AP LANG FINAL EXAM 5/14 Flashcards
alliteration
alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (“she sells sea shells”).
allusion
allusion—a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event,
book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical.
ambiguity
the multiple meanings of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
anadiplosis
the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause. “Fear leads to
anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”
analogy
a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.
anaphora
one of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the
beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”
anecdote
a short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event.
antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
aphorism
a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.
apostrophe
a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified
abstraction, such as liberty or love.
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.
classical appeals
the three primary means by which a speaker sways their audience: ethos, pathos, and logos.
clause
a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a
complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a
sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause
colloquialism
the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.
coherence
a principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the
whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. Words, phrases, clauses within the sentence; and sentences,
paragraphs, and chapters in larger pieces of writing are the units that, by their progressive and logical
arrangement, make for coherence.
connotation
the associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.
denotation
the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.
diction
the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.
epistrophe
repetition at the end of successive clauses. “They saw no evil, they spoke no evil, and they heard no
evil.”
euphemism
a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. “earthly
remains” rather than “corpse”.
extended metaphor
a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.
figurative language
writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be
imaginative and vivid. Examples: apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox,
personification, simile.
genre
the major category into which a literary work fits. On the AP language exam, expect the majority of the
passages to be from the following genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic,
political, scientific, and nature writing.
hyperbole
a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
imagery
words related to the five senses
inference
a reasonable conclusion drawn from the information presented. When a multiple-choice question asks
for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice.
irony
the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what
appears to be and what actually is true. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language
juxtaposition
the placement of two texts or ideas in close proximity for the purpose of comparison or contrast
loose sentence
a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by
dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.
metaphor
a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things
metonymy
a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated
with it. “the White House declared” rather that “the President declared”
narrative
the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.
onomatopoeia
a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Examples: buzz,
hiss, hum.
oxymoron
a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
Examples: “jumbo shrimp” and “cruel kindness.”
paradox
a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer
inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.
parallelism
also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure. The grammatical or rhetorical framing
of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.
parody
a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. periodic
periodic sentence
a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This
independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone.
personification
a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate
objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.
prose
one of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms.
rhetoric
the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.
rhetorical modes
the four most common rhetorical modes are: (1) exposition (or expository writing)—to
explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. (2)
argumentation—to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and
argument that thoroughly convince the reader. Persuasive writing is a type of argumentation having an additional
aim of urging some form of action.
(3) description—to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can
picture that being described. (4) narration—to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events.
shift
any major change which occurs within a text—especially regarding tone or style
speaker
the individual or “persona” that is delivering the text
syllogism
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. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows:
major Premise: All men are mortal. minor premise: Socrates is a man. conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is
mortal.
A Syllogism’s conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid.
syntax
the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
theme
the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.
thesis
in expository writing, the thesis is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s
opinion, purpose, meaning, or position.
transition
a word or phrase that links different ideas. Commonly used transitional words or phrases are
furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly and on the contrary
trope
an artful variation from expected modes of expression; a use of the word in a sense other than its proper
or literal one. Examples: metaphor, synecdoche, oxymoron, irony, personification, hyperbole.
understatement
the ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is.
undertone
an attitude that may underlie the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a
work may have threatening undertones.
wit
intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.
tone
the author’s attitude toward their material, the audience, or both. Some words describing tone are playful,
serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber.
zeugma
a word that governs two other words not related in meaning. “He maintained a business and his
innocence.”
