AP Vocabulary 1-70 Flashcards
Anecdote
a short, simple narrative of an incident often used for humorous effect or to make a point.
Argumentation
writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting “ reasoned” arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation and is the focus of AP Language and composition program.
Allegory
an extended narrative of an incident in a prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story, the undergoing meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or satiric.
Annotation
explanatory notes added to a text to explain cite sources or give bibliographic data. In AP language you will need to demonstrate detailed annotation on most of your readings.
Antithesis
the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by words, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. “to be or not to be.” Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country.
Rhetoric
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques. This is the CORE of the AP Language program.
Colloquialism
a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing ( y’all, ain’t ,cant, somethin)
Connotation
words suggesting implied meaning because of its association in a readers mind. This is the opposite of denotation
Consonance
repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity; boot, beat, best, brag,or even compound words; fulfill, ping-pong
Caricature
descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a persons appearance or a facet of personality.
Coherence
the “ quality” of a piece of writing in which all parts contribute to the development of the central idea / theme or organizing principle.
Aphorism
a short , often witty, statement of a principle or truth about life . Benjamin Franklin was somewhat famous for these in poo richards almanac ,e.g “ The Early Bird Gets The Worm.”
Apostrophe
usually in poetry,but sometimes in prose the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction.
Cacophony
referred to as dissonance ; hard, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose : the opposite of euphony.
connotation/denotation
connotation-implied meaning
ex: That women is a dove a heart.
denotation-literal meaning
ex:The blueberry is very blue.
Enumeration
rhetorical device used for listing the details or a process
Analogy
a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Examples: structure of an atom is like our solar system. Nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around their sun.
Parallelism
the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in their construction , sound, meaning,or meter. parallelism examples are found in literary works as well as ordinary conversations. Examples: like father like son,easy come easy go, flying is fast,comfortable,and safe.
Allusion
a brief and indirect reference to a person, place,thing, or idea of historical ,cultural, literary, or political significance. It doesn’t describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to process enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in the text.
Metonymy
figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. It is in literature and everyday life. This does not create a comparison.
Anaphora
in writing or speech the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as anaphora. this is possibly the oldest literary device.Used in biblical pslams used to emphasize certain words or phrases. Romantic writers brought this into play.
Epistrophe
derived from a Greek word that means turning upon, which indicates the same word returns at the end of each sentence. Can be defined as repetition of phrases or words at the end of clauses or sentences. also called epiphoria.
Asyndeton
derived from a Greek word asyndton which means unconnected . It is a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence ,yet maintain the grammatical accuracy. This literary tool helps in reducing the indirect meaning of the phrase and presents it in a concise form. helps in speeding up rhythm of words.
Polysyndeton
term comes from greek word meaning “bond together” it makes use of coordinating conjunctions like “and, or, but,nor” mostly and or “ which are used to join successive words , phrases, or clauses in such a way that they are used where they might have been omitted.
synecdoche
part of something represents the whole or it may use the whole to represent a part
Tone
attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience
Process analysis
Step-by-step breakdown of the phrases of a process used to convey the details of each phrase of thinking and operation it is often used to improve understanding and also to break down an argument to make it more comprehensible
