2010-2011 Ap English 11 67 Ap Terms

Front 1

ambiguity

Back 1

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

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clause

Back 2

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

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oxymoron

Back 3

from the Greek for "pointedly foolish", a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox

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litotes

Back 4

a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite

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syllogism

Back 5

from the Greek for "reckoning together", a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion

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repetition

Back 6

the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern

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personification

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a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions

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homily

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this term literally means "sermon" but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

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diction

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refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

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genre

Back 10

the major category into which a literary work fits

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transition

Back 11

a word or phrase that links different ideas

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synesthesia

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when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another

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style

Back 13

an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices; classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors

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prose

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one of the major divisions of genre; refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms

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pedantic

Back 15

an adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

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metaphor

Back 16

a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.

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mood

Back 17

the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work

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hyperbole

Back 18

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

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didactic

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from the Greek for "teaching", these words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles

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inference

Back 20

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented

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theme

Back 21

the central idea or message of a work; the insite it offers into life

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tone

Back 22

similar to mood, it describes the author's attitude towards his material, the audience, or both

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wit

Back 23

in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights

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satire

Back 24

a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule

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subordinate clause

Back 25

a word group that contains both a subject and a verb, but cannot stand alone because it does not express a complete thought

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semantics

Back 26

the branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another

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point of view

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in literature, the perspective from which a story is told

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rhetoric

Back 28

from the Greek for "orator", this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

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figurative language

Back 29

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid

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imagery

Back 30

the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions

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generic conventions

Back 31

this term describes traditions for each genre

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denotation

Back 32

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

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antithesis

Back 33

the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite

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caricature

Back 34

a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics

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antecedent

Back 35

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

Front 36

allusion

Back 36

a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art

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euphemism

Back 37

from the Greek for "good speech"; a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept

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conceit

Back 38

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

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aphorism

Back 39

a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle

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connotation

Back 40

the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning

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figure of speech

Back 41

a device used to produce figurative language

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apostrophe

Back 42

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love

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alliteration

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a repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

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loose sentence

Back 44

a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses

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onomatopoeia

Back 45

a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words

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irony

Back 46

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true

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paradox

Back 47

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity

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subject complement

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the word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes the subject of a sentence by either renaming it or describing it

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sarcasm

Back 49

from the Greek meaning "to tear flesh"; involves bitter caustic langauge that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something

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allegory

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the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning

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analogy

Back 51

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them

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atmosphere

Back 52

the emotional nod 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

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colloquialism

Back 53

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

Front 54

extended metaphor

Back 54

a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

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invective

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an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

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metonymy

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a term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or" substitute name"; a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it

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narrative

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the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events

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parallelism

Back 58

refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity

Front 59

anaphora

Back 59

a sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases occurs at the beginning of successive lines or sentences

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parody

Back 60

a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule

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periodic sentence

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a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end

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rhetorical modes

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the flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing

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symbolism

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generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else

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syntax

Back 64

the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences

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thesis

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the sentence that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position

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understatement

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the ironic minimalizing of fact; it presents something as less significant than it is

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synecdoche

Back 67

a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part