AP English Language and Composition Key Terms Flashcards

8631917571	Allegory	using character and/or story elements to represent an abstraction. Usually unveils a moral truth.	0
8631929750	Alliteration	repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.	1
8631933091	Allusion	a direct or indirect reference to something which is commonly known.	2
8631937453	Ambiguity	the multiple meanings of a word or phrase.	3
8631939955	Analogy	a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.	4
8631950921	Antecedent	word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.	5
8631954004	Antithesis	the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite	6
8631957600	Aphorism	a statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle. A memorable summation of an author's point.	7
8631966736	Atmosphere	the emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established by the setting and author's choice.	8
8631981714	Caricature	a description aimed at exaggerating or distorting, for comic effect, a person's physical features or other defining characteristics.	9
8631990227	Clause	a grammatical unit that contains a subject and a verb.	10
8631992769	Colloquial/Colloquialism	the use of slang or informal speech in writing. Provide a conversational, familiar tone.	11
8631999508	Conceit	a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy.	12
8632007047	Connotation	the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; implied.	13
8632009040	Denotation	the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word.	14
8632011362	Diction	relates to the writer's word choices.	15
8632020354	Didactic	words/language with the primary objective of teaching or instructing.	16
8632025492	Euphemism	a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for unpleasant words or concepts ("earthly remains" vs "corpse").	17
8632036656	Extended Metaphor	a metaphor that is developed at great length throughout a text.	18
8632043604	Figurative Language	writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is meant to be imaginative in nature.	19
9569777457	Figure of Speech	A device used to produce figurative language.	20
9569777458	Generic Conventions	This term describes traditions for each genre.	21
9569777459	Genre	a major category or type of literature	22
9569777460	Homily	a sermon, or a moralistic lecture	23
9569777461	Hyperbole	A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor	24
9569777462	Imagery	Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)	25
9569777463	Inference/Infer	To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.	26
9569777464	Invective	An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.	27
9569777465	Irony/Ironic	The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant.	28
9569777466	Verbal Irony	A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant	29
9569777467	Situational Irony	An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected	30
9569777468	Dramatic Irony	when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't	31
9569777469	Litotes	A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite	32
9569777470	Loose Sentence/Non-Periodic Sentence	A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units, such as phrases or clauses	33
9569777471	Metaphor	A comparison without using like or as	34
9569777472	Metonymy	the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant	35
9569777473	Mood	Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader	36
9569777474	Narrative	The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.	37
9569777475	Onomatopoeia	A word that imitates the sound it represents.	38
9569777476	Oxymoron	a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction	39
9569777477	Paradox	a contradiction or dilemma	40
9569777478	Parallelism/Parallel Structure	the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures	41
9569777479	Anaphora	the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (sub type of parallelism/parallel structure)	42
9569777480	Parody	A work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner	43
9569777481	Pedantic	characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship	44
9569777482	Periodic Sentence	a complex sentence in which the main clause comes last and is preceded by the subordinate clause	45
9569777483	Personification	A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes	46
9569777484	Point of View	In literature, the perspective from which a story is told.	47
9569777485	First Person Narrator	one of the characters tells the story ("I").	48
9569777486	Third Person Narrator	a narrator outside of the action who tells the story from the he/she vantage point	49
9569777487	Third Person Omniscient	the narrator knows all of the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in a work	50
9569777488	Third Person Limited	Narrator sees the world through only one characters eyes and thoughts	51
9569777489	Prose	written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.	52
9569777490	Repetition	Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis	53
9569777491	Rhetoric	The art of using language effectively and persuasively	54
9569777492	Rhetorical Modes	exposition, description, narration, argumentation	55
9569777493	Sarcasm	the use of irony to mock or convey contempt (intended to ridicule)	56
9569777494	Satire	A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies	57
9569777495	Semantics	Meaning of words and sentences	58
9569777496	Style	the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work	59
9569777497	Subject Complement	is a word or group of words that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject.	60
9569777498	Subordinate Clause	part of a sentence but doesn't express a complete thought and cannot stand by itself	61
9569777499	Syllogism	a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one is called "major" and the second is called "minor") that inevitably leads to a sound conclusion	62
9569777500	Symbol/Symbolism	Anything that represents itself and stands for something else.	63
9569777501	Natural Symbols	objects and occurrences from nature to symbolize ideas commonly associated with them	64
9569777502	Conventional Symbols	those that have been invested with meaning by a group	65
9569777503	Literary Symbols	symbols that are found in a variety of works and are more generally recognized.	66
9569777504	Synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa	67
9569777505	Synthesia	describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")	68
9569777506	Syntax	the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences	69
9569777507	Theme	central idea/universal message of a work of literature	70
9569777508	Thesis	a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.	71
9569777509	Tone	the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc	72
9569777510	Transition	a word or phrase that links different ideas	73
9569777511	Understatement (litotes)	the opposite of hyperbole, says less than could be said either to diminish or enhance a subject	74
9569777512	Wit	Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights	75
9569777513	Inverted Syntax (Inversion)	reversing the normal order of a sentence	76
9771029033	Chiasmus	flipping the second part of a sentence's structure (AB->BA). EX: "Never let a fool kiss you, or a kiss fool you"	77
9771040893	Polysyndeton	the use of conjunctions in quick succession between words and phrases (rapid pace)	78