1. positive assertion; confirmation
Affirmation –
positive assertion; confirmation
The cat affirmed that
he would eat ALL of
the hotdogs.

2. Easily approachable; warmly friendly
Affable –
Easily approachable; warmly friendly
The Zombie’s found Janet affable, because she gave them jelly donuts.

3. Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Alleviate –
Relieve
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class

4. artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful
Aesthetic –
artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful
Thomas did not believe that the art had any aesthetic appeal.

5. unselfishly generous; concerned for others
Altruistic –
unselfishly generous; concerned for others
In the future, even though George was having a bad day, he altruistically helped his friend change the spaceship’s flat tire.

6. Analogous – comparable
Bees and a bee hive are analogous to ants and an ant hill.

7. the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Ambivalence –
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Patricia felt ambivalent about ambulances; they had cool sounds and light, but often carried hurt people.

8. unclear or doubtful in meaning
Ambiguous –
unclear or doubtful in meaning
It was ambiguous whether they were eating with their Grandma or actually eating their Grandma.

9. Advocate – urge; plead for
Tommy’s good conscience advocated that he not steal the new X-Men movie.

10. Aloof – apart; reserved
Aloof Cat taught Aloof Cat Jr. how to ignore people who tried to pet them.

11. unfavorable fortune; hardship; a calamitous event
Adversity –
unfavorable fortune; hardship; a calamitous event
The snake experienced adversity when being bullied by the school of possums.

12. Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Abstruse –
obscure; profound; difficult to understand
The child didn’t understand the abstruse internet article on Dark Matter and the String Theory.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class

13. Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Abstract –
theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational
Gina did not understand what the abstract painting was suppose to mean.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class

14. sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
Abstemious –
sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
Huston believed that the restaurants serving of one potato encouraged an abstemious lifestyle.

15. easy to approach; obtainable
Accessible –
easy to approach; obtainable
The walkway was blocked by a tree, making the building inaccessible.

16. applaud; announce with great approval
Acclaim –
applaud; announce with great approval
This weekend Mr. Holland decided to see the summer’s most highly acclaimed movie.

17. Adversary –
opponent
After viewing the new Star Trek movie, Grumpy Cat found the villainous Khan an unworthy adversary.

18. Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Acknowledge –
recognize; admit
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class

19. Adulation – flattery; admiration
Mr. Yorkson was a very critical boss, but he finally gave adulation during a meeting. Unfortunately, it was for his own idea.

20. Abridge – condense or shorten
The book had been abridge from a 600 page novel to a 10 page summary.

21. Allegory –
A work that functions on a symbolic level.

22. Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Alliteration –
Beginning consecutive words with like sounds.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class

23. Allusion –
Reference to a famous person, place, or thing.

24. Ambiguity –
Uncertain or inexactness of language or meaning

25. Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Anaphora –
Type of repetition; same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class

26. Anecdote –
A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person.

27. Antecedent –
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP Language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences.

28. Antecedent –

29. Antithesis –
Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Antithesis creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas.

30. Aphorism –
A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

31. Apostrophe –
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.