AP Lang "B-H"

Bombast

Bombast

inflated or pretentious language that does not match the context of its use

Cacophony

am author's choice of words, usually alliterative, that create harsh, discordant and granting sounds when read aloud

Caricature

when an author exaggerates or distorts certain traits/characteristics of an individual for a ludicrous effect

Ex: if a character has big ears and the author focuses on their size, the author may reference the character hearing sounds repeatedly

Chiasmus

the reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses

Ex: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

Circumlocution

unnecessary wordiness, or the use of many words when a few would express an idea with greater clarity.

Claim

the proposition put forth in an argument

Ex: "Ants are a nuisance"

Clause

a statement that contains a noun and a verb

Ex: Dependent: "Odysseus being very cunning and able to get out of any scrape." Independent: "Odysseus was cunning and could get out of any scrape."

Cliche

an expression that becomes ineffective through overuse

Ex: "As easy as pie"

Colloquialism

an informal expression that is conversational in nature and reflects the culture or an area or group; vernacular

Ex: "a sandwich" vs. "a sub" vs. "a grinder"

Colon

a form of punctuation typically used to introduce lists in a sentence

Ex: "Today we did my favorite things: hiking, camping, and reading."

Complex Sentence

a sentence composed of one independent clause and one dependent clause

Ex: "Because you dropped that fly ball, you are benched."

Compound Sentence

a sentence composed of two or more independent clauses

Ex: "commas do not link independent clauses; semicolons do, or commas followed by conjunctions perform this function too."

Concrete

concrete words refer to specific, particular, or material details Ex: "He grinned as he pocketed the coin."

Connotation

the implied of suggested meaning of a word

Ex: connotations of the word "fox" may be: slick, sneaky, etc.

Coordinating Conjunction

words that provide a loose link among items that are equal in rank

Ex: "Joe and I...", "We fished and relaxed."

Deduction

the process of reasoning from a general claim to the specific cases

Denotation

the direct relationship between a term and the object, idea, or action it signifies.

Ex: "the denotation of "fox" is "a small woodland creature."

Dependent Clause

A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence; it requires an independent clause to give it meaning.

"Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me."

Description

one of the four primary modes of writing in composition courses

Objective: reports evidence factually Subjective: reports evidence using figurative language

Dialougue

spoken words

Diction

the choice of words, closely linked with tone

Didactic

writing that attempts to teach a moral or lesson

Digression

movement away from the main focus in speech or writing

Direct Object

a person or thing affected by the action

Ex: "James fought his nemesis."

Dysphemism

a disparaging expression used to describe someone or something

Ex: "I hate your stupid, ugly, monster face." Instead of "I think you're unattractive."

Ellipses

three successive periods (. . .) that indicate the intentional omission of words in a thought or quotation.

Elliptical Construction

the deliberate omission of words from a sentence

Ex: "Junior year was tough and senior year the same."

Epistle

a work of poetry or prose that is presented as a series of letters

Epistrophe

a figure of speech where successive phrases or clauses all end with the same word.

Ex: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child."

Epithet

a word or phrase which is attached to a character

Eponymous

a person in a work of fiction whose name is derived from the title

Ex: "Romeo and Juliet"

Ethos

the characteristic spirit or idea that informs a work

Euphemism

a milf or pleasant-sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate idea

Ex: "We put Fido to sleep" is a euphemism for "We Euthanized the dog."

Evidence

the grounds upon which a judgement or argument is based

Figurative Language

a categorical term for all uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison (appeals to senses)

Ex: "I felt the sunshine on my skin, hearing the buzzing of the bees while gazing at the gentle babble of the brook in the distance"

Gobbledygook

a mode of speech where the language is completely unintelligible

Ex: "It's time to realize our strategic growth mindset and use operational mindfulness to make our presence known in the industry with quality implementation methodologies."

• This quote says a lot but also nothing at all as its wordiness makes no true sense to listeners

Hypostatization

a form of personification in which an abstract concept takes on living qualities

Ex: "Guilt forced me to confess" or "Justice is the leader of this country"

Foreshaddowing

a purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what may occur later in the narrative

Harangue

an emotionally based speech meant to spur an audience into action

Hyphaersis

the omission of a letter from a word to condense the number of syllables

Ex: "O'er" instead of "over"

Hyperbole

exaggeration used for emphasis, typically for comical effect

Ex: "The lunch line is a thousand people long!"