Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

AP Language and Composition > Key AP Terminology > Flashcards

Key AP Terminology Flashcards

0
Q

Alliteration

A

Sequential repetition of a similar initial sound (usually consonants)

Ex. She sells seashells by the seashore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

Allegory

A

A narrative in which all elements of the story depict multiple levels of meanings and significance.

ex. Animal Farm by George Orwell

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Allusion

A

A literary, historical, religious or mythological reference

Ex. Comparison between Frederick Douglass and Job

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Anaphora

A

Repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.

Ex. “It takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy…”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Antithesis

A

The juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced structure

Ex. “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Aphorism

A

A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a common belief.

Ex. “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Apostrophe

A

The act of speaking to an inanimate object or person or idea that is not present.

Ex. King Lear- “Ingatitude! Thous marble-hearted fiend…”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Appeals to… authority, emotion or logic

A

Rhetorical argument in which the speaker claims authority in a field (ethos), plays upon emotions (pathos) or appeals to reasoning (logos).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Assonance

A

Repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in successive or proximate words

Ex. “shE sElls sEashells by the sEashore”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Asyndeton

A

Syntactical structure in which conjugations are omitted in a series

Ex. “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Opposite of polysyndeton

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Attitude

A

Sense expressed by the tone of voice or mood of the piece; the author’s feelings toward his or her subject, characters or theme

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Begging the question

A

Argumentative ploy where the argued sidesteps the question, avoiding the real issue at hand

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Canon

A

That which has been accepted as authentic

Ex. Canon according to the theories of Einstein

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Chiasmus

A

Figure of speech where the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second.

Ex. “I am stuck on band aid, and band aid’s stuck on me”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Claim

A

An assertion of something as fact

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Colloquial

A

A term identifying the diction of common ordinary folks in a specific region or area, aka slang

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Compare and contrast

A

A mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared, contrasted or both. Find similarities and differences.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Conceit

A

A comparison of two unlikely things drawn out in literature, such as an extended metaphor.

Ex. Richard Selzer’s “The Knife” compares surgery to a religious ritual

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Connotation

A

The implied, underlying meaning or feeling behind a word or phrase. Not the dictionary definition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Consonance

A

Repetition of two or more consonants with a change in intervening vowels.

Ex. Splash splash, click clack

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Convention

A

An accepted manner, model or tradition

Ex. Aristotle’s conventions of tragedy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Critique

A

An assessment or analysis of something

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Deductive reasoning

A

A method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles; from general to specific.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Dialect

A

Language or speech of a specific region or group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Diction

A

The word choice the author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose or effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Didactic

A

Writing that has an instructive purpose or lesson, often associated with being dry or pompous.

Ex. Aesop’s Fables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Elegy

A

A poem or prose that laments or mediates on the death of a person or persons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Epistrophe

A

The repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences

Ex. “If… their families will flourish. If… their families will flourish”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Epitaph

A

Writing in praise of a dead person, often on a headstone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Eulogy

A

A speech or written passage in praise of a deceased person

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Euphemism

A

A nicer way of saying something harsh

Ex. “She was given a pink slip,” instead of “She was fired.”

31
Q

Exposition

A

Writing that claims its own meaning or purpose

32
Q

Extended metaphor

A

A series of comparisons within a piece of writing

33
Q

Figurative language/figure of speech

A

Language with levels of meaning, expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, etc.

34
Q

Flashback

A

An earlier event is inserted into a narration.

35
Q

Genre

A

A type or class of literature

36
Q

Homily

A

A sermon, serious speech, talk or lecture involving moral or spiritual life.

37
Q

Hyperbole

A

Overstatement characterized by exaggerated language for emphasis

38
Q

Imagery

A

Any sensory detail or evocation in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call an idea to mind or describe an object.

39
Q

Imperative sentence

A

A type of sentence that gives instructions, advice or commands

40
Q

Inductive reasoning

A

General statements are drawn from specific principles, opposite of deductive reasoning

41
Q

Inference

A

A conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts , observations or other data.

42
Q

Irony

A

Contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, the intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated.

43
Q

Isocolon

A

Parallel structure in which the elements are similar not only grammatically but in length.

Ex. “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

44
Q

Jargon

A

Technical language of a trade, profession or group

45
Q

Juxtaposition

A

The location of one thing adjacent to another creates an effect, reveals an attitude, etc.

46
Q

Litote

A

A figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by understatement.

47
Q

Loose sentence

A

A long sentence that begins with the main clause, followed by several dependent clauses.

Ex. “The child ran, frenzied and ignoring all hazards, as if being chased by demons.”

48
Q

Metaphor

A

A comparison between two things without using like or as

Ex. “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

49
Q

Metonymy

A

An attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something.

Ex. Referring to the president as the “White House”

50
Q

Mode of discourse

A

The way information is presented in written or spoken form; type of writing

Ex. Narration exposition, description and argumentation

51
Q

Moos

A

Feeling resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer’s/narrator’s attitude and POV

52
Q

Narrative

A

A mode of discourse that tells a story

53
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

A word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes.

54
Q

Oxymoron

A

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory elements

Ex. Wise fool, baggy tights, deafening silence

55
Q

Paradox

A

A statement that seems contradictory but is probably true

Ex. “Fighting for peace.”

56
Q

Parallel structure

A

Use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases or thoughts

Ex. “Jane enjoys reading, writing and skiing.”

57
Q

Periodic sentence

A

A long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end.

Ex. “The child, who looked as if she were being chased by demons, frenzied and ignoring all hazards, ran.”

58
Q

Personification

A

Giving a nonhuman object human-like qualities

59
Q

Point of view

A

The relation in which an author stands to a subject of discourse

60
Q

Prose

A

The ordinary form of written language without metrical structure, in contrast to verse and poetry

61
Q

Realism

A

Attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail

62
Q

Rebuttal/refutation

A

An argument technique where opposing arguments are anticipated and countered

63
Q

Rhetoric

A

The art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking

64
Q

Rhetorical question

A

A question asked for stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered

65
Q

Sarcasm

A

Form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical

66
Q

Satire

A

A literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure

67
Q

Simile

A

Direct comparison using like or as

68
Q

Style

A

The manner in which a writer combines and arranges words, ideas and utilizes syntax and structure

69
Q

Symbolism

A

Use of a person, place, event or pattern that stands for something else

70
Q

Synecdoche

A

A figure of speech in which a part signifies a whole

Ex. 50 masts represent 50 ships

71
Q

Syntax

A

The way words are out together to form phrases, clauses and sentences

72
Q

Theme

A

Central or dominant idea or focus of a work

73
Q

Tone

A

Attitude of the writer toward the subject or theme

74
Q

Voice

A

The speakers take on the idea based on the passage

75
Q

Zeugma

A

A grammatically correct construction in which a word, verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated.

Ex. “He took my wallet and the bus”

76
Q

Exigence

A

Why the author feels the need to speak on a particular subject

AP Language and Composition (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions