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AP Literature and Composition Lit Terms Flashcards

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7199759238AllegoryA literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions0
7199759239AlliterationThe repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words1
7201465819AllusionA reference to something literary, mythological, or historical2
7201466346AmbiguityA word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning3
7201466347AnalogyThe comparison between two different things which are similar in some way4
7201466687AnaphoraThe repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences5
7201466688AnecdoteA brief personal narrative which focuses on a particular incident or event6
7201467156AntecedentAn earlier clause, phrase or word to which a pronoun, another word or a noun refers back to7
7201467157AntithesisA statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced8
7201467718AphorismA concise statement which succinctly expresses a general truth or idea, often using rhyme and balance9
7201467719Approximate RhymeEmploys assonance and consonance to connect words sonically that do not quite rhyme10
7201468508ApostropheThe act of speaking directly to an absent or imaginary person, or to some abstraction11
7201469380ArchetypeA typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature12
7201469640AsyndetonAn expression in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions13
7201469641AtmosphereA type of feelings that readers get from a narrative based on details such as settings, background, objects and foreshadowing, etc14
7201471692Blank VerseA literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter15
7201471693ChiasmusA statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed16
7201472028ClauseA combination of words within a sentence that is comprised of a subject and a predicate.17
7201472029ColloquialismInformal words or expressions not usually acceptable in writing form18
7201472721ConceitA fanciful, particularly clever, extended metaphor19
7201472722ConnotationThe implied or associative meaning of a word20
7201473024CoupletA literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought21
7201473025DenotationThe literal meaning of a word22
7201473492DictionHaving to do with the word choices made by a writer23
7201473493DidacticSomething which has as its primary purpose to teach or instruct24
7201473828EllipsisThe omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context25
7201473829End RhymeOccurs when the last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with each other26
7201474353EnjambmentMoving over from one line to another without a terminating punctuation mark27
7201474802EuphemismAn indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant28
7201475277ExpositionA literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers29
7201475278Extended MetaphorA comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem30
7201475725Figurative LanguageUses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful. Figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and allusions go beyond the literal meanings of the words to give readers new insights31
7201475726Figure of SpeechA phrase or word having different meanings than its literal meanings32
7201476031FootA measuring unit in poetry, which is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables33
7201476032Free VerseA literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms34
7201476637GenreA major category or type of literature35
7201476638HyperboleIntentional exaggeration to create an effect36
7201477134Iambic PentameterA rhythmic pattern comprising five iambs in each line37
7201477135ImageryConcrete sensory details which contribute to the themes or ideas of a work38
7201477136InferenceUsed commonly in literature and in daily life where logical deductions are made based on premises assumed to be true39
7201477570Internal RhymeA poetic device which can be defined as metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhymes with each other40
7201477895InvectiveAn intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack41
7201477896InversionA literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis or meter42
7201478194IronyA situation or statement where the truth is the opposite of appearances43
7201478195JuxtapositionPlacing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast44
7201479106LitotesA type of understatement in which something affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite45
7201479507Lyric PoemA collection of verses and choruses, making up a complete song, or a short and non-narrative poem46
7201479508MetaphorA direct comparison of two different things which suggests they are somehow the same47
7201479509MeterA stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem48
7201480062MetonymySubstituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it49
7201480063MoodA literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions50
7201480064MotifA standard theme or dramatic situation which recurs in various works51
7201480657Narrative PoemA form of poetry that tells a story, often making the voices of a narrator and characters as well; the entire story is usually written in metered verse52
7201480658OnomatopoeiaA word formed from the imitation of natural sounds53
7201481136OxymoronAn expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined54
7201506855ParadoxAn apparently contradicting statement which actually contains some truth55
7201506856ParallelismThe use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms56
7201507307ParodyA humorous imitation of a serious work57
7201507308PersonificationEndowing nonhuman objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics58
7201508836Point of ViewThe angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation59
7201508837PolysyndetonThe use of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural for rhetorical effect60
7201509940ProseA form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry.61
7201509941RefrainA verse, a line, a set, or a group of some lines that appears at the end of stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections62
7201510421RepetitionA literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer63
7201510422Rhetorical QuestionIs asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected64
7201510894Rhyme SchemeThe pattern of rhyme that comes at the end of each verse or line in poetry65
7201510895SarcasmHarsh, cutting language/tone designed to ridicule66
7201510896SatireThe use of humor to emphasize human weakness or imperfections in social institutions67
7201511194SimileA figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Uses "like" or "as".68
7201511195SonnetHas 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a "volta" or a specific turn.69
7201511196StyleThe way a writer writes and it is the technique which an individual author uses in his writing70
7201511820Subordinate ClauseA clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought. Has a subject and a verb.71
7201511821SyllepsisThe linking of one word with two other words in two strikingly different ways72
7201512179SyllogismA logical argument in which the conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise73
7201513696SymbolismThe use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense74
7201513697SynesthesiaDescribing one kind of sensation in terms of another75
7201515070SynecdocheUsing one part of an object to represent the entire object76
7201516464SyntaxThe manner in which words are arranged by a writer into sentences77
7201519209ThemeA main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly78
7201519210ThesisA statement in a non-fiction or a fiction work that a writer intends to support and prove79
7201519211ToneThe attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience80
7201519534UnderstatementThe deliberate representation of something as less in magnitude than it really is81

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