AP Notes 51-55 Flashcards
PARENTHESIS
Parenthesis is a stylistic device that comes from a Greek word, meaning to place or alongside. Parenthesis is a qualifying or explanatory sentence, clause or word that writers insert into a paragraph or passage. However, if they leave it out, even then grammatically it does not affect the text that is correct without it. Writers mark them off by round and square brackets or by commas, dashes, little lines and brackets. As far as its purpose is concerned, this verbal unit provides extra information, interrupts syntactic flow of words, and allows the readers to pay attention on explanation. However, the overuse of parenthesis may make sentences look ambiguous and poorly structured.
SARDONIC
grimly mocking, sarcastic, satirical, mocking in a humorous manner. This is one of those “TONE” words that describe writing that fits the meaning.
SATIRE
Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose 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 foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption. One current example at this writing was something spoken by Steven Colbert the other night on his show
POLEMICAL
relating to or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech. “a polemical essay” could be any of the following (synonyms) critical, hostile, bitter, polemic, virulent, vitriolic, venomous, caustic, trenchant, cutting, acerbic, sardoni c, sarcastic, scathing, sharp, incisive, devastating
IRONY
Irony is 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. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality
