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AP Composition > AP Comp- Glossary Index Cards > Flashcards

AP Comp- Glossary Index Cards Flashcards

1
Q

Active Voice

A

The subject of the sentence performs the action.

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2
Q

Allusion

A

An indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

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3
Q

Alter-ego

A

A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts

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4
Q

Anecdote

A

A brief recounting of a relevant episode.

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5
Q

Antecedent

A

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

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6
Q

Classicism

A

Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional
themes and structures

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7
Q

Comic Relief

A

when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood
somewhat.

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8
Q

Diction

A

Word choice, particularly as an element of style.

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9
Q

Colloquial

A

Ordinary or familiar type of conversation.

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10
Q

Connotation

A

Implied meaning rather than literal meaning.

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11
Q

Denotation

A

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

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12
Q

Jargon

A

The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity.

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13
Q

Vernacular

A

Language or dialect of a particular country, regional clan or group, or plain everyday speech.

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14
Q

Didactic

A

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.

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15
Q

Adage

A

A folk saying with a lesson.

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16
Q

Allegory

A

A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent
qualities or concepts.

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17
Q

Aphorism

A

A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle.

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18
Q

Ellipsis

A

The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author.

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19
Q

Euphemism

A

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

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20
Q

Figurative Language

A

Writing that is not meant to be taken literally.

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21
Q

Analogy

A

An analogy is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables.

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22
Q

Hyperbole

A

An Exaggeration

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23
Q

Idiom

A

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally.

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24
Q

Metaphor

A

Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words.

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25
Q

Metonymy

A

Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept.

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26
Q

Simile

A

Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very
different things.

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27
Q

Synesthesia

A

a description involving a “crossing of the senses.”

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28
Q

Personification

A

Personification: Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human.

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29
Q

Foreshadowing

A

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

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30
Q

Genre

A

The major category into which a literary work fits.

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31
Q

Gothic

A

Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death.

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32
Q

Imagery

A

Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind.

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33
Q

Invective

A

A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.

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34
Q

Irony

A

When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.

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35
Q

Verbal Irony

A

When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.

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36
Q

Dramatic Irony

A

When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the
character doesn’t and would be surprised to find out.

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37
Q

Situational Irony

A

Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie.

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38
Q

Juxtaposition

A

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.

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39
Q

Mood

A

The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).

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40
Q

Motif

A

a recurring idea in a piece of literature.

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41
Q

Oxymoron

A

When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox

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42
Q

Pacing

A

The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.

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43
Q

Paradox

A

A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.

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44
Q

Parallelism

A

Sentence construction which

places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.

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45
Q

Anaphora

A

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or
clauses in a row.

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46
Q

Chiasmus

A

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of
the words is reversed.

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47
Q

Antithesis

A

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel
structure.

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48
Q

Zeugma (Syllepsis)

A

When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the
meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies.

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49
Q

Parenthetical Idea

A

Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence.

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50
Q

Parody

A

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.

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51
Q

Persona

A

The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story.

52
Q

Poetic Device

A

A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.

53
Q

Alliteration

A

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.

54
Q

Assonance

A

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

55
Q

Consonance

A

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.

56
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.

57
Q

Internal rhyme

A

When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line.

58
Q

Slant rhyme

A

When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly – they are merely similar.

59
Q

End rhyme

A

When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.

60
Q

Rhyme Scheme

A

The pattern of a poem’s end rhymes.

61
Q

Stressed and unstressed syllables

A

In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force
than the other syllable(s).

62
Q

Meter

A

A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.

63
Q

Free Verse

A

Poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme.

64
Q

Iambic pentameter

A

Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.

65
Q

Sonnet

A

A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter.

66
Q

Polysyndeton

A

When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions.

67
Q

Pun

A

When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way.

68
Q

Rhetoric

A

The art of effective communication.

69
Q

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

A

The relationships, in any piece of writing,
between the writer, the audience, and the
subject.

70
Q

Rhetorical Question

A

Question not asked for information but for effect.

71
Q

Romanticism

A

Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the
world, and an emphasis on nature.

72
Q

Sarcasm

A

A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded.

73
Q

Satire

A

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect.

74
Q

Sentence

A

A sentence is group of words (including subject and verb) that expresses a complete thought.

75
Q

Appositive

A

A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its
meaning.

76
Q

Clause

A

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

77
Q

Independent Clause

A

expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.

78
Q

Dependent Clause

A

cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

79
Q

Balanced Sentence

A

A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each
other like equal weights on a scale.

80
Q

Compound Sentence

A

Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent

clauses.

81
Q

Complex Sentence

A

Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent
clause.

82
Q

Cumulative sentence

A

When the writer begins with an

independent clause, then adds subordinate elements.

83
Q

Periodic sentence

A

When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence.

84
Q

Simple sentence

A

Contains only one independent clause.

85
Q

Declarative sentence

A

States an idea. It does not give a command or request, nor does it
ask a question.

86
Q

Imperative sentence

A

Issues a command.

87
Q

Interrogative sentence

A

Sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns

88
Q

Style

A

The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes.

89
Q

Symbol

A

Anything that represents or stands for something else.

90
Q

Syntax/Sentence variety

A

Grammatical arrangement of words.

91
Q

Theme

A

The central idea or message of a work.

92
Q

Thesis

A

The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning,
or proposition.

93
Q

Tone

A

A writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and
organization.

94
Q

Understatement

A

The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant
than it is.

95
Q

Litotes

A
  • a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement
    which otherwise would be used.
96
Q

Argument

A

An argument is a piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion.

97
Q

Premises

A

Statements offered as reasons to support a conclusion are premises.

98
Q

Conclusion

A

A conclusion is the end result of the argument – the main point being made.

99
Q

Aristotle’s appeals

A

The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade an audience that one’s ideas are valid, or more
valid than someone else’s.

100
Q

Ethos

A

means being convinced by the credibility of the author. We tend to
believe people whom we respect.

101
Q

Pathos

A

means persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions.

102
Q

Logos

A

means persuading by the use of reasoning, using true premises and valid
arguments.

103
Q

Concession

A

Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint.

104
Q

Conditional Statement

A

A conditional statement is an if-then statement and consists of two parts, an antecedent and a
consequent.

105
Q

Contradiction

A

A contradiction occurs when one asserts two mutually exclusive propositions

106
Q

Counterexample

A

is an example that runs counter to (opposes) a generalization, thus falsifying it.

107
Q

Deductive argument

A

An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the
conclusion.

108
Q

Fallacy

A

A fallacy is an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning.

109
Q

Ad hominem

A

Latin for “against the man”. Personally attacking your opponents instead of their
arguments.

110
Q

Appeal to Authority

A

The claim that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be
right.

111
Q

Appeal to the bandwagon

A

The claim, as evidence for an idea, that many people believe it, or
used to believe it, or do it.

112
Q

Appeal to emotion

A

An attempt to replace a logical argument with an appeal to the audience’s
emotions.

113
Q

Bad Analogy

A

Claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren’t.

114
Q

Cliche thinking

A

Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no
exceptions.

115
Q

False cause

A

Assuming that because two things happened, the first one caused the second one.

116
Q

Hasty generalization

A

A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.

117
Q

Non sequitur

A

A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.

118
Q

Slippery Slope

A

The assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme
possible outcome.

119
Q

Inductive argument

A

An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth
of the conclusion.

120
Q

Sound argument

A

A deductive argument is said to be sound if it meets two conditions: First, that the line of
reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid. Second, that the premises are true.

121
Q

Unstated Premises

A

Not every argument is fully expressed. Sometimes premises or even conclusions are left
unexpressed.

122
Q

Valid argument

A

An argument is valid if the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

123
Q

Active Voice

A

“Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house.”

124
Q

Allusion

A

Her smile is like kryptonite to me

125
Q

Alter-ego

A

In Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, Shakespeare

talks to his audience about his own upcoming retirement, through the main character in the play, Prospero.

126
Q

Anecdote

A

When at the zoo, Ellie tells a dramatic story about how her little brother had touched a snake.

AP Composition (1 decks)

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