AP Lang Buzzwords Flashcards
Abstract (Noun)
An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research
Abstract (Adjective)
Dealing with or tending to deal with a subject apart from a particular or specific instance.
Ad Hominem
Directed to or appealing to feelings or prejudices instead of to intellect or reason
Adage
A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language
Allegory
A story in which a second meaning is meant to be read beneath the surface
Ambiguity
A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings of interpretations
Anachronism
A person, scene, event, or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era
Anastrophe
A scheme in which normal word order is changed for emphasis
Anaphora
The repetition of words at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables
Anecdote
A short account of an interesting even
Antithesis
Parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas
Annotation
Explanatory or critical notes added to the text
Antecedent
The noun to which the pronoun refers
Antimetabole
The repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast.
Antithesis
Parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas
Aphorism
A short, astute statement of a general truth
Apollonian
Refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior
Apostrophe
A scheme in which a person or abstract quality is directly addressed, whether present or not
Arch
Characterized by clever or sly humor, often saucy, playful, and somewhat irreverent
Archetype
An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form
Aristotelian Triangle
A diagram that represents a rhetorical situation as the relationship among the speaker, the subject, and the audience.
Assertion
An empathetic statement; declaration, an assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument
Asyndeton
Leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses
Bard
A poet; in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to a musical accompaniment
Bathos
Insincere or overdone sentimentality
Bombast
Inflated, pretentious language
Burlesque
A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; grotesque imitation
Cacophony
Grating, inharmonious sounds
Canon
The works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied
Circumlocution
Literally, ‘talking around’ a subject
Colloquialism
An informal or conversational use of language
Conceit
A witty or ingenious though; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language
Concession
A reluctant acknowledgment of yielding
Cumulative Sentence
An independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supple additional detail
Dialectal Journal
A double-column journal in which one writes a quotation in one column and reflections on that quotation in the other column
Deductive Reasoning
A method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions, and theorems are drawn from general principles
Denouement
The resolution that occurs at the end of a narrative or drama, real or imagined
Deus Ex Machina
In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem
Didactic
Having instructive purpose; intending to convey information or teach a lesson, usually in a dry, pompous manner
Dionysian
The word refers to sensual, pleasure-seeking impulses
Elegy
A poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of someone or something of value
Elegiac
Mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone
Elliptical Construction
A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words
Epigram
A brief witty statement
Epistrophe
A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences
Epithet
An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing
Eponymous
A term for the title character of a work of literature
Exegesis
A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of prose or poetry
Expose
A factual piece of writing that reveals weakness, faults, frailties or other shortcomings
Explication
The interpretation or analysis of a text
Fallacy
An incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, false information, or flawed logic
Farce
A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose
Frame
A structure that provides a premise or setting for a narrative or other discourse
Harangue
A forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade
Homily
A lecture or sermon on a religious or moral theme meant to guide human behavior
Hortatory
Urging, or strongly encouraging
Humanism
A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity
Idyll
A lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place
Invective
A direct verbal assault; a denunciation; casting blame on someone or something
Inversion
A sentence in which the verb proceeds the subject
Juxtaposition
Placement of two things side by side for emphasis
Kenning
A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities
Lampoon
A mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation
Litote
A trope in which one makes a deliberate understatement for emphasis
Lyrical Prose
Personal, reflective prose that reveals the speakers thoughts and feelings about the subject
Malapropism
A confused use of the words in which the appropriate word is replaced by one with a similar sound but inappropriate meaning
Maxim
A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth
Melodrama
A literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotional response
Metaphysical
A term describing poetry that uses elaborate conceits, expresses the complexities of love and life, and is highly intellectual
Metonymy
Use of an aspect of something to represent the whole
Middle English
The language spoken in England roughly between 1150 and 1500 A.D.
Mock Epic
A parody of traditional epic form
Mock Solemnity
Feigned or deliberately artificial seriousness, ofter for satirical purposes
Mode
The general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a piece of disclosure
Montage
A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea
Nominalization
Turning a verb or adjective into a noun
Non Sequitur
A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before
Ode
A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful and exalted feelings towards the subject
Old English
The Anglo-Saxon language spoken from approximately 350 to 1150 A.D. in what is now Great Britain
Pastoral
A work of literature dealing with rural life
Pathetic Fallacy
Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects
Polemic
An argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion
Predicate
The part of a sentence that is not the grammatical subject, it often says something about the subject
Premise; major, minor
Two parts of a syllogism, the concluding sentence of a syllogism takes its predicate from the major premise and its subject from the minor premise.
Prose
Any discourse that is not poetry
Proverb
A shorty pithy statement of a general truth that condenses common experience into memorable form
Rhetorical Modes
Patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification, division, process analysis, and argumentation.
Straw Man
A logical fallacy that invokes the creation of an easily refutable position, misrepresenting, then attacking an opponents position
Subject Complement
The name of a grammatical unit that is compromised of predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives
Syllogism
A form of deductive reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by a major and minor premise
Synecdoche
A trope in which a part stands for a whole
Trope
Artful diction; the language in a nonliteral way, also called a figure of speech
Verse
A synonym for poetry; also a group of lines in a song or poem
Verisimilitude
Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it it or could have been
Whimsy
An object, device, or creation that is fanciful or rooted in unreality
Zeugma
A construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs - often in different, sometimes incongruent ways - two or more words in a sentence
Aposeopesis
A deliberate pause at the end of a line for effect
Epigraph
Short quote at the beginning of a story, a poem, etc.
Exemplum
Example
Synesthesia
One sense evokes another
