AP Language and Composition Essential Terms Flashcards

10429430916	Expository	intended to explain or describe something.	0
10429433178	Classification	the action or process of classifying something according to shared qualities or characteristics.	1
10429433913	Cause and effect	A relationship in which change in one variable causes change in another	2
10429435157	Compare and contrast	Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary selections.	3
10429436354	Definition	A statement that gives the meaning of a term.	4
10429437196	Analysis	A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.	5
10429439631	Description	a spoken or written representation or account of a person, object, or event	6
10429440288	Narration	the telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of discourse	7
10429441340	Persuasion	A kind of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people's actions.	8
10429450826	Allegory	A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions	9
10429456209	Chronicle	a record of events in order of time; a history	10
10429457176	Diary	A personal, daily account of an individual's experiences and feelings	11
10429457562	Epic	A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society	12
10429458563	Essay	a short nonfiction work about a particular subject	13
10429459513	Fiction	a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact	14
10429459514	Nonfiction	writing that tells about real people, places, and events	15
10429461240	Gothic	of the middle ages; of or relating to a mysterious, grotesque, and desolate style of fiction	16
10429464069	Parody	A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.	17
10429464665	Prose	written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.	18
10429464666	Satire	the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.	19
10429466478	Sermon	a talk on a religious or moral subject, especially one given during a church service and based on a passage from the Bible.	20
10429466973	Stream of consciousness	a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind.	21
10429469004	Analogy	A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way	22
10429469005	Apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.	23
10429470142	Cliche	a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.	24
10429472300	Colloquial	Characteristic of ordinary conversation rather than formal speech or writing	25
10429473003	Epithet	an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.	26
10429473683	Euphemism	an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive	27
10429474169	Hyperbole	exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.	28
10429475205	Imagery	Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)	29
10429475583	Irony	the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.	30
10429476636	Verbal irony	irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.	31
10429477250	Situational irony	An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected	32
10429477933	Dramatic irony	Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.	33
10429479029	Metaphor	A comparison without using like or as	34
10429479486	Metonymy	A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it	35
10429482798	Oxymoron	A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.	36
10429483649	Paradox	A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.	37
10429484974	Personification	A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes	38
10429484975	Pun	a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.	39
10429485704	Simile	A comparison of two unlike things using like or as	40
10429486639	Synaesthesia	the use of one kind of sensory experience to describe another	41
10429487280	Synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa	42
10429487784	Understatement	the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.	43
10429488820	Alliteration	the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.	44
10429489243	Onamatopoeia	the use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes	45
10429489678	Assonance	Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity	46
10429490179	Connotation vs. Denotation	An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing vs. Literal definition of a word.	47
10429491807	Pedantic vs. simple	Language that is academic sounding, characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules -vs—pure, easy, plain, basic language	48
10429493535	Monosyballic	consisting of one syllable	49
10429493991	Polysyballic	having many syllables	50
10429494822	Euphonious vs. cacophonic	Pleasing or agreeable to the ear vs. discordant, unpleasant sounding, jarring.	51
10429495498	Literal vs. Figurative	accurate language without embellishment vs. comparative language for a pictorial effect	52
10429496183	Active vs. Passive	Subject of the sentence is performing or causing the action rather than a state of being vs. subject is the object of the action or the effect of the verb.	53
10429499325	Overstated vs. understated	stating something more than it actually is in order to make the point more serious writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is	54
10429500248	Colloquial vs. formal	Informal, conversational vs. formal, proper language.	55
10429501336	Slang vs jargon	jargon:specific to a group slang: inappropriate	56
10429502615	Allusion	A reference to another work of literature, person, or event	57
10429502616	Ambiguity	An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.	58
10429504884	Anachronism	a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.	59
10429504885	Aphorism	A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.	60
10429507188	Audience	One's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.	61
10429507189	Invective	An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.	62
10429509948	Juxtaposition	Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts	63
10429510320	Malapropism	the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar	64
10429512939	Rhetorical question	A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer	65
10429512940	Tone	Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character	66
10429514282	Point of view	the perspective from which a story is told	67
10429514974	Style	the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work	68
10429515344	Theme	Central idea of a work of literature	69
10429515345	Thesis	a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.	70
10429516495	Persuasion	A kind of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people's actions.	71
10429516496	Argument	a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work	72
10429517097	Appeals	ethos, logos, pathos	73
10429517877	Ethos	Ethical appeal	74
10429518331	Logos	an appeal based on logic or reason	75
10429518332	Pathos	Appeal to emotion	76
10429519965	Claim	An assertion, usually supported by evidence	77
10429520911	Deductive reasoning	reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)	78
10429521483	Inductive reasoning	A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations.	79
10429522342	Evidence	the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.	80
10429523390	Warrant	to justify or deserve	81
10429524446	Logical fallacy	An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid	82
10429525874	Agitated	feeling or appearing troubled or nervous	83
10429525875	Ambivalent	having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone	84
10429527433	Apathetic	showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern	85
10429527434	Bombastic	(adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas	86
10429528040	Candid	(adj.) frank, sincere; impartial; unposed	87
10429529023	Clinical	extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical	88
10429534313	Colloquial	characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation	89
10429537145	Condescending	possessing an attitude of superiority, patronizing	90
10429537690	Critical	expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments.	91
10429537691	Cynical	doubtful or distrustful of the goodness or sincerity of human motives	92
10429538120	Didatic	intended to instruct	93
10429538928	Hyperbolic	enlarged beyond truth or reasonableness	94
10429540094	Impartial	unbiased; neutral	95
10429540729	Elegiac	mourning that which is lost or past; sorrowful	96
10429541850	Embittered	Made bitter or resentful	97
10429542448	Empathetic	Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives	98
10429542920	Flippant	not showing a serious or respectful attitude	99
10429543344	Gothic	of the middle ages; of or relating to a mysterious, grotesque, and desolate style of fiction	100
10429544449	Laudatory	expressing praise	101
10429544450	Melancholy	depression of spirits	102
10429545014	Nostalgic	having a longing for things past	103
10429545684	Pedantic	Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules	104
10429546449	Reverent	feeling or showing deep and solemn respect	105
10429546930	Sarcastic	Marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt	106
10429547535	Sardonic	grimly or scornfully mocking, bitterly sarcastic	107
10429552360	Somber	dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit	108