AP English Language and Composition Flashcards

Terms for AP English, Page 1 and 2

10185827705	allegory	a symbolic representation; a story, picture, or play employing representation; personify an abstraction like hope or freedom	0
10185827706	alliteration	repetition of sounds, especially initial constant sounds in two or more neighboring words; to reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of passage	1
10185827707	allusion	a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art; can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical	2
10185827708	ambiguity	the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage	3
10185827709	analogy	a similarity or comparison of two different things that are similar in some way; can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar; also makes writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging	4
10185827710	antecedent	the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun; if in a sentence it is talking about a dentist and then the passage says "he", the "he" refers to the dentist, which makes it this	5
10185827711	antithesis	the opposite or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite	6
10185827712	aphorism	a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle; can be a memorable summation of the author's point	7
10185827713	apostrophe	a figure of speech in which the poet addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing such as liberty or love; it is an address to someone or something that cannot answer; may add familiarity or emotional intensity	8
10185827714	atmosphere	the emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by author's choice of objects that described; description of weather can indicate it; frequently foreshadows events; can create mood	9
10185827715	caricature	a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics	10
10185827716	clause	a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb	11
10185827717	colloquial/colloquialism	the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing; give a work a conversational, familiar tone; expressions in writing include local or regional dialects	12
10185827718	conceit	a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects; displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made	13
10222172798	connotation	the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning; may involve ideas, emotions or attitudes	14
10222172799	denotation	the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color	15
10222172800	diction	related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness; formal, informal, ornate or plain, etc.	16
10222172801	didactic	from the Greek, literally means "teaching"; teachings of morals and ethical principles	17
10222172802	euphemism	from the Greek for "good speech"; are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept; may adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement	18
10222172803	extended metaphor	a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work	19
10222172804	figurative language	writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid	20
10222172805	figure of speech	a device used to produce figurative language; many compare dissimilar things; include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simply, synecdoche, and understatement	21
10222172806	generic conventions	this term describes traditions for each genre; they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing	22
10222172807	genre	the major category into which a literary work fits (eg prose, poetry, and drama); prose divides into fiction or nonfiction, poetry into lyric, dramatic narrative, epic, etc., drama into tragedy, comedy, melodrama, farce, etc.	23
10222172808	homily	this term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice	24
10222172809	hyperbole	a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement; Greek meaning is "overshoot"; have a comic effect, could be serious; produces irony; opposite of it is understatement	25
10222172810	imagery	the sensory details or figurative language used to describe arouse emotion or represent abstractions; could be on physical level, the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell); can also represent more than one thing, on a different level	26
10222172811	inference/infer	to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented (an educated guess)	27