ap english // vocab 5 // satire - zeugma

satire

- A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, ________ is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the __________: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects of ________ are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but good ________, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.

transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, ___________ effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. A few commonly used ___________ words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly and on the contrary. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of _______. We will discuss these methods later.

unreliable narrator

An untrustworthy or naïve commentator on events and characters in a story. Huck Finn is on of American literature's most famous of this type.

syllogism

From the Greek for "reckoning together," a _________ (or _____________ reasoning or ______________ logic) is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second, "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows: major Premise: All men are mortal. minor premise: Socrates is a man. conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal. A _________'s conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid. ___________ may also present the specific idea first ("Socrates") and the general second ("All men").

sarcasm

From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," _______ involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are _______, that is, intended to ridicule. When well done, _______ can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it's simply cruel.

symbol / symbolism

Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a ________ is something concrete--such as an object, action, character, or scene--that represents something more abstract. However, ______ and _______________ can be much more complex. One system classifies _________ in three categories: (1) Natural __________ are objects and occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (dawn _______________ hope or a new beginning, a rose ________________ love, a tree ______________ knowledge). (2) Conventional are those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols, such as a flag or an eagle; or group ________, such as a skull and crossbones for pirates or the scales of justice for lawyers). (3) Literary _________ are sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are generally recognized. However, a work's _______ may be more complicated as is the whale in Moby Dick and the jungle in Heart of Darkness. On the AP exam, try to determine what abstraction an object is a ______ for and to what extent it is successful in representing that

thesis

In expository writing, the_______ statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively ,and throughly a writer has proved the _______.

wit

In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A ________ statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. _____ usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, ____ originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally (in the early seventeenth century), it grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception.

subordinate clause

Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the __________ _______ cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, the ___________ ___________ depends on a main clause, sometimes called an independent clause, to complete its meaning. Easily recognized key words and phrases usually begin these clauses--for example: although, because, unless, if, even though, since, as soon as, while, who, when, where, how, and that.

tone

Similar to mood, _______ describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. ________ is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author's _______. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber.

semantics

The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.

theme

The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually _______ is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the______ may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing.

style

The consideration of _______ has two purposes: (1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Some authors' ________ are so idiosyncratic that we can quickly recognize works by the same author (or a writer emulating that author's ________). Compare, for example, Jonathan Swift to George Orwell or William Faulkner to Ernest Hemingway. We can analyze and describe an author's personal_______ and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. ________ can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, or laconic, to name only a few examples. (2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author's _____ reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as the romantic, transcendental or realist movement.

understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact, __________________ presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. _________________ is the opposite of hyperbole.

syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. _______ is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of ______ as the groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. In the multiple-choice section, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates ______. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how _______ produces effects.

subject complement

The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it. The former is technically a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. Multiple-choice questions.

zeugma

a trope, one word (usually a noun or main verb) governs two other words not related in meaning. "He maintained a business and his innocence."

trope

an artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas., a figure of speech involving a "turn" or change of sense—a use of the word in a sense other than its proper or literal one. Common types of ________ include: metaphor, synecdoche, metonymy, personification, hyperbole, litotes, irony, oxymoron, onomatopoeia, etc.

undertone

an attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a work may have threatening ___________. William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" from the Songs of Innocence has a grim ____________.