AP Lang Grammar & Rhetoric Flashcards

● Diction

A writer’s choice of words that shapes meaning, tone, credibility, and emotional impact

● Ladder of Abstraction

Movement from abstract terms to concrete, specific language.

● Denotation

Literal or dictionary meaning of a word.

● Connotation

Emotional or cultural associations of a word.

● Formal Diction

Academic, polished word choice; often Latinate.

● Informal Diction

Conversational word choice; often Anglo-Saxon.

● Latinate Diction

Words derived from Latin; more formal.

● Anglo-Saxon Diction

Words from Old English; more informal.

● Slang

Informal language used by specific groups.

● Jargon

Specialized language of a profession or field.

● Syntax

The arrangement of words and sentences.

● Sentence Length

Long sentences develop ideas; short sentences emphasize.

● Simple Sentence

One independent clause.

● Compound Sentence

Two independent clauses.

● Complex Sentence

One independent clause plus subordinate clause.

● Compound-Complex Sentence

Two independent clauses plus subordinate clause.

● Loose Sentence

Main idea first, details follow.

● Periodic Sentence

Main idea delayed until the end.

● Active Voice

Subject performs the action.

● Passive Voice

Subject receives the action.

● Imagery

Sensory language appealing to the five senses.

● Allusion

Reference to a familiar text, event, or figure.

● Scheme

A deliberate variation in sentence structure.

● Trope

A deliberate variation in meaning.

● Parallelism

Repetition of grammatical structure.

● Antithesis

Parallel structure with contrasting ideas.

● Anaphora

Repetition at the beginning of clauses.

● Epistrophe

Repetition at the end of clauses.

● Anadiplosis

Ending one clause and beginning the next with the same word.

● Climax

Repetition in order of increasing importance.

● Parenthesis

Interrupting sentence to add commentary.

● Appositive

A noun phrase that renames another noun.

● Ellipsis

Omission of words understood by context.

● Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions.

● Metaphor

Implied comparison.

● Simile

Comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

● Synecdoche

Part represents the whole.

● Metonymy

Attribute represents the whole.

● Personification

Giving human traits to nonhuman things.

● Hyperbole

Exaggeration.

● Litotes

Understatement.

● Irony

Meaning opposite of what is said.

● Oxymoron

Contradictory terms together.

● Rhetorical Question

Question asked to make a point