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AP English
Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| understatement | the opposite of exaggeration; a technique for developing irony and/or humor where only one writes or says less than intended |
| tone | the author's attitude towards his/her subject |
| syntax | the grammatical structure of prose and poetry |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole ("all hands on deck") |
| syllogism | the format of a format argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion |
| structure | the organization and form of a work |
| pedantic | used to describe writing that borders on lecturing |
| point of view | the method of narration in a literary work |
| rhetoric | refers to the entire process of written communication |
| satire | a mode of writing based on ridicule, that criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution |
| parody | an imitative work created to mock |
| oxymoron | a work or phrase that contradicts itself |
| onomatopoeia | a word that sounds like the sound it makes |
| metonymy | a figure of speech in which a thing is called not by its name but something it is associated with |
| irony | the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite |
| inference | a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning |
| induction | a method of reasoning using given examples to create a general rule |
| hyperbole | extreme exaggeration |
| extended metaphor | a metaphor that is developed through a specific piece of work |
| allegory | a word that functions on a symbolic level |
| allusion | a reference contained in a work |
| analogy | a literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison |
| anecdote | a story/brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point |
| attitude | the relationship an author has toward his/her subject and/or his/her audience |
| balance | a situation in which all parts of the presentation are equal, whether in sentences or paragraphs or sections of a longer work |
| colloquial | the use of slang in writing |
| connotation | the interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning |
| deduction | the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example |
| denotation | the literal or dictionary meaning of a word |
| diction | the author's choice of words that creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning |