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Literary Terms
Summer Assignment Vocabulary for AP English III at GHHS
105
English
11th Grade
08/13/2013

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Term
Ad Hominem
Definition
An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack
Term
Adjective
Definition
The part of speech (or word class) that modifies a noun or pronoun.
Term
Adverb
Definition
The part of speech (or word class) that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb
Term
Allegory
Definition
Extending a metaphor so that objects, persons, and actions in a text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text.
Term
Alliteration
Definition
The repetition of an initial consonant sound
Term
Allusion
Definition
A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event-- real or fictional
Term
Ambiguity
Definition
The presence of two or more possible meanings in any passage
Term
Analogy
Definition
Reasoning or arguing from parallel cases
Term
Anadiplosis
Definition
Figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or terms in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/ are repeated at or very near the beginning of the next sentence, clause or phrase
Term
Anachronism
Definition
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time. (The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare)
Term
Anaphora
Definition
The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses
Term
Anastrophe
Definition
Anastrophe occurs whenever normal syntactical arrangement is violated for emphasis
- Anastrophe Example: The verb before the subject-noun (normal syntax follows the order subject-noun, verb): Glistens the dew upon the morning grass. (Normally: The dew glistens upon the morning grass)
Term
Antecedent
Definition
The noun or noun phrase referred to by a pronoun
Term
Antithesis
Definition
The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases
Term
Aphorism
Definition
(1) A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion.
(2) A brief statement of a principle
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
A rhetorical term for breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing.
Term
Appeal to Authority
Definition
A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution
Term
Appeal to Ignorance
Definition
A fallacy that uses an opponent's inability to disprove a conclusion as proof of the conclusion's correctness.
Term
Argument
Definition
A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood.
Term
Assonance
Definition
The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words
Term
Asyndeton
Definition
The omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (opposite of polysyndeton)
Term
Character
Definition
An individual (usually a person) in a narrative (usually a work of fiction or creative nonfiction)
Term
Chiasmus
Definition
A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression s balanced against the first but with the parts reversed
Term
Circular Reasoning (Circular Argument)
Definition
An argument that commits the logical fallacy of assuming what it is attempting to prove
Term
Claim
Definition
An arguable statement which may be a claim of fact, value, or policy
Term
Clause
Definition
A group of words that contains a subject and a predicate
Term
Climax
Definition
Mounting by degrees through words or sentences of increasing weight and in parallel construction with an emphasis on the high point or culmination of a series of events
Term
Colloquial
Definition
Characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English
Term
Concession
Definition
An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point
Term
Confirmation
Definition
The main part of a text in which logical arguments in support of a position are elaborated.
Term
Conjunction
Definition
The part of speech (or word class) that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Term
Connotation
Definition
The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry
Term
Coordination
Definition
The grammatical connection of two or more ideas to give them equal emphasis and importance. Contrast with subordination
Term
Deduction
Definition
A method of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises
Term
Denotation
Definition
The direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings
Term
Dialect
Definition
A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary
Term
Diction
Definition
(1) the choice and use of words in speech or writing
(2) A way of speaking, usually assessed in terms of prevailing standards of pronunciation and elocution
Term
Didactic
Definition
Intended or inclined to teach or instruct, often excessively
Term
Epistrophe
Definition
The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses
Term
Epitaph
Definition
(1) A short inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone or monument
(2) A statement or speech commemorating someone who has died: A funeral oration
Term
Epithet
Definition
A characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as "man's best friend" for "dog"
Term
Ethos
Definition
A persuasive appeal based on the projected character of the speaker or narrator
Term
Eulogy
Definition
A formal expression of praise for someone who has recently died
Term
Euphemism
Definition
The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit
Term
Exposition
Definition
A statement or type of composition intended to give information about (or an explanation of) an issue, subject, method, or idea
Term
Extended Metaphor
Definition
A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem
Term
Fallacy
Definition
An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid
Term
False Dilemma
Definition
A fallacy of oversimplification that offers a limited number of options (usually tow) when in fact more options are available
Term
Figurative Language
Definition
Language in which figures of speech (such as metaphors, similes, and hyperbole) freely occur.
Term
Figures of Speech
Definition
The various uses of language that depart from customary construction, order, or significance.
Term
Flashback
Definition
A shift in narrative to an earlier event that interrupts the normal chronological development of a story
Term
Genre
Definition
A category of artistic composition, as in film or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content
Term
Hasty Generalization
Definition
A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement
Term
Imagery
Definition
Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses
Term
Induction
Definition
A method of reasoning by which a rhetor collects a number of instances and forms a generalization that is meant to apply to all instances
Term
Invective
Definition
Denunciatory or abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something.
Term
Irony
Definition
The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is directly contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea
Term
Isocolon
Definition
A succession of phrases of approximately equal length and corresponding structure
Term
Jargon
Definition
The specialized language of a professional, occupational, or other group, often meaningless to outsiders
Term
Juxtapose (Juxtaposition)
Definition
An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
Term
Litotes
Definition
A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite
Term
Logical Fallacy
Definition
A "fallacy" is a mistake, and a "logical" fallacy is a mistake in reasoning. There are many "types" of logical fallacies (for example, refer to the terms "ad hominem" and "circular reasoning"). Logical fallacies generally occur in arguments that fail to make concrete, logical claims for support
Term
Loose Sentence
Definition
(also known as a "cumulative sentence" or "running style" sentence) A sentence structure in which a main clause is followed by subordinate phrases and clauses
Term
Metaphor
Definition
A figure of spech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common
Term
Metonymy
Definition
A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty")
Term
Mode of Discourse
Definition
The way in which information is presented in a text. The four traditional modes are narration, description, exposition, and argument
Term
Mood
Definition
(1) The quality of a verb that conveys the writer's attitude toward a subject.
(2) The emotion evoked by a text
Term
Narrative
Definition
A rhetorical strategy that recounts a sequence of events, usually in chronological order
Term
Noun
Definition
The part of speech (or word class) that is used to name a person, place, thing, quality, or action
Term
Onomatopoeia
Definition
The formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
Term
Oxymoron
Definition
A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side
Term
Paradox
Definition
A statement that appears to contradict itself
Term
Parallelism
Definition
The similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
Term
Parody
Definition
A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule
Term
Pathos
Definition
'emotional' The means of persuasion that appeals to the audience's emotions
Term
Periodic Sentence
Definition
A long and frequently involved sentence, marked by suspended syntax, in which the sense is not completed until the final word-- usually with an emphatic climax
Term
Personification
Definition
A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities
Term
Point of View
Definition
The perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information
Term
Polysyndeton
Definition
A rhetorical term for a sentence style that employs many coordinating conjunctions (the opposite of asyndeton) Adjective; Polysyndetic
Term
Predicate
Definition
One of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb.
Term
Pronoun
Definition
A word (a part of speech or word class) that takes the place of a noun
Term
Prose
Definition
Ordinary writing (both fiction and nonfiction) as distinguished from verse
Term
Refutation
Definition
The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing ponts of view
Term
Repetition
Definition
An instance using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage-- dwelling on a point
Term
Rhetoric
Definition
The study and practice of effective comminication
Term
Rhetorical Question
Definition
A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected
Term
Running Style
Definition
Sentence style that appears to follow the mind as it worries a problem through, mimicking the "rambling, associative syntax of conversation" -- the opposite of periodic sentence style
Term
Sarcasm
Definition
A mocking, often ironic or satirical remark
Term
Satire
Definition
A text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity
Term
Simile
Definition
A figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by "like" or "as"
Term
Style
Definition
Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament speech or writing; broadly as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing.
Term
Subject
Definition
The part of a sentence or clause that indicates what it is about
Term
Syllogism
Definition
A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion
Term
Subordination
Definition
Words, phrases, and clauses that make one element of a sentence dependent on (or subordinate to) another. Contrast with coordination
Term
Symbol
Definition
A person, place, action, or thing that (by association, resemblance, or convention) represents something other than itself
Term
Synecdoche
Definition
A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or the whole for a part
Term
Syntax
Definition
(1) The study of the rules that govern the words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences.
(2) The arrangement of words in a sentence
Term
Thesis
Definition
The main idea of an essay or report, often written as a single declarative sentence
Term
Tone
Definition
A writer's attitude toward the subject and audience. Tone is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality
Term
Transition
Definition
The connection between two parts of a piece of writing, contributing to coherence
Term
Understatement
Definition
A figure of speech in which a writer deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.
Term
Verb
Definition
The part of speech (or word class) that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being
Term
Voice
Definition
(1) The quality of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice)
(2) The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator
Term
Zeugma
Definition
The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use may be grammatically or logically correct with only one
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