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AP Lang Vocab

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Term
Definition
absolutism   words, phrases, or ideas that suggest something is ‘absolute’ or total (all encompassing) In morality, absolutism is the belief that there are absolutes of good and bad.  
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sanguine   optimistic/positive especially when it a tough situation  
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disinterested   Free from selfish motive or interest; Unbiased  
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uninterested   not having the mind or feelings engaged; not interested  
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decorous   marked by propriety and good taste; dignified and proper  
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new criticism   revolves around literary analysis, and emphasized reading, usually poetry, as an aesthetic object to examine not through context but through only the text.  
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loaded diction   any word or phrase that portrays either strong positive or negative connotations primarily used to influence an audience.  
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metaphysics   “Beyond nature,” a literary concept used to describe things beyond the physical--such as the emotional and intellectual states an individual goes through--typically through figurative language and conceits  
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literary naturalism   A late nineteenth century literary movement exploring how one’s environment and other influences shape their actions, choices, and beliefs.  
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romanticism   An artistic movement in the early 1800’s focusing on individualism, spirituality, nature, idealization, and imagination.  
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transcendentalism   A movement in the early 19th century which emphasized spiritual thinking over scientific thinking and critiqued social organizations like religion.  
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reader response theory   A theory that focuses on the reader’s reaction to a particular text, sometimes more than the text itself.  
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picaresque   novel that depicts the episodic adventures of a roguish, but appealing hero who is often a member of low class society. Usually male, and has to use his wits to survive.  
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a priori   knowledge considered to be true without previous experience or observation  
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a posterior   reasoning or knowledge based on experience or observation  
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nonpareil   having no match or equal, unrivaled  
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ad hoc   Done for a particular reason when necessary.  
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esoteric   Intended for or likely to be understood by a group of people with the same common knowledge or interest  
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platonic   (of love or friendship) intimate and affectionate but not sexual.  
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Platonic   capitalized: of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or Platonism. Can also refer to ideals, thoughts, etc. that are not related to action (It is used this way in Gatsby.)  
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grotesque   Comically or repulsively ugly or distorted  
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pique   A feeling of irritation or resentment, resulting from an insult to one’s pride  
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conditional statement   an if-then statement that consists of two parts, an antecedent and a consequent.  
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amplification   the way a writer embellishes a sentence to emphasize certain points.  
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split infinitives   a construction consisting of an infinitive with an adverb or other word inserted between to and the verb  
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abstruse   difficult to comprehend or understand; obscure  
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relativism   the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute  
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sophism   a fallacious argument, especially one used deliberately to deceive.  
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precis   a summary or abstract of a text or speech where the tone and meaning of the original passage are maintained. Generally is ⅓ or ⅕ compared to original in length.  
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fallacy   A failure of reasoning that invalidates an argument.  
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epistemology   -The theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. -The study of knowledge, what we know, and how we can know it.  
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epistrophe   The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences. It creates emphasis and rhythm.  
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fatalism   the attitude of mind which accepts whatever happens as having been bound or decreed to happen.  
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Reductio Ad Absurdum   when a speaker argues for their position by attempting to point out the absurdity in the alternative argument.  
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volubility   the quality of talking fluently, readily, or incessantly (talkativeness)  
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chagrin   Noun: distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated Verb: feel distressed or humiliated  
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mood (in literature)   Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader  
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exigence   an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak  
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rhetorical situation   a situation in which people's understanding can be changed through messages  
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rhetorical strategies   Methods and techniques that speakers use to achieve their speaking goals  
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sarcastic   Marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt  
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sardonic   grimly mocking or cynical  
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effusive   emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative  
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apathetic   feeling or showing little emotion  
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flippant   (adj.) lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy  
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ambivalent   having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone  
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euphemism   an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive  
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colloquial   characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation  
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allegory   a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one  
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allegorical   containing hidden symbolism but still containing the original plot and characters  
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alliteration   repetition of initial consonant sounds  
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consonance   repetition of consonant sounds  
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allusion   a reference to another work of literature, person, or event  
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aphorism   a concise statement of a truth or principle  
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ambiguity   an event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way  
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analogy   a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way  
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conceit (as a literary device)   comparing two very dissimilar things  
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pronoun antecedent   the noun or nouns that the pronoun replaces  
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participle   verb form used as an adjective  
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chiasmus   a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases  
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litotes   a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite  
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synecdoche   a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole  
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metonymy   substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it  
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apostrophe   address to an absent or imaginary person  
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disparaging   expressing the opinion that something is of little worth; derogatory  
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idiomatic   saying something that means something different than the literal meaning  
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didactic   intended to teach  
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anaphora   the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses  
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derisive   ridiculing, mocking  
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concession   Something given up or yielded  
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fallacy   a faulty or illegitimate argument, typically leading to an incorrect conclusion  
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caricature   an exaggerated portrayal of one's features  
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adage   a familiar proverb or wise saying  
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non sequitur   something that does not logically follow, random ideas or phrases that seem to have no connection  
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bombastic   (adj.) pompous or overblown in language; seems to have importance to conceal a lack of ideas  
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morose   having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable  
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trite   lacking in freshness and effectiveness due to constant use  
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affectation   a phony attitude; pose  
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caustic   biting in wit  
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polysyndeton   Deliberate use of many conjunctions  
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appositive   A word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun  
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erudite   (adj.) scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic  
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banal   predictably boring, so unoriginal and common that it is obvious and boring  
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blithe   lacking concern or too casually mentioned, could also be carefree  
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syllepsis   use of a word with other words, with each of which it is understood differently  
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assonance   Repetition of vowel sounds, used to achieve emphasis  
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synesthesia   describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("taste the rainbow"  
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invective   insulting, abusive, highly critical language  
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antithesis   the direct opposite, a sharp contrast, could be a style or phrase in literature  
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jargon   vocabulary distinctive to a particular group of people  
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gerund   A verb form ending in -ing that is used as a noun; can be used as a subject, direct object, or indirect object  
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semantics   the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning  
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ad hominem   In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas  
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morass   a complex or confusing situation that is hard to deal with  
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denunciate   to condemn openly  
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self-effacing   not drawing attention to oneself; modest  
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infinitive   the word "to" plus a verb, usually functioning as a noun, and often as a predicate, noun, adverbs, or adjectives in a sentence  
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facetious   (adj.) humorous, not meant seriously  
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asyndeton   omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words  
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aposiopesis   stopping abruptly and leaving a statement unfinished  
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perspicacious   wise; insightful; acutely intelligent  
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paradox   a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true  
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