Studied by 0 people
All of the AP Lang terms Mr. Boesch is forcing me to memorize
Ab Ovo
The truest beginning of events in a chronological narrative.
Ad hominem
A faulty argument based on the adversary's failings rather than the merits of the case.
Allegory
The use of character or story elements symbolically to represent abstract concepts.
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds in neighboring words, especially initial consonant sounds.
Allusion
A direct or indirect reference to a commonly known phenomenon such as an event or literary work.
Ambiguity
The presence of multiple meanings in a word, phrase, or passage.
Amplification
The repetition of a word or expression while adding detail to emphasize its importance.
Analogy
A comparison between two different things that highlights some form of similarity.
Anadiplosis
The repetition of a word that ends one clause at the beginning of the next.
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Antistrophe
Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
Antithesis
The contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction.
Aphorism
A terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle.
Appositive
A noun phrase that provides additional information about a preceding noun.
Aporia
Expression of doubt regarding what to think, say, or do.
Apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.
Archaism
The use of an older or obsolete form.
Assonance
The repetition of the same vowel sound in closely placed words.
Asyndeton
The absence of conjunctions between phrases, clauses, or words.
Atmosphere
The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work.
Bandwagon
A logical fallacy based on the assumption that the majority opinion is always valid.
Caricature
A verbal description that exaggerates a person's distinctive features for comedic effect.
Catachresis
The misuse or strained use of words, often for rhetorical effect.
Chiasmus
A rhetorical figure in which the structure of the second part is reversed in relation to the first.
Circular argumentation
An argument that assumes what it is attempting to prove.
Clause
A grammatical unit containing a subject and a verb.
Colloquialism
Informal language or slang used in speech or writing.
Commoratio
The repetition of the same point several times using different wording.
Complementizer
A word used to introduce a dependent clause.
Compounding
The combining of two or more words to create a new term.
Conceit
An extended metaphor or surprising analogy between dissimilar objects.
Concession
An admission in an argument that opposing points have validity.
Conjunction
Words that connect phrases, clauses, or words.
Connotation
The implied or associative meaning of a word.
Declarative sentence
A sentence that states information, as opposed to questioning or commanding.
Deduction
The method of reasoning from the general to the specific.
Denotation
The strict, literal definition of a word.
Diacope
Repetition of a word or phrase with an intervening word or phrase.
Diction
The choice of words in speech or writing.
Didactic
Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction.
Dirimens Copulatio
Mentioning a balancing or opposing fact to prevent an argument from being one-sided.
Distinctio
Explicit reference to the various meanings of a word to remove ambiguity.
Doxa
The domain of opinion or belief, in contrast to certainty.
Either/or fallacy
A logical error that presents only two choices in an argument.
Ellipses
The omission of a word, phrase, or clause from a quoted passage, shown by three periods.
Enallage
Intentional misuse of grammar for effect.
Encomium
A tribute glorifying a person, event, or idea in prose or verse.
Enumeratio
Dividing a subject into parts, often listing causes, effects, or details.
Epigraph
A quote at the beginning of a text that hints at its theme.
Epimone
Frequent repetition of a phrase or question for emphasis.
Epiplexis
Rhetorical questioning used to shame or chide the audience.
Episteme
The domain of true knowledge in classical rhetoric.
Epizeuxis
The repetition of a word for emphasis with no intervening words.
Ethos
A rhetorical appeal based on the speaker's credibility.
Euphemism
A milder or less direct way of saying something unpleasant.
Exhortation
Communication that strongly urges the audience to take action.
Exigence
The motivation for a writer to create a text.
Expletive
A word or phrase used for emphasis in a sentence.
Extended metaphor
A metaphor that is developed at length throughout a work.
False authority
A fallacy that uses respected names to persuade without evidence.
Figurative language
Language not intended to be taken literally, often imaginative.
Figure of speech
A device used to produce figurative language.
Fragment
An incomplete sentence that lacks an independent clause.
Generic conventions
Traditions that help define a genre.
Genre
The major category in which a literary work fits.
Gerund
A noun formed from a verb and ending in -ing.
Guilt by association
Discrediting an idea based on unfavorable associations.
Hasty generalization
Drawing a conclusion from insufficient evidence.
Homily
A serious talk or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect.
Hypophora
Asking a question and then answering it, often at length.
Illocutionary force
The intention behind a speaker's utterance.
Imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
Imperative sentence
A sentence that gives a command or instruction.
Induction
Reasoning from specific instances to a general conclusion.
Inference
Drawing a reasonable conclusion from the available information.
Infinitive Phrase
A phrase beginning with an infinitive, including objects/modifiers.
Interrogative sentence
A sentence that asks a question.
Invective
A verbal attack using strong, abusive language.
Irony
The contrast between expectations and reality.
Juxtaposition
Side-by-side comparison of two or more subjects.
Kenning
A metaphoric phrase used as a synonym for a common noun.
Litotes
An understatement that affirms by negating the opposite.
Logos
Rhetorical appeals based on logic and reasoning.
Loose sentence
A sentence with the main idea presented first followed by modifiers.
Metabasis
A transitional summary of what has been said and what will follow.
Metaphor
A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlike things.
Metonymy
Substituting the name of one object with that of another closely related.
Mood
The emotional atmosphere created by a literary work.
Narrative
The storytelling of events or series of events.
Nonce word
A word created for a specific occasion.
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.
Paradox
A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a truth.
Parallelism
The framing of words, phrases, or sentences for similarity.
Parody
An imitation of the style of a particular writer or genre for comic effect.
Pathos
An emotional appeal used in rhetoric.
Pedantic
Overly scholarly language, often intended to show off.
Periodic sentence
A sentence that presents its central meaning at the end.
Note 
Flashcard (28)