AP english terms
Terms
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- Critique
- an assessment or analysis of something, such as a passage of writing, for the purpose of determining what it is, what its limitations are, and how it conforms to the standard of the genre
- Didactic
- from Greek, meaning "good teaching." refers to when writing or speech has an instructive purpose or a lesson
- Syntax
- the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences
- Rebuttal/refutation
- an argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered
- Irony
- the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
- Asyndeton
- a syntactical structure in which conjugations are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose
- Oxymoron
- a figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements
- Diction
- the specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect.
- Litote
- a figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by concious understatement
- Simile
- a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection
- Jargon
- specialized or technical language or a trade, profession, or similar group
- Allusion
- a leterary, historical, religioius, or mythological reference.
- Chiasmus
- a figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherin the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in teh second
- Juxtaposition
- the location or one thing adjacent to or compared with another to create an effect, reaveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose
- Alliteration
- the sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to sonsonants, usually in close proximate stressed syllables.
- Extended Metaphor
- a series of comparisons within a piece of writing. if they are consistently one concept, this is also known as a conceit
- Loose Sentence
- a long sentence that starts with its main clause, which is followed by several dependent clauses and modifying phrases
- Begging the Question
- an argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or conflict, evades or ignores the real question
- Paradox
- a statement that seems contradictory but may probably be true
- Eulogy
- a speech or written passage in praise of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person
- Style
- the manner in which a writer combines and arranges words, shapes ideas, and utilizes syntax and structure
- Assonance
- the repetition of identical or simliar vowel sounds, ususally in successive or proximate words
- Connotation
- the implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase
- Pathos
- the element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow. In argument or persuation i tends to be the evocation of pity from the reader/listener
- Flashback
- an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration. also called retrospection
- Rhetoric
- the art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking
- Appeals to authority, emotion, or logic
- rhetorical arguments in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field, or attempts to play upon the emotions or appeals to the use of reason
- Attitude
- the sense expressd by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece or writing; the author's feelings toward his or her subject, characters, events, or theme. May even be his/her feelings towards the reader
- Symbolism
- use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or "stands for" something else
- Imagery
- broadly defined, any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to provoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or to describe an object
- Convention
- an accepted manner, model, or tradition
- Rhetorical question
- a question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered
- Parallel structure
- the use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts
- Personification
- treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities
- Hyperbole
- overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention
- Allegory
- a narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance. Often a univeral symbol or personified abstraction, such as Cupid portrayed as a chubby angel w/ a bow and arrows.
- Canon
- that which has been accepted as authentic
- Sarcasm
- a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical
- Point of View
- the relation in which a narrator/author stands to a subject of discourse
- Isocolon
- parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure, but also in length
- Dialect
- the language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group.
- Metonymy
- a figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something
- Elegy
- a poem or prose work that laments, or meditates upon the death of, a person or persons
- Ethos
- in rhetoric, the appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator
- Exposition
- the interpretation or analysis of a text
- Mode of discourse
- the way in which information is presented in written or spoken form
- Periodic sentence
- a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end
- Tone
- the attitude the narrator/writer takes toward a subject and theme
- Genre
- a type or class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history,etc
- Mood
- a feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/ narrator's attitude and point of view
- Prose
- the ordinary form of written language without metrical structure in contrast to verse and poetry
- Euphemism
- an indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information
- Satire
- a literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule and censure
- Epitaph
- writing in praise of a dead person, most often inscribed upon a headstone
- Narrative
- a mode of discourse that tells a story of some sort and it is based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework
- Metaphor
- one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy
- Consonance
- the repetition or two or more consanants with a change in the intervening vowels
- Zeugma
- a grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated
- Conceit
- a comparison or two unlidely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem
- Synecdoche
- a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole
- Antithesis
- the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, gramattical structure, or ideas
- Epistrophe
- in rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences
- Theme
- the central or dominant idea or focus of a work. the statement a passage makes about its subject
- Onomatopoeia
- a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes
- Anaphora
- the regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.
- Inference
- a conclustion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data
- Realism
- attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention ro detail
- Inductive Reasoning
- the method of reasoning or argument in which gernal statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principles
- Homily
- a sermon, but more contemporary uses include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual life
- Comparison and contrast
- a mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared, contrasted, or both
- Colloquial
- a term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area.
- Deductive reasoning
- the method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles: movement from the general to the specific
- Apostrophe
- an address or invocation to something inanimate
- Claim
- in argumentation, an assertion of something as fact
- Voice
- the acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the the story
- Aphorism
- a concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief.