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AP terms Flashcards

1
Q

Ad Hominem Argument

A

(fallacy)
a claim or argument is rejected on the basis of some irrelevant fact about the author or the person presenting the claim or argument.

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2
Q

Anachronism

A

Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time

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3
Q

Anadiplosis

A

The repetition of the last word of a preceding clause

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4
Q

Anaphora

A

A rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis

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5
Q

Aphorism

A

A brief statement which expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation; original thought spoken or written in a memorable form

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6
Q

Apostrophe

A

A figure of speech wherein the speaker speaks directly to something nonhuman. An absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed.

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7
Q

Archaic

A

ancient; old

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8
Q

Asyndeton

A

Stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses.

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9
Q

Bombastic

A

high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious; pompous; grandiose,

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10
Q

Brusque

A

abrupt in manner; blunt

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11
Q

Cacophonous

A

having a harsh or unpleasant sound; dissonant, strident, grating, raucous

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12
Q

Chiasmus

A

a rhetorical device where a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases
Example: “He went to the country, to the town went she.”

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13
Q

Claim

A

To assert or maintain as a fact

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14
Q

Alliteration

A

Used for poetic effect, a repetition of the initial consonant sounds of several words in a group.

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15
Q

Allusion

A

A reference to something which is commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, etc. Examples: pop culture, historical, biblical, literary

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16
Q

Analogy

A

A similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based.

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17
Q

Antithesis

A

opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction

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18
Q

Cliche

A

An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype

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19
Q

Colloquial

A

characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.

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20
Q

Connotation

A

the non-literal meaning of a word; the implied, suggestive meaning

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21
Q

Deductive reasoning

A

a logical process in which a conclusion is based on the concordance of multiple premises that are generally assumed to be true. Deductive reasoning is sometimes referred to as top-down logic. Its counterpart, inductive reasoning, is sometimes referred to as bottom-up logic.

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22
Q

Detached

A

impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased; not involved or concerned; aloof

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23
Q

Didactic

A

Greek for teaching; didactic words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially moral or ethical principles

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24
Q

Doubtful Authority

A

Often people will attempt to bolster an argument with references to experts or famous people. These appeals are valid when the person quoted or referred to is an expert in the area being discussed. They are not valid, however, when the individuals cited have no expertise on the issue.

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25
Dysphemism
The substitution of a more offensive or disparaging word or phrase for one considered less offensive. (the opposite of euphemism)
26
Epigraph
A brief quotation which appears at the beginning of a literary work
27
Epistrophe
It is the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences.
28
Epithet
an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.
29
Esoteric
understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; private; secret; confidential; belonging to a select few
30
Ethos
Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology
31
Euphemism
Greek for "good speech" - they are more agreeable and less offensive substitute words
32
Euphonious
pleasant in sound; agreeable to the ear
33
False Analogy
A fallacy in which an argument is based on misleading, superficial, or implausible comparisons
34
Hasty Generalization
A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence
35
Hyperbole
An overstatement or an exaggerated figure of speech
36
Hypophora
figure of speech in which a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer to that question
37
Imagery
Using descriptions and literary devices to give an image to the words.
38
Inductive reasoning
Predicting future events based on past events
39
Invective
an insulting or abusive word or expression
40
Inverted sentence
An inverted sentence is one in which the subject appears after the verb. This construction causes the subject to receive more emphasis
41
Irony
A rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a difference between expectation and reality or the difference between what is stated and what is really meant
42
Jargon
the terminology that relates to a specific activity, profession or group. Much like slang it develops as a kind of shorthand, to quickly express ideas that are frequently discussed between members of a group. (the language, esp. the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group)
43
Juxtaposition
an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast. A side-by-side position.
44
Litote
A figure of speech in which understatement is employed for rhetorical effect when an idea is expressed by a denial of its opposite, principally via double negatives
45
Loaded language
charged with emotional or associative significance that hinders rational or unprejudiced consideration of the terms involved in a discourse
46
Logos
use of logical reasoning; logical appeal
47
Malapropism
An act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound.
48
Metonymy
A figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part
49
Non-sequitur
A fallacy in which a conclusion does not follow logically from what preceded it.
50
Nostalgic
a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time
51
Oxymoron
A self-contradictory statement
52
Paradox
A situation or a statement that seems to contradict itself, but on closer inspection, does not.
53
Parallelism
A repetition of sentences using the same structure
54
Pathos
appealing to the reader's emotions
55
Periodic sentence
A sentence that presents its main clause at the end.
56
Polysyndeton
The use of several conjunctions in close succession
57
Pretentious
Making an exaggerated outward show; thinking you are important
58
Pun
a play on words
59
Rhetorical question
A question that is not meant to be answered because it implies that the answer is obvious
60
Semantics
Studying the meaning of words, their historical development, their connotations, etc.
61
Stream of consciousness
A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur
62
Style
Manner of expression of a particular writer, produced by choice of words, grammatical structures, language use
63
Syllogism
form of deductive reasoning, stemming from the general to the particular or the known facts
64
Synesthesia
Used by the writer to try to bring many senses into play, for example describing sounds as colors, or colors as tastes
65
Synecdoche
when one uses a part to represent the whole
66
Syntax
Syntax studies the form of the sentence; grammatical structure
67
Theme
Central and dominating idea in literature work (message or moral implicit in any work of art)
68
Trite
lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition
69
Understatement
This device is used to understate the obvious. The act or an instance of stating something in restrained terms, or as less than it is
70
Warrant
An assumption or general principle that establishes a connection between the evidence and the claim
71
Zeugma
(figure of speech ) a word is used to modify or govern two or more words even though it only applies to one of them or making a different sense with each
72
Conceit
used in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects
73
Figurative Language
Writing that is not intended to carry a literal meaning and is meant to be imaginative and vivid
74
Figure of speech
A device used to produce figurative language | Example: apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, personification, etc
75
Mood
The atmosphere of a word. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood.
76
Parody
A work that closely resembles another with the aim of comedic effect
77
Personification
concepts, animals, objects that have human characteristics
78
POV
the vantage point from which a story is told
79
Prose
Refers to fiction, nonfiction and the major divisions of this genre
80
Repetition
the duplication of language; rhetorical strategy used to emphasize a certain word or point
81
Satire
work that targets social institutions or people in order to bring about change
82
Symbol
something that stands for something else
83
Wit
mental sharpness that can create humor
84
Rhetorical Modes
Exposition Argumentation Description Narration
85
Tone
author's attitude toward his/her material
86
Allegory
The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning
87
Ambiguity
The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
88
Appositive
Noun or pronoun that renames another noun in the sentence
89
Begging the question
An informal fallacy in which an argument utilizes as a premise the same idea which is also contained in the conclusion
90
Classification and Division
When a writer organizes, or sorts things into categories
91
Clause
Grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
92
Either/Or Reasoning
A fallacy that occurs when a writer builds an argument upon the assumption that there are only two choices or possible outcomes when actually there are several
93
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits
94
Inference
To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
95
Loose sentence
A type of sentence where the main clause comes first, followed by a dependent clause
96
Pedantic
General tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish
97
Subject Complement
Word or clause that follows a linking verb
98
Thesis
Statement that directly states the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position
99
Transition
Words that connect ideas within a sentence or paragraph
100
Denotation
The dictionary definition of a word

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