, all, unique, perfect)	0
7124788977	ad hominem	argument attacking an individual's character rather than his/her position on an argument	1
7124805497	alliteration	repetition of initial consonant sounds	2
7124805879	allusion	reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the reader understands	3
7124806794	analogy	a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way	4
7124807545	anaphora	repetition of words/phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences	5
7124888707	anecdote	brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event	6
7124993939	antecedent	the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers	7
7124994761	antithesis	a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced	8
7124995322	aphorism	a concise statement that expresses a general truth/idea, often using rhyme or balance	9
7125018581	apostrophe	figure of speech when one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person	10
7125024901	archetype	an original model; detail, image, or character type occurring frequently	11
7125025426	argument	statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work asyndeton-construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions balanced statement-sentence/words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast	12
7125026562	begging the question	fallacy that demonstrates a conclusion by means of premises that assume the conclusion; this fallacy occurs when one makes an argument which assumes a premise which is not explicitly stated	13
7125036541	chiasmus	statement consisting of two parallel where the 2nd part is structurally reversed -ex- Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary	14
7127892298	cliche	expression that has been overused	15
7127892830	colloquialism	informal words/expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing	16
7127893813	complex sentence	one independent clause and at least one dependent clause	17
7127905014	compound sentence	two or more coordinate independent clauses (often joined by conjunctions)	18
7127905360	concrete details	details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events	19
7127906134	connotation	the implied or associative meaning of a word	20
7127931581	cumulative sentence	when the main independent clause is elaborated by modifying clauses/phrases	21
7127932234	declarative sentence	makes a statement or declaration deductive reasoning- a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle then applying it to a specific case	22
7127932590	denotation	literal meaning of a word	23
7127933201	dialect	variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar/pronunciation (geographical region)	24
7127933802	dialogue	conversation between two or more people	25
7127934595	diction	word choice	26
7127934596	didactic	having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing	27
7127935377	dissonance	harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds	28
7127937074	elegy	a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme	29
7127938140	epic	long narrative poem written in elevated style/high positions & episodes	30
7127941821	epigram	a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying	31
7127942635	epigraph	a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter/section of a work	32
7127956396	epiphany	a moment of sudden revelation or insight	33
7127957386	epitaph	an inscription on a tombstone or burial place	34
7127975719	epithet	used to point out characteristics in a person; can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition	35
7127978132	ethos	rhetorical appeal to the writer's credibility; ethical	36
7127984862	eulogy	a formal speech praising a person who has died	37
7127985311	euphemism	an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant	38
7127986898	figurative language	employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, etc.)	39
7127987879	foreshadowing	material presented so that a reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work	40
7127989059	genre	a major category or type of literature	41
7128079190	homily	a sermon or moralistic lecture	42
7128079993	hubris	excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy	43
7128081050	hyperbole	intentional exaggeration to create effect	44
7128081344	idiom	expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the word	45
7128087047	imagery	the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to the senses	46
7128088006	implication	a suggestion an author makes (implies) without stating it directly	47
7128088336	inductive reasoning	deriving general principles from particular facts or instances	48
7128089478	inference	a conclusion one draws (infers based on premises or evidence)	49
7128090494	invective	an intensely vehement, highly emotional attack	50
7128101912	irony	use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs	51
7128102642	jargon	specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession	52
7128103325	juxtaposition	placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast	53
7128114778	litotes	type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite	54
7128114784	logos	rhetorical appeal to logic	55
7128116835	malapropism	mistaken substitution of one word for another that sounds similar	56
7128117228	maxim	a concise statement often offering advice; an adage	57
7128118330	metaphor	a direct comparison of two different things	58
7128118703	extended metaphor	series of comparisons within a piece of writing	59
7128119326	metonymy	figure of speech in which an attribute/feature is used to name/designate something	60
7128119855	mood	the emotional atmosphere of a work	61
7128121019	motif	a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works	62
7128122292	narrative	a story or narrated account	63
7128123078	non-sequitur	a fallacy in which an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally "does not follow") sounds	64
7128123483	oxymoron	two words joined that contradict each other	65
7128124434	parable	a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson	66
7128125914	paradox	an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth	67
7128127412	parallelism	the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms	68
7128128389	parody	a humorous imitation of a serious work	69
7128129014	pathos	rhetorical appeal to emotion	70
7128129666	pedantic	characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship	71
7128130441	periodic sentence	when the main clause is withheld until the end of the sentence	72
7128555001	polemic	an argument against an idea usually regarding politics, philosophy, or religion	73
7128556027	propaganda	negative term for writing to sway opinion rather than present information	74
7128556298	pun	a play on words red herring- information intended to be misleading or distracting from the actual issue	75
7128556673	rhetoric	the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner	76
7128557119	rhetorical question	asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer	77
7128557851	sarcasm	harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule	78
7128559849	satire	the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions	79
7128562384	scapegoat	a person or group that bears the blame for another	80
7128563194	scheme	figures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters, and sounds, rather than the meanings of words	81
7128564804	slippery slope	fallacy in which a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question -ex- Event X has occurred (or will or might occur). Therefore event Y will inevitably happen.	82
7128565088	straw man	logical fallacy of a refutable position; misrepresenting then attacking opponent's position	83
7128565461	surrealism	an artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtapositions and lack of conscious control	84
7128565870	syllepsis	a construction in which one word is used in two different senses -ex-After he threw the ball, he threw a fit	85
7128574975	syllogism	a three part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major and minor premise	86
7128575441	synecdoche	using one part to represent the whole (ex-referring to a car as "wheels")	87
7128576641	vernacular	the everyday speech of a particular country or region often involving nonstandard usage	88
7128576963	zeugma	use of two different words in a grammatically similar way but producing different meanings -ex- His boat and his dream sank. He fished for compliments and for trout. She opened her home and her heart to the needy children	89