AP literature and composition; grammar, analysis, and literary devices
5721036414 | Phrase | A group of words | 0 | |
5721036415 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. | 1 | |
5721036416 | Comma splice (run-on sentence) | two sentences joined incorrectly with only a comma | 2 | |
5721036417 | Fragment | A word, phrase, or clause that does not form a full sentence | 3 | |
5721036418 | Coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) | join ideas that are similar; place a comma before you write sentences/clauses | 4 | |
5721036419 | Clarity | clearness in thought or expression | 5 | |
5721036420 | Structure | An organized system that shows a clear pattern | 6 | |
5721036421 | Word choice (Diction) | The way the writer carefully selects words to give precise descriptions, create a particular mood, and increase the impact of their writing. | 7 | |
5721036422 | Thesis Statement | The statement that presents the overall purpose of an essay | 8 | |
5721036423 | Paraphrasing | Taking someone else's thoughts and putting them into your own words as a way of summarizing them | 9 | |
5721036424 | Authorial Intent | authors purpose of writing | 10 | |
5721036425 | Historical Context/Historical Criticism | An approach to literature that uses history as a means of understanding a literary work more clearly; moves beyond both the facts of an author's personal life and the text itself to examine the social currents in which the author composed the work. | 11 | |
5721036426 | Formalism | Emphasizes the form of a literary text to determine its meaning, focusing on literary elements and how they work to create meaning inside the text | 12 | |
5721036427 | Feminist Approach | an approach that views gender as a defining characteristic in social interaction and life experiences; gender is seen as socially constructed, with men being more advantaged than women in society. | 13 | |
5721036428 | Annotation | a critical or explanatory note or comment; written responses while reading | 14 | |
5721036429 | Dichotomy | a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different | 15 | |
5721036430 | Figurative Language | Language that communicates ideas beyond the ordinary or literal meaning of the words. | 16 | |
5721036431 | Personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 17 | |
5721036432 | Unreliable Narrator | a narrator whose account of events appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, or otherwise distorted | 18 | |
5721036433 | Malapropism | a word humorously misused; ludicrous misuse of a word | 19 | |
5721036434 | Onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. | 20 | |
5721036435 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction | 21 | |
5721036436 | symbolism | An object, character, figure, or color that is used to represent an abstract idea or concept. | 22 | |
5721036437 | Dramatic Irony | Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the literary work. | 23 | |
5721036438 | Archetype | A constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, or mythology. Example: Alice must pass a series of tests as she makes her way through | 24 | |
5721036439 | Foil | A character who illuminates the qualities of another character by means of contrast. | 25 | |
5721036440 | Allusion | A brief reference in a literary work to a person, place, thing, or passage in another literary work, usually for the purpose of associating the tone or theme of the one work with the other. | 26 | |
5721036441 | Foreshadowing | A warning or indication of a future event. | 27 | |
5721036442 | Breaking Fourth Wall | Speaking directly to or acknowledging the audience. The "fourth wall" refers to the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theater. | 28 | |
5721036443 | Anagnorisis | The recognition or discovery by the protagonist of the identity of some character or the nature of his own predicament, which leads to the resolution of the plot. | 29 | |
5721036444 | Poetic Justice | virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice punished, often by an ironic twist of fate intimately related to the character's own conduct. | 30 | |
5721036445 | Deus Ex Machina | An unexpected power or event saving a hopeless situation, especially as a plot device in a play or novel, from the Latin "a god from a machine." | 31 | |
5721036446 | Denounement | The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are resolved. | 32 | |
5721036447 | Repetition | Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis | 33 | |
5721036448 | Rhyme Scheme | The pattern of rhymes in a poem. | 34 | |
5721036449 | Rhythm (Meter) | Pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables | 35 | |
5721036450 | Line breaks | places where lines of poetry end, to add emphasis to certain words or phrases. | 36 | |
5721036451 | Cesura | A pause in a line or verse, not interrupting rhythm/meter; grand pause | 37 | |
5721036452 | Metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. A comparison of two unlike things without using the word like or as. | 38 | |
5721036453 | Simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" A comparison of two unlike things using like or as | 39 | |
5721036454 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor | 40 | |
5721036455 | Imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 41 | |
5721036456 | Personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 42 | |
5721036457 | Alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds | 43 | |
5721036458 | Assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity | 44 | |
5721036459 | Mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader | 45 | |
5721036460 | Tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. | 46 | |
5721036461 | Theme | A topic or a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work; central idea. | 47 | |
5721036462 | Stanza | A fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem | 48 | |
5721036463 | Couplet | A pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem. | 49 | |
5721036464 | Free Verse | Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme | 50 | |
5721036465 | Blank Verse | Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter | 51 | |
5721036466 | Metric Foot | a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm. | 52 | |
5721036467 | Iamb | duh DUM, unstressed-stressed | 53 | |
5721036468 | Trochee | DUM duh, stressed-unstressed | 54 | |
5721036469 | Dactyl | DUM duh duh, stressed-unstressed-unstressed | 55 | |
5721036470 | Anapest | duh duh DUM, unstressed-unstressed-stressed | 56 | |
5721036471 | Spondee | DUM DUM, stressed-stressed | 57 | |
5721036472 | Pyrrhic | duh duh, unstressed-unstressed | 58 | |
5721036473 | Exposition | A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances. | ![]() | 59 |
5721036474 | Rising Action | A series of events that builds from the conflict. It begins with the inciting force and ends with the climax. | ![]() | 60 |
5721036475 | Climax | The turning point in the action (also known as the "crisis") and/or the highest point of interest or excitement. | ![]() | 61 |
5721036476 | Falling Action | Events after the climax, leading to the resolution | ![]() | 62 |
5721036477 | Resolution | End of the story where loose ends are tied up | ![]() | 63 |
5721036478 | Conflict | A struggle between opposing forces; an inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces. | ![]() | 64 |
5721036479 | Inciting Incident | the event that introduces the major struggle or conflict of the plot, eventually realized in the climax. | 65 | |
5721036480 | Venacular | the native language or dialect of a country or region; everyday or informal language | 66 | |
5721036481 | Chronology | the arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence. | 67 |