Terms : Hide Images
| 5277140135 | connotation | the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. They may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes | 0 | |
| 5277140136 | denotation | the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. (ex. denotation of a knife would be a utensil used to be cut; the connotation of a knife might be fear, violence, anger, foreboding, etc.) | 1 | |
| 5277140137 | diction | related to style, this refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to the correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to define an author's diction, for ex. formal or informal, ornate or plain, and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc.., creates an author's style. | 2 | |
| 5277142300 | didactic | From the Greek, this word literally means "teaching." These words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing. especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 3 | |
| 5277142301 | euphemism | Also from the Greek for "good speech." these are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. They 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. | 4 | |
| 5277144265 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 5 | |
| 5277144266 | figurative language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 6 | |
| 5277146398 | figure of speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. | 7 | |
| 5277148894 | 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 exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. | 8 | |
| 5277148895 | genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. However this is a flexible term; withing these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions that are often called genres themselves. For ex., prose can be divided into lyric, dramatic, narrative, epic, etc. Drama can be divided into tragedy, comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. On the exam, expect the majority of the passages to be from the following genres; autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. There may be fiction or poetry. | 9 | |
| 5375994179 | allegory | A device of using character and/or story elements to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. Examples include personifying abstract ideas like hope or freedom. | 10 | |
| 5376016966 | alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. Ex. She sells sea shells by the sea shore. | 11 | |
| 5376027900 | allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as a book, event, place, or work of art. These can historical, literary, religious, or mythical. | 12 | |
| 5376049419 | ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either international or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 13 | |
| 5376055984 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. Can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with something more similar. | 14 | |
| 5376092869 | antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 15 | |
| 5376099994 | antithesis | The opposition or contrast of ideas; The direct opposite | 16 | |
| 5376107399 | aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. Summation of the author's point. | 17 | |
| 5376122842 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 18 | |
| 5376147525 | 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. This can also foreshadow events to come. | 19 | |
| 5376161020 | caricature | Verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for cosmic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. | 20 | |
| 5376171082 | clause | Grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. Independent or main express a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. Dependent or subordinate cannot stand on their own and must be accompanied by an independent ________. | 21 | |
| 5376203926 | colloquialism | The use of slang of informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, these give a work a conversational, familiar one. Can include local and regional dialects. | 22 | |
| 5376223373 | conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. Displays intellectual cleverness. | 23 | |
| 5414264567 | homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 24 | |
| 5414265982 | hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") They often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, these produces irony. The opposite of this term is understatement. | 25 | |
| 5414272085 | 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: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection. An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. On the AP language exam, pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of this imagery. | 26 | |
| 5414274657 | inference | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it's unlikely to be the correct answer. Note that if the answer choice is directly stated, it is not inferred and it is wrong. You must be careful to note the connotation - negative or positive - of the choices. Adapted from V. Stevenson, Patrick Henry High School, and Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms | 27 | |
| 5414277263 | invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. (For example, in Henry IV, Part hill of flesh.") | 28 | |
| 5414282360 | irony | 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. Irony is often used to create poignancy or humor. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language: (1) verbal irony - when the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning (2) 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 (3) 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 | |
| 5414285930 | loose sentence | 30 |
