Overa's AP English Lang and Comp
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65 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Abstraction | a concept or idea without a specific example |
| Abstract Noun | ideas or things that can mean many things to many people (ie: peace, honor) |
| Allegory | A narrative or description with a secondary or symbolic meaning underlying hte literal meaning. |
| Alliteration | repetition of beginning sounds. |
| Allusion | a reerence to something in culture, history, or literature that expands the depth of the text if the reader makes the connection. |
| Allusion, Classical | A reference to classical myth, literature, or culture. |
| Analogy | compares two things that are similar in several respects in order to prove a point or clarify an idea. |
| Analogical Comparison | Another Way to say the author has used an analogy. |
| Anecdote | A short narrative of an amusing, unusual, revealing, or interesting event. |
| Anticlimax | an event or experience that causes disappointment because it is less exciting than what was expected. |
| Antecedent | That which comes before; the antecedent of a pronoun is the noun to which the pronoun refers. |
| Antithesis | The opposition of an idea used to emphasize a point; the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas. Hope is the antithesis of despair. |
| Antithesis, balanced | A figure of speech in which sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in a balanced or parallel phrase or grammatical structure: "To err is human; to forgive, divine." |
| Apostrophe | A speaker directly addresses something or someone not living, that cannot answer back. |
| Appeal to Authority | One of several appeals strategies; in appealing to authority, the writer refers to expert opinion. |
| Assertion | The claim or point the author is making. |
| Bias | A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgement. |
| Burlesque | A comic tool of satire, the writer uses ridiculous exaggeration and distortion. |
| Cadence | The rhythm of phrases or sentences created through repetitive elements. |
| Candor | Open and honest communication; truthfulness. |
| Catalog | A list of details that reinforces a concept. Inductive arguments build to a conclusion based on the collective impression of lists (facts, observations). |
| Cause and Effect | Essay pattern in which the writer shows the immediate and underlying causes that led to an event or situation. |
| Circular Reasoning | Type of faulty reasoning in which the writer attempts to support a statement by simply repeating the statement in different or stronger terms. |
| Circumlocution | To write around a subject; to write evasively; to say nothing. |
| Colloquial | Common or regional language or behavior; referring to local custom or sayings. |
| Concrete versus Abstract | Concrete is observable, measurable, easily perceived versus abstract which is vague and not easily defined. (ie: "chair" vs "patriot") |
| Counterexample | An exception to a proposed general rule. |
| Damn with Faint Praise | Accolades with words which effectively condemn by seeming to offer praise which is too moderate or marginal to be considered praise at all. |
| Diatribe | A rant or an explosion of harsh language that typically vilifies or condemns an idea. |
| Diction, concrete | The writer chooses language that is concrete, quantifiable, based on facts, easily accepted by the reader and generally understood. |
| Digress | To move off the point, to veer off onto tangents. |
| Dilema | Basically an either/or situation. Typically a moral decision. |
| Dilema, False | Simplifying a complex problem into an either/or dichotomy. |
| Discretion | Refined taste; tact or the ability to avoid embarrassment or distress. |
| Double Entendre | A phrase or saying that has two meanings, one generally being sexual and provocative in nature. |
| Ellipses | A mark or series of marks used in writing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or words. |
| Empirical, Empiricism | Knowledge based on experience or observation; the view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge. |
| Episodic | Appearing in episodes, a long string of short, individual scenes, stories, or sections, rather than focusing on the sustained development of a single plot. |
| Epigram | A short quotation or verse that precedes the text that sets a tone, provides a setting, or gives some other context for the text. |
| Epithet | 1) short poetic nickname; 2) a term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person; 3) an abusive or contemptuous word or phrase. |
| Euphemism | A kinder, gentler, less crude or harsh word or phrase to replace one that seems imprudent to use in a particular situation. |
| Exemplar | An example, especially one that is a model to emulate or particularly apt for the situation. |
| Explicit | Expressly stated; made obvious or evident; clear. |
| Fact vs. Fiction | Facts can be verified; fiction is supposed or imagined. |
| Fallacy, Fallacious Claim | An error of reasoning based on faulty use of evidence or incorrect inference. |
| Figurative Language | Language that is not meant to be taken literally; in general: metaphor; specifically: metaphor, simile, personification, metonymy, etc. |
| Footnote | An explanatory or documenting reference at the bottom of a page. |
| Hyperbole | An exaggeration or overstatement -- saying more than is warranted by the situation in order to expose reality by comparison; also, one of the main techniques in satire. |
| Hypothetical Examples | Examples based on supposition or uncertainty. |
| Idealism | The act or practice of envisioning things in an ideal form; seeing things as they could be or as you wish they were. |
| Idiom, idiomatic | A figure of speech; a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language. |
| Imagery | Language (descriptions) that evoke the senses. |
| Imagery, concrete | Imagery that relies on concrete language. For example: Describe the moon as full and orange instead of ominous, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways. |
| Implicit | Something that is implied |
| Induction | Reasoning by which a general statement is reached on the basis of particular examples. |
| Inference | An interpretation of the facts based on available details, drawing conclusions. |
| Ironic Commentary | The commentator or opinion writer does not mean what she writes. The writer's point is meant to be taken ironically. |
| Juxtapose | To place side by side in order to show similarities or differences. |
| Maxim | A saying or expression that proposes to teach or tell a truth. |
| Metaphor | A comparison of two unlike things in order to show one more clearly or in a new way. |
| Metaphor, extended | The metaphor extends throughout the work or passage, even forming the basis for the entire work. The key to identifying extended metaphor is length. |
| Mock | To make fun of, to treat with ridicule or derision. tool of satire. Also, a lesser, ignoble form of hero, epic, etc. A mock hero is all that a real hero is not. |
| Musing | Quiet reflection upon a topic, pondering. |
| Naivete | Innocence in perception, lack of worldly knowledge |
| Negation | A negative statement; a statement that is a refusal or denial of some other statement or a proposition that is true if and only if another proposition is false. |
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