AP Notes40-45 Flashcards
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 an adjective after the noun it modifies (“the form divine”), a verb before its subject (“Came the dawn”).
ADAGE
An adage is a short, pointed and memorable saying based on facts, and is considered a veritable truth by the majority of people. Famous adages become 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 repeated sayings and quotes become adages that pass on to many generations.
PEDANTIC
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 arrogant and ostentatious show of learning. He could be a writer, a character, feelings, tone or words. Sigmund Freud defines pedantic as, “The pedant is he who finds it impossible to read criticism of himself without immediately reaching for his pen and replying to the effect that the accusation is a gross insult to his person.”A pedant often corrects small mistakes that are not very important in grand matters and, therefore, may annoy others around him.
FLIPPANT
lacking proper respect or seriousness. This is often associated with the impatience of youth
EVOCATIVE
the use of language that “suggests” meanings other than the denotative. Language that connects with emotions or feelings not associated with the actual meaning of a word.
prediction
forecast made by those who calculate the parameters of the subject involved after evaluating the odds they can predict the future
