Terms : Hide Images
| 2407894355 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells). | 0 | |
| 2407895077 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. | 1 | |
| 2407897695 | 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. Ex. "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." | 2 | |
| 2407898684 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. | 3 | |
| 2407899096 | 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 is to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back: | 4 | |
| 2407900308 | 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. | 5 | |
| 2407900519 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom | 6 | |
| 2407900868 | 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. | 7 | |
| 2407901446 | 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. | 8 | |
| 2407902136 | 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. | 9 | |
| 2407902425 | 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. | 10 | |
| 2407902650 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. | 11 | |
| 2407902954 | Asyndeton | Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account. Asyndetic lists can be more emphatic than if a final conjunction were used. | 12 | |
| 2407903485 | Connotation | The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. | 13 | |
| 2407903655 | Aphorism | A terse statement of know authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. | 14 | |
| 2407906113 | Juxtaposition | When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. | 15 | |
| 2407906812 | Parallelism | It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. | 16 | |
| 2407907107 | 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. | 17 | |
| 2407907656 | 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. | 18 | |
| 2407907830 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. | 19 | |
| 2407908039 | Metaphor | Figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. | 20 | |
| 2407908324 | Diction | Related to style, this refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. | 21 | |
| 2407908702 | Euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech," these are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. "Passed away" instead of "died" | 22 | |
| 2407909023 | Irony | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. | 23 | |
| 2407909431 | Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. (Similes and metaphors) | 24 | |
| 2407909649 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. | 25 | |
| 2407910117 | 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. | 26 | |
| 2407911250 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. | 27 | |
| 2407911492 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. (Prose, Poetry, and Drama) | 28 | |
| 2407912001 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 29 | |
| 2407912817 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 30 | |
| 2407913044 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, this uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. | 31 | |
| 2407913166 | Oxymoron | Groups of apparently contradictory terms are paired together for effect. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." | 32 | |
| 2407913512 | Inference / Infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. | 33 | |
| 2407913660 | 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. For example: "Ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout!" The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. | 34 | |
| 2407913908 | Litotes | From the Greek word "simple" or "plain." A figure of thought in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite. Ex. He's no fool (which implies he is wise). | 35 | |
| 2407914911 | Rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 36 | |
| 2407915082 | 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, "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. | 37 | |
| 2407915405 | Synecdoche | Is a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion , section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa). | 38 | |
| 2407916795 | Symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually it is something concrete - such as object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. | 39 | |
| 2407916939 | 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. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber. | 40 | |
| 2407917239 | Prose | One of the major divisions of genre, this refers to fiction and non-fiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line. | 41 | |
| 2407917440 | 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. It is used to make these abstractions, animal, or objects appear more vivid to the reader. | 42 | |
| 2407917733 | Sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," this involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony is a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic, that is, intended to ridicule. When well done, this can be witty and insightful; when done poorly, it's simply cruel. | 43 | |
| 2407917923 | Rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common rhetorical modes and their purposes are as follows: Exposition Argumentation Description Narration | 44 | |
| 2407918715 | Polysyndeton | Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions not normally found in successive words, phrases or clauses; the deliberate and excessive use of conjunctions in successive words or clauses. The effect is a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up - a persistence or intensity. | 45 | |
| 2407919066 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | 46 | |
| 2407919238 | Rhetorical Question | A question that does not require a response. It's use it to prompt thought in the reader. | 47 | |
| 2407919713 | Transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, this helps effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. | 48 | |
| 2407919714 | 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 the groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. | 49 | |
| 2407919911 | Point of view | In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. | 50 | |
| 2407919912 | Understatement | The ironic minimizing of fact. It presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. | 51 | |
| 2407920121 | 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, it may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing. | 52 | |
| 2407920122 | Thesis | In expository writing, this statement is the sentence or a 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 proved the thesis. | 53 | |
| 2407920256 | Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. | 54 | |
| 2407920602 | Style | The distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer's distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax. | 55 |
