AP Lang Notes #41-55 Flashcards
adage
a short, pointed and memorable saying based on facts, and is considered a veritable truth by the majority of people. famous adage became popular due to their usage over a long period of time. in fact, an adage expresses a general fact or truth about life. as it becomes popular it is then accepted as a universal truth. for instance, “god helps those who help themselves” is now considered a universal truth because of its usage throughout the human history. often repeat quotes or sayings become adages that pass on to many generations.
pedantic
comes from a French word, pedant, means “to teach or to act as pedagogue.” a pedantic is someone who is concerned with precision, formalism, accuracy, minute details in order to make an argument and ostentatious show of learning. Sigmund freud defines pedantic as, “the pedant is who finds it impossible to read criticism of himself without immediately reach for his or her pen and replying to the effect that the accusations is a gross insult to his person. “a pedant often corrects small mistakes that are not very important in ground matters and , therefore, may annoy others around him.
flippant
lacking proper or seriousness. this is often associated with the impatience of youth.
evocative
the use of language the “suggests” meaning other than the denotative. language that connects the emotions or feelings not associated with the actual meaning of the word.
syntactical inversion
inversion, also called anastrophe, in literary style and rhetoric, the syntactic reversal of the normal order of the words and phrases in a sentence, as, in English, the placing of adjectives after the noun modifies (“the form divine”), a verb before its subject (“came the dawn”)
apposition
a grammatical contraction in which two elements, normally noun phrase, are placed side by side, with one element serving to identify the other in a different way. the two elements are said to be APPOSITION
didactic
frequently used for those literary texts which are overloaded with informative or realistic matter and are marked by omission of grateful and pleasing details. didactic, therefore, becomes a derogatory ostentatiously dull and erudite. however, some literary text are entertaining as well as didactic.
conceit
a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors. thus, conceit examples have a surprising or shocking effect on the readers because they are novel comparisons unlike the conventional comparisons made in similes and metaphors.
periodic sentence
has the main clause or predicate at the beginning before the final point is made. it van also create suspense of interest for the reader
paradox
it is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. it is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. it is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative ways.
irony
a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. it may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated.
parenthesis
a stylistic device meaning to place or alongside. it’s a qualifying or explanatory sentence, clause or word the writers insert to a paragraph. however, if they leave it out, it does not grammatically effect the text.
sardonic
grimly mocking, sarcastic, satirical, mocking in a humorous manner
satire
a technique employed by writers to exposed and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. it intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foildes. uses fictional characters which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption.
polemical
relating to or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech.
