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ap language > AP Vocab > Flashcards

AP Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

abstract

A

abstract refers to language that describes concepts rather than observable or specific things, people,
or places

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2
Q

active voice

A

active voice the opposite of passive voice, essentially any sentence where the subject of the sentence
performs the action

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3
Q

ad hominem

A

in an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than the opponent’s ideas

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4
Q

allegory

A

a narrative that functions on a symbolic level

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5
Q

alliteration

A

the repetition of initial consonant sounds at the beginning of several words in a phrase
or sentence

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6
Q

allusion

A

a reference to the cultural canon such as the Bible, Shakespeare, classical mythology, etc.

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7
Q

ambiguity

A

the presence of two or more possible meanings in a word or metaphor

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8
Q

anachronism

A

something out of place in time or sequence

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9
Q

anadiplosis

A

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause

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10
Q

analogy

A

a literary device employed to signify a relational comparison of or similarity between two
objects or ideas

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11
Q

anaphora

A

deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of two or more poetic lines,
prose sentences, clauses, or paragraphs

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12
Q

anastrophe

A

inversion of the natural or usual word order to achieve emphasis in a sentence or line of
poetry

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13
Q

anecdote

A

a story or brief episode told by the writer or character to illustrate a point, introduce an
issue, etc

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14
Q

annotation

A

explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data

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15
Q

antecedent

A

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

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16
Q

anthology

A

a collection of literary pieces

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17
Q

anthropomorphism

A

the attribution of human-like characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or
forces of nature

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18
Q

anticipating audience reaction

A

a rhetorical technique often used to convince an audience of the
soundness of your argument by stating the arguments that one’s opponent is likely to give and then
answering these arguments even before that opponent has a chance to voice them

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19
Q

anticlimax

A

using a sequence of ideas that abruptly diminish in importance at the end of a sentence

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20
Q

antimetabole

A

repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order to reinforce
antithesis

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21
Q

antithesis

A

the presentation of two contrasting words, phrases, clauses, or ideas emphasized by
parallel structure

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22
Q

aphorism

A

a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words

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23
Q

apostrophe

A

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified
abstraction

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24
Q

archetype

A

an original pattern or model after which all things like it are modeled

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25
Q

argument from ignorance

A

an argument stating that something is true because it has never been
proven false

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26
Q

argument

A

the combination of reasons and evidence that an author uses to convince an audience of
their position

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27
Q

Aristotelian appeals

A

three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them—ethos,
logos, and pathos

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28
Q

assertion

A

a declaration or statement

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29
Q

assonance

A

a type of rhyme in which the vowels in the words are the same but the consonants aren’t

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30
Q

asyndeton

A

deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of words, phrases, or clauses

31
Q

atmosphere

A

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

32
Q

attitude

A

the author’s personal views or feelings about the subject at hand

33
Q

audience

A

who the author is directing their message towards

34
Q

autobiography

A

a person’s story of their own life

35
Q

ballad

A

a story, often of love or adventure, told in song form

36
Q

bandwagon

A

also called vox populi, this argument is the “everyone’s doing it” fallacy

37
Q

bathos

A

the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style

38
Q

begging the question

A

this argument occurs when the speaker states a claim that includes a word or
phrase that needs to be defined before the argument can proceed

39
Q

biography

A

a true story about a person’s life written by another person

40
Q

call to action

A

writing that urges people to action or promotes change

41
Q

cause and effect

A

a fallacy also known as post hoc ergo propter hoc

42
Q

characterization

A

techniques a writer uses to create and reveal fictional personalities in a work of
literature by describing the character’s appearance, actions, thoughts, and feelings

43
Q

chiasmus

A

a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the
reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect

44
Q

cliché

A

an overused phrase which has lost its ability to convey meaning

45
Q

coherence

A

the quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of a
central idea, theme, or organizing principle

46
Q

colloquial expressions

A

ordinary or familiar type of conversation; often used in order to create local
color and provide an informal tone

47
Q

comic relief

A

the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a
work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event

48
Q

compare and contrast

A

a rhetorical technique for pointing out the similarities and differences
between two things

49
Q

compound sentence

A

also known as a complex sentence, one that contains two or more independent
clauses and at least one dependent or subordinate clause

50
Q

conceit

A

a long, complex metaphor which establishes a striking parallel between two apparently
dissimilar things or situations

51
Q

concession

A

agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point, but not in the larger
argument

52
Q

concrete

A

language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than idea or
qualities

53
Q

connotation

A

the implied meaning of a word; emotional shadings attached to a word beyond its
literal definition

54
Q

consonance

A

repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity

55
Q

context

A

the extra-textual circumstances of a situation

56
Q

counterargument

A

the argument(s) against the author’s position

57
Q

couplet

A

two related lines of poetry that often rhyme

58
Q

deductive reasoning

A

a form of logical reasoning wherein a general principle is applied to a specific
case; the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

59
Q

denotation

A

the literal, dictionary definition of a meaning of a word

60
Q

description

A

to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader
can picture what’s being described

61
Q

devices

A

the figures of speech, syntax, diction, and other stylistic elements that collectively produce a
particular artistic effect

62
Q

dialect

A

a regional speech pattern; the way people talk in different parts of the world

63
Q

diction

A

word choice; generally tailored to be appropriate to the audience and situation; helps create
the tone, attitude, and style

64
Q

didactic

A

text with an instructive purpose, often moral

65
Q

discourse

A

verbal expression or exchange; conversation

66
Q

doggerel

A

verse made comic because irregular metrics are made regular by stressing normally
unstressed syllables

67
Q

double entendre

A

a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of
two ways, with the first often being straightforward and the other often risqué or ironic

68
Q

double-bind

A

a situation of conflict from which there is no escape; an irresolvable dilemma

69
Q

doublespeak

A

in general, language used to distort and manipulate rather than communicate elegy a poem that deals solemnly with death

70
Q

ellipsis

A

three dots that indicate the omission of a word or words

71
Q

emotional appeal

A

exploits the readers’ feeling of pity or fear to make a case; a fallacy that draws
solely on the readers’ pathos and not on logic

72
Q

epanalepsis

A

repetition at the end of a clause or sentence of the word or phrase with which it began
(next time there won’t be a next time)

73
Q

epic

A

a long and serious narrative poem about a hero and his companions, often set in the past that is
pictured as great than the present (Beowulf, Iliad, Paradise Lost)

74
Q

epigraph

A

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme

ap language (1 decks)

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