AP Language and Composistion: Vocabulary Set 1 Flashcards

14674993913	allusion	An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.	0
14675012124	antecedent	The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP Language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. "If I could command the wealth of the world by lifting my finger, I would not pay such a price for it." An AP question may read: "What is the antecedent for 'it'?"	1
14681663668	diction	Word choice, particularly as an element of style.	2
14681670223	colloquial	Ordinary or familiar type of conversation. A "colloquialism" is a common or familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism"	3
14681686528	connotation	Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning. Ex: "House" vs. "Home"	4
14681700426	denotation	The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.	5
14681710535	didatic	A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.	6
14681721584	allegory	A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. "Animal Farm", by George Orwell.	7
14681745806	aphorism	A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle. It can be a memorable summation of the author's point. Ben Franklin wrote many of these in "Poor Richard's Almanac", such as "God helps them help themselves," and "A watched pot never boils."	8
14681767845	euphemism	a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. Ex: "physically challenged" vs "crippled"	9
14681778941	figurative language	It is the opposite of "Literal Language." It is not to be taken literally. Ex: Hyperbole	10
14681789687	analogy	It is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. Ex: "America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle."	11
14681808182	hyperbole	extreme exaggeration. Ex: "My mother will kill me if I am late."	12
14681816818	metaphor	Making an implied comparison, not using like or as. Ex: "My feet are popsicles."	13
14681827271	extended metaphor	A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. An elaborate this is called a conceit.	14
14681839666	synesthesia	A description involving a "crossing of the senses." Examples: "A purplish scent filled the room." "I was defeated by his brightly-colored clothing."	15
14682349503	imagery	Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually involves the five senses. Authors often use it in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.	16
14682349504	invective	A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.	17
14682349505	irony	when the opposite of what you expect to happen does. Ex: Verbal Irony	18
14682349506	parallellism	Sentence consruction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns. Ex: "Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs."	19
14682349507	parody	An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. It burrows words or phrases from an original, and pokes fun at it. This is also a form of allusion. Ex: Satuday Night Live parodies famous persons and events.	20
14682349508	alliteration	The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. Ex: "Sally sells sea shells."	21
14682349509	rhetoric	The art of effective communication.	22
14682349510	satire	A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions. Good satire usually has three layers: serious on the surface; humorous when you discover that it is satire instead of reality; and serious when you discern the underlying point of the author.	23
14682349511	clause	A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.	24
14682349512	subordinate clause	It cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. Ex: "Other than baseball, football is my favorite sport." In this sentence, the independent clause is "football is my favorite sport." And the dependent clause is "Other than baseball."	25
14682349513	style	The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. It may be conscious or unconscious.	26
14682349514	symbolism	Anything that represents or stands for something else. It it is usually used for something more concrete such as an object, actions, character... that represents something more abstract. Ex: the Whale in Moby Dick.	27
14682349515	syntax	Grammatical arrangement of words.	28
14682349516	theme	The central idea of a message of a work. It may be directly stated in nonfiction works, although not necessarily. It it is rarely stated directly in fiction.	29
14682349517	thesis	The sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. It should be short and clear.	30
14682349518	tone	A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization. To identify tone, consider how the piece would sound if read aloud.	31
14682349519	litotes	A particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used. Ex: "Hitting the telephone pole certainly did not do your car any good."	32
14682349520	ambiguity	The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.	33
14682349521	Apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. Ex: when Macbeth speaks to the dagger.	34
14682349522	atmosphere	The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described.	35
14682349523	figure of speech	A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Ex: apostrophe	36
14682349524	generic conventions	This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention.	37
14682349525	homily	This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.	38
14682349526	inference	to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.	39
14682349527	paradox	A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. Ex: Less is more.	40
14682349528	pedantic	An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.	41
14682349529	point of view	In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions of point of view, and many subdivisions within those. (1) first person narrator tells the story with the first person pronoun, "I," and is a character in the story. This narrator can be the protagonist, a secondary character, or an observing character. (2) third person narrator relates the events with the third person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it." There are two main subdivisions to be aware of: a. third person omniscient, in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters b. third person limited omniscient, in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters. In addition, be aware that the term point of view carries an additional meaning. When you are asked to analyze the author's point of view, the appropriate point for you to address is the author's attitude.	42
14682349530	prose	One of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line.	43
14682349531	rhetorical modes	This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing.	44
14682349532	1. Exposition	to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion.	45
14682349533	2. Argumentation	It is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader.	46
14682349534	3. Description	It is to recreate, invent, or visually, present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described.	47
14682349535	4. Narration	It is to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events.	48
14682349536	semantics	The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.	49
14682349537	subject complement	The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it (the predicate nominative) or (2) describing it (the predicate adjective). These are defined below: (1) the predicate nominative - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence.	50
14682349538	syllogism	From the Greek for "reckoning together," it (or syllogistic reasoning or syllogistic logic) is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second called "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows: major premise: All men are mortal. minor premise: Socrates is a man. conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is a mortal. A syllogism's conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid. Syllogisms may also present the specific idea first ("Socrates") and the general second ("all men"). Adapted from V. Stevenson, Patrick Henry High School, and Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms	51
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