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| 8529641822 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. For example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. | 0 | |
| 8529641823 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Although the term is not frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for it in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 1 | |
| 8529643728 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. They can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of this device. | 2 | |
| 8529643729 | Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 8529647730 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. It can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. They can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 4 | |
| 8529647731 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the ______________ of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. A question from the 2001 AP test as an example follows: "But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never absolutely novel to the meanest of minds; it exists eternally, by way of germ of latent principle, in the lowest as in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted. "The antecedent of "it" (bolded) is...? [answer: "all truth"] | 5 | |
| 8529648510 | Antithesis | The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite. | 6 | |
| 8529648511 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) It can be a memorable summation of the author's point. | 7 | |
| 8529649734 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: /England hath need of thee." Another example is Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn," in which Keats addresses the urn itself: "Thou still unravished bride of quietness." Many imply a personification of the object addressed. | 8 | |
| 8529649735 | Atmosphere | The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to it. Frequently it foreshadows events, and perhaps it can create a mood. | 9 | |
| 8559834489 | Caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. | 10 | |
| 8559834490 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, _________ expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate _________, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent _________. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. | 11 | |
| 8559836668 | Colloquial/Colloqialism | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, they give a work a conversational, familiar tone. These expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. | 12 | |
| 8559836669 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. It displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. | 13 | |
| 8559838327 | Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. This meaning may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. | 14 | |
| 8559838328 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. | 15 | |
| 8559838329 | Diction | Related to style, this refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. | 16 | |
| 8559840408 | Didactic | From the Greek, this literally means "teaching." These words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 17 | |
| 8559840409 | Euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," these are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. These may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example. | 18 | |
| 8559841505 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 19 | |
| 8635064670 | Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 20 | |
| 8635066468 | Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Examples include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. | 21 | |
| 8635070385 | Generic Conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. They help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by genre. | 22 | |
| 8635075220 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. However, as is a flexible term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions. For example, prose can be divided into fiction (novels and short stories) or nonfiction (essays, biographies, autobiographies, etc.). Poetry can be divided into lyric, dramatic, narrative, epic, etc. Drama can be divided into tragedy, comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. | 23 | |
| 8635079873 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 24 | |
| 8635082507 | Invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. (For example, in Henry IV, Part I, Prince Hal calls the large character of Falstaff "this sanguine coward, this bedpresser, this horseback breaker, this huge hill of flesh.") | 25 | |
| 8635086673 | Irony/Ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. It is often used to create poignancy or humor. | 26 | |
| 8635089413 | Verbal Irony | When the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning | 27 | |
| 8635090941 | Situational Irony | When events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen | 28 | |
| 8635092152 | Dramatic Irony | When facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work. | 29 | |
| 8711076587 | Litotes | A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. It is the opposite of hyperbole. Examples: "Not a bad idea," "Not many," "It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain" (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye). | 30 | |
| 8711100480 | Loose Sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many of these sentences often seems informal, relaxed, or conversational. Generally, these sentences create a relaxed style. The opposite is the periodic sentence. Example: I arrived at the San Diego airport after a long, bumpy ride and multiple delays. Could stop at: I arrived at the San Diego airport. | 31 | |
| 8711114228 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. They make writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful. | 32 | |
| 8711124000 | metonymy | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name." It is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, a news release that claims "the White House declared" rather than "the President declared" Shakespeare uses it to signify the male and female sexes in As You Like It: "doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat." The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 33 | |
| 8711140063 | Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. It is similar to tone and atmosphere. | 34 | |
| 8711143766 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 35 | |
| 8711151222 | Oxymoron | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," this is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." This term does not usually appear in the multiple choice questions, but there is a chance that you might find it in an essay. Take note of the effect that the author achieves with the use of oxymoron. | 36 | |
| 8711157935 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. (Think of the beginning of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....") | 37 | |
| 8711165816 | Parallelism (Parallel Construction/Structure) | Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. (The opening of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities is an example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity....") The effects of this structure are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm. | 38 | |
| 8711185746 | Anaphora | When the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. MLK uses this in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech (1963). | 39 | |
| 8787570790 | Parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author's expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.) Well-written __________ offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written __________ offers only ineffectual imitation. Usually an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being imitated in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, these works take on a life of their own and don't require knowledge of the original. | 40 | |
| 8787585183 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words). | 41 | |
| 8787587584 | Periodic Sentence | The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect of a ___________ sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. (Example: After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport.) | 42 | |
| 8787598869 | Point of View | In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions of point of view, and many subdivisions within those. | 43 | |
| 8787607529 | First Person Narrator | Tells the story with the first person pronoun, "I," and is a character in the story. This narrator can be the protagonist, a secondary character, or an observing character. | 44 | |
| 8787609504 | Third Person Narrator | Relates the events with the third person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it." There are two main subdivisions to be aware of: Omniscient and Limited Omniscient | 45 | |
| 8787620234 | Prose | One of the major divisions of genre, it refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. In ________ the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line. | 46 | |
| 8787633295 | Rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 47 | |
| 8787637520 | Exposition/Expository Writing | to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. The AP language exam essay questions are frequently these sort topics. | 48 | |
| 8787644657 | Argumentation/Argumentative Writing | to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and evidence that thoroughly convinces the reader. Often, this sort of writing pushes the audience to take some sort of action. | 49 | |
| 8787658143 | Description/Descriptive Writing | is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture it. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in this type of writing; good writing can be sensuous and picturesque. This type writing may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional an subjective. | 50 | |
| 8787667428 | Narration | to tell a story or show an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing. | 51 | |
| 8866669822 | sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," it 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 intended to ridicule. When well done, it can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it is simply cruel. | 52 | |
| 8866679999 | 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, it 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 writer: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but good works of this genre are often humorous, thought provoking, and insightful about the human condition. | 53 | |
| 8866695858 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 54 | |
| 8866699521 | Style | 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. We can analyze and describe an author's work and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. We can label them flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic, etc. | 55 | |
| 8866718791 | 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 subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, they depend on a main clause (or 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. | 56 | |
| 8866750206 | Syllogism | From the Greek for "reckoning together," this is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second called "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 a mortal. A syllogism's conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid. Syllogisms may also present the specific idea first ("Socrates") and the general second ("all men"). | 57 | |
| 8866761575 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part. Examples: To refer to a boat as a "sail"; to refer to a car as "wheels"; to refer to the violins, violas, etc. in an orchestra as "the strings." **Different than metonymy, in which one thing is represented by another thing that is commonly physically associated with it (but is not necessarily a part of it), i.e., referring to a monarch as "the crown" or the President as "The White House." | 58 | |
| 8866773526 | Synesthesia | When one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another. Ex: The sight of red ants makes you itchy. In literature, this refers to the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image. Red Hot Chili Peppers' song title,"Taste the Pain," is an example. | 59 | |
| 8866781101 | Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. This is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of this as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. In the multiple choice section of the AP exam, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates wording. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how word order produces certain effects. | 60 | |
| 8866791443 | Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually it is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly state, especially in expository or argumentative writing. | 61 | |
| 8866796291 | Thesis | In expository writing, the this 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 thoroughly a writer has proven the thesis. | 62 | |
| 8866800137 | Tone | Similar to mood, this describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. It 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 tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, somber, etc. | 63 | |
| 8866812021 | Transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions 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, on the contrary, etc. More sophisticated writers use a more subtle means. | 64 | |
| 8866822871 | Understatement | The ironic minimalizing of fact, it presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. This is the opposite of hyperbole. Example: Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub: "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse." | 65 | |
| 8866829764 | Wit | In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. Such a statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. It usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, it originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally, it grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception | 66 | |
| 8866842860 | Symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete -- such as an object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. | 67 |
