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| 14585223036 | allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. | 0 | |
| 14585226799 | alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). | 1 | |
| 14585229500 | allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. | 2 | |
| 14585232974 | ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 14585237745 | anadiplosis | The repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause. ("Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering") | 4 | |
| 14585256543 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. | 5 | |
| 14585258129 | anaphora | One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences. ("It was the best of times; it was the worst of times") | 6 | |
| 14585262472 | 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. | 7 | |
| 14585264539 | 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. | 8 | |
| 14585266421 | aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. | 9 | |
| 14585269048 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 10 | |
| 14585271276 | atmosphere | The emotional mood 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. | 11 | |
| 14585288080 | clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. 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. | 12 | |
| 14585288600 | colloquial/colloquialism | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. | 13 | |
| 14585296104 | coherence | A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. | 14 | |
| 14585296593 | conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. | 15 | |
| 14585298331 | connotation | The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. | 16 | |
| 14585307374 | denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. | 17 | |
| 14585308452 | diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. | 18 | |
| 14585314180 | didactic | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing,especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 19 | |
| 14585315769 | epistrophe | The opposite of anaphors, repetition at the end of successive clauses. "They saw no evil, they spoke no evil, and they heard no evil." | 20 | |
| 14585317822 | euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism 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 of euphemism. | 21 | |
| 14585318735 | exposition | In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose of exposition is to explain something. In drama, the exposition is the introductory material, which creates the tone, gives the setting, and introduces the characters and conflict. | 22 | |
| 14585319155 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 23 | |
| 14585319794 | figurative language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 24 | |
| 14585321493 | figure of speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. | 25 | |
| 14585322791 | generic conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions 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 convention. | 26 | |
| 14585323413 | genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. | 27 | |
| 14585324905 | homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 28 | |
| 14585325976 | hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. | 29 | |
| 14585327166 | imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. | 30 | |
| 14585333326 | inference/infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. | 31 | |
| 14585334478 | invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 32 | |
| 14585335103 | irony/ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. | 33 | |
| 14585336798 | 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. | 34 | |
| 14585340133 | metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. | 35 | |
| 14585341756 | metonymy | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. | 36 | |
| 14585345431 | mood | This term has two distinct technical meanings in English writing. The first meaning is grammatical and deals with verbal units and a speaker's attitude. The second meaning is literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. | 37 | |
| 14585347286 | narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 38 | |
| 14585348120 | onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. | 39 | |
| 14585348968 | oxymoron | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," an oxymoron 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. | 40 | |
| 14585353515 | 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. | 41 | |
| 14585354219 | parallelism | 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 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 parallelism 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. | 42 | |
| 14585360055 | parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, parody distorts or exaggerates distinctive features of the original. As ridicule, it mimics the work by repeating and borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weaknesses in the original. | 43 | |
| 14585365652 | pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. | 44 | |
| 14585367805 | periodic 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. | 45 | |
| 14585370102 | personification | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. | 46 | |
| 14585371209 | 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. (1) 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. (2) third person narrator relates the events with the third person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it." There are two main subdivisions to be aware of: (a.) third person omniscient, in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters (b.) third person limited omniscient, in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters. In addition, be aware that the term point of view carries an additional meaning. When you are asked to analyze the author's point of view, the appropriate point for you to address is the author's attitude. | 47 | |
| 14585387828 | predicate adjective | One type of subject complement--an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is in the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject. | 48 | |
| 14585389600 | predicate nominative | A second type of subject complement - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that names the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence. | 49 | |
| 14585391236 | prose | one of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line. | 50 | |
| 14585392490 | repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | 51 | |
| 14585395768 | rhetor | The speaker who uses elements of rhetoric effectively in oral or written test. | 52 | |
| 14585397370 | rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 53 | |
| 14585398481 | rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing (exposition, argumentation, description, and narration). | 54 | |
| 14585404372 | sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," sarcasm 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 sarcastic (that is, intended to ridicule). When well done, sarcasm can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it is simply cruel. | 55 | |
| 14585404992 | satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. | 56 | |
| 14585411119 | semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 57 | |
| 14585413777 | style | The consideration of style has two purposes: (1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other We can analyze and describe an author's personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. Styles can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic, etc. (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 style 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. | 58 | |
| 14585414943 | subject complement | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it (the predicate nominative) or (2) describing it (the predicate adjective). | 59 | |
| 14585435211 | 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, the subordinate clause depends 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. | 60 | |
| 14585437328 | syllogism | From the Greek for "reckoning together," a syllogism (or syllogistic reasoning or syllogistic logic) 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"). | 61 | |
| 14585442650 | symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. | 62 | |
| 14585443822 | syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. | 63 | |
| 14585444168 | theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.. | 64 | |
| 14585462604 | thesis | In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. | 65 | |
| 14585465900 | tone | Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone 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. | 66 | |
| 14585466749 | 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 transitional words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly, on the contrary, etc. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition. | 67 | |
| 14585469451 | 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. | 68 | |
| 14585471579 | understatement | the ironic minimalizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. | 69 | |
| 14585474050 | undertone | An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. | 70 | |
| 14585474814 | unreliable narrator | An untrustworthy or naive commentator on events and characters in a story. | 71 | |
| 14585476447 | wit | In modern usage, intellectually amazing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, wit 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. | 72 | |
| 14585477302 | 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." | 73 |
