Ap English

Front 1

Allusion:

Back 1

an indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event

Front 2

Analogy:

Back 2

the comparison of two things alike in some respects

Front 3

Anaphora:

Back 3

the repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses

Front 4

Anecdote:

Back 4

a short narrative detailing the particulars of an event

Front 5

Antithesis:

Back 5

figure of speech, using strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences or ideas

Front 6

Aphorism:

Back 6

a brief statement of general truth or wisdom

Front 7

Asyndeton:

Back 7

leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses

Front 8

Cliche

Back 8

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

Front 9

Connotation:

Back 9

that which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word’s literal meaning

Front 10

Denotation:

Back 10

the literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition

Front 11

Dialect

Back 11

a term that applies to particular speech patterns, or it's characteristic to a particular group of the language speakers.

Front 12

Ellipsis/Ellipse:

Back 12

the omission of one or more words

Front 13

Ethos:

Back 13

the character of the writer reflected in the speech or writings

Front 14

Euphemism:

Back 14

a device where being indirect replaces directness to avoid unpleasantness

Front 15

Figurative language:

Back 15

the use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to
achieve literary effect

Front 16

Hyperbole:

Back 16

to overstate an issue, exaggeration

Front 17

Imagery:

Back 17

literally, the collection of images within a work. Specifically, descriptive details which use figures of speech to explain a concept, person, or thing.

Front 18

Inference:

Back 18

to conclude by reason an idea, attitude, tone which is not directly stated by the author

Front 19

Inversion:

Back 19

a sentence in which the verb precedes the subject

Front 20

Irony:

Back 20

a recognition of reality different from the appearance.

Front 21

Irony (verbal):

Back 21

the actual intent is the opposite of what is said, something like sarcasm but not as harsh.

Front 22

Juxtaposition:

Back 22

placement of two things side by side for emphasis

Front 23

Logos:

Back 23

a Greek term that means “word”; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals

Front 24

Metaphor:

Back 24

saying one thing in terms of something else

Front 25

Metonomy:

Back 25

figure of speech. The substitution of the name of an object with a word closely associated with it. Ex. The White House for the presidency, the crown for the royal family or
the queen.

Front 26

Motif:

Back 26

a simple device that serves as a basis for an expanded narrative, the motif is a recurring feature in the work

Front 27

Paradox:

Back 27

A statement that seems to be contradictory or absurd, however it is found to be true

Front 28

Parallelism:

Back 28

the coordination of sentence syntax, word order, and ideas. It is used for effect and emphasis

Front 29

Parody:

Back 29

a writing which imitates another serious piece and pokes fun at the original.

Front 30

Pathos:

Back 30

a Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals

Front 31

Pedantic:

Back 31

bookish and scholarly in tone, often boring and dull due to little interest on the part of the listener

Front 32

Personification:

Back 32

human‐like qualities are given to inanimate objects

Front 33

Point of View:

Back 33

point from which an author presents a story. It can be close, distant, within a
character, or others.

Front 34

Polysyndeton:

Back 34

the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions

Front 35

Rhetoric:

Back 35

the art of persuasion and employing the devices to persuade. Persuasion extends to the construction of a work so that you believe it to be true even though it is fiction.

Front 36

Rhetorical Question:

Back 36

A question used by the speaker or writer to achieve an awareness in the
listener or reader. No reply to the question is expected.

Front 37

Sarcasm:

Back 37

a bitter expression of disapproval, sometimes intended to be harsh and hurtful, levels of intensity exist

Front 38

Satire:

Back 38

a way or writing or speaking which censures things, activities, persons, or ideas; it is accomplished with humor and wit.

Front 39

Sentence Structure:

Back 39

analyzing sentence structure asks that you look at sentence length; simple, compound, complex; unusual phrases, repetition, altered word order.

Front 40

Simile:

Back 40

a comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

Front 41

Stylistic Devices:

Back 41

when analyzing stylistic devices the reader must find the best combination of the elements of language to discuss: tone, syntax, attitude, figures of speech, repetition, in tone especially connotations

Front 42

Syllogism:

Back 42

a formula for presenting a logical argument
Ex. Assertion, Proof, Commentary
Ex. Major Premise, Minor Premise, Conclusion

Front 43

Symbol:

Back 43

a thing that in and of itself it stands for something else. All symbols have vehicle and tenor.

Front 44

Synecdoche

Back 44

a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special

Front 45

Syntax:

Back 45

the physical arrangement of words in a sentence.

Front 46

Idiom

Back 46

an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements

Front 47

Jargon

Back 47

terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event

Front 48

Litotes

Back 48

understatement, for intensification, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed

Front 49

Mood

Back 49

the atmosphere created by the setting, and actions of people and characters in it. It also relates to how the reader emotionally responds to the text

Front 50

Tone

Back 50

literary technique which encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work

Front 51

Parenthetical

Back 51

Set off within or as if within parentheses; qualifying or explanatory: a parenthetical remark.Using or containing parentheses