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AP English Language
Terms for the AP Exam
70
English
11th Grade
05/11/2009

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Term
Ad hominem argument
Definition
An argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect.
*Attacking the arguer rather than the argument
Term
Allegory
Definition
The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning
Ex: Beloved represents slavery
Term
Alliteration
Definition
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words
Term
Allusion
Definition
A direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art
Term
Ambiguity
Definition
The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage
Term
Analogy
Definition
A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them
Term
Antecedent
Definition
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Term
Antithesis
Definition
A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure.
Ex: "too black for heaven, too white for hell."
Term
Aphorism
Definition
A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love Ex: "Oh Gary why did you have to go!?"
Term
Atmosphere
Definition
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.
Term
Caricature
Definition
A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect.
Term
Chiasmus
Definition
A rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each other through a reversal of terms
ex: "ask not what you're country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
Term
Clause
Definition
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
*Independent: can stand on it's own
Ex: "...my AP scores were high"
*Dependent: cannot stand on it's own
Ex: "Because I studied hard..."
Term
Colloquialism
Definition
Slang or informality in speech or writing
*give work a conversational, familiar tone
Term
Conceit
Definition
A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.
Term
Connotation
Definition
The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning
Term
Denotation
Definition
The strict, literal dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color
Term
Diction
Definition
Related to style, diction refers to the writers word choices
*combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, and so on, create an author's style
Term
Didactic
Definition
Didactic works often have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.
Term
Euphemism
Definition
A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.
Term
Extended metaphor
Definition
A metaphor developed at great length, occuring frequently in or throughout a work.
Term
Figurative language (figure of speech)
Definition
Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.
Term
Generic conventions
Definition
Traditions for each genre; diffrentiate between an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing
Term
Genre
Definition
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Term
Homily
Definition
Includes any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
Term
Imagery
Definition
The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.
Term
Inference/infer
Definition
To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
Term
Invective
Definition
An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language
Term
Irony
Definition
The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
Term
Juxtaposition
Definition
Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison and contrast.
Term
Loose sentence (periodic sentence)
Definition
A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.
Term
Metaphor
Definition
A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.
Term
Metonymy
Definition
A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.
Ex: "the white house"is another phrase often used when referring to the president
Term
Mood
Definition
Literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.
Term
Narrative
Definition
The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events
Term
Onomatopoeia
Definition
A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.
Ex: buzz, hum, crack
Term
Oxymoron
Definition
A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
Term
Paradox
Definition
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.
Term
Parallelism
Definition
Ex: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..."
Term
Parody
Definition
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
Term
Pedantic
Definition
An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.
Term
Personification
Definition
A figure of speech in which the author presents of describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.
Term
Point of view
Definition
Perspective from which a story is told.
*First person: tells a story with the first person pronoun "I"
*Third person: "he" "she" "it"
Term
Predicate adjectives
Definition
An adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb
ex: He is tall, dark, and handsome
Term
Predicate nominitive
Definition
A noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject.
Ex: Abe Lincoln was a man of integrity.
Term
Prose
Definition
Anything that isn't poetry or drama.
Term
Repetition
Definition
The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.
Term
Rhetoric
Definition
The principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.
Term
Rhetorical appeal
Definition
The persusive device by which a writer tries to sway the audience's attention and response to any given work.
Logos: logical reasoning
Ethos: credibility
Pathos: emotional appeal
Term
Rhetorical modes
Definition
Exposition: explains and analyzes information
Argumentation: prove the validity of an idea
Description: visually present a person, place, event, etc. so that the reader can picture that being described
Narration: tell a story a narrate a series of events
Term
Rhetorical question
Definition
A question that is asked merely for effect and does not expect a reply.
Term
Sarcasm
Definition
Involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.
Term
Satire
Definition
A work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform or ridicule.
Term
Simile
Definition
An explicit comparison, normally using "like" "as" or "if"
Term
Style
Definition
An evaluation of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices
Term
Subject complement
Definition
The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it.
Term
Subordinate clause
Definition
A clause that cannot stand alone; usually begins with "although" "because" "unless" "if" etc.
Term
Syllogism
Definition
A deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises - the first one called "major" and the second "minor" - that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.
Ex:
*Major - all men are mortal
*Minor - Socrates is a man
*Conclusion - Therefore, Socrates is a mortal
Term
Non-sequitur
Definition
Latin for "it doesn't follow." Ex: "Our nation will prevail because God is great. But nearly every nation pretends this is true."
Term
Symbol
Definition
Anything that represents or stands for something else
Term
Syntax
Definition
The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
*Syntax refers to groups of words, diction refers to individual words.
Term
Theme
Definition
The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.
Term
Thesis
Definition
In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, and proposition.
Term
Tone
Definition
Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both.
Term
Transition
Definition
A word or phrase that links different ideas.
Term
Begging the Question
Definition
also called assuming the answer (e.g., We
must institute the death penalty to discourage violent crime. But does the
violent crime rate in fact fall when the death penalty is imposed?)
Term
Understatement
Definition
The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it really is.
*Litotes: a figure of speech by which an affirmation is made indirectly by denying it's opposite
Ex: "he was not averse to drink"
*Meiosis: a rhetorical figure by which something is reffered to in terms less important than it really deserves
ex: Black knight in Monty Python - "It's just a flesh wound!"
Term
Wit
Definition
Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.
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