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AP Literature and Composition Literature Terms Flashcards

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7199504128AllegoryA literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions (to reveal a hidden meaning)0
7199504129AlliterationRepetition of initial consonant sounds.1
7199504130AllusionA reference to another work of literature, person, or event2
7199504131AmbiguityAn event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way (uncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language)3
7199504132AnalogyConnection between 2 things4
7199504133AnaphoraRepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses Ex) My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.5
7199504134AnecdoteA short and amusing story about a real incident or person6
7199504135AntecedentAn earlier clause, phrase or word to which a pronoun, another word or a noun refers back to. Ex) My uncle likes candies. He requests everyone to give him candies as gift (He refers to the uncle)7
7199504136AntithesisA rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. Ex) Speech is silver, but silence is gold.8
7199504137AphorismA statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner Ex) The simplest questions are the hardest to answer9
7199504138Approximate RhymeRhyming pattern with corresponding sound, but not perfect rhymes Ex) I saw her through the window pane; her eyes were filled with hate (pane and hate)10
7199504139ApostropheAn exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person (dead/absent) or a thing11
7199504140ArchetypeA typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.12
7199504141AsyndetonWithout using conjunctions Ex) They splashed, floated, swam, snorted13
7199504142AtmospherePervading tone Mood of a place14
7199504143Blank VerseVerse without rhyme (iambic pentameter)15
7199504144ChiasmusA statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed Ex) Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.16
7199504145ClauseA group of related words containing a subject that tells readers what the sentence is about, and a verb that tells readers what the subject is doing17
7199504146ColloquialismWord/phrase that is informal (conversational/vernacular)18
7199504147ConceitAn elaborate metaphor Ex )It sucked me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea, our two bloods mingled be; Thou knowest that this cannot be said A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead.19
7199504148ConnotationAn idea/feeling that a word invokes All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests20
7199504149Couplet2 lines of verse w/ the same meter & joined by rhyme21
7199504150DenotationLiteral meaning of a word22
7199504151DictionWord choice23
7199504152DidacticIntended to teach w/ a moral or motive24
7199504153EllipsisOmission from speech (...) I went to the park yesterday and Joey went to the park also. ("yesterday" is omitted)25
7199504154End RhymeLines ending w/ words that rhyme26
7199504155EnjambmentContinuation of sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza A line having no pause or end punctuation but having uninterrupted grammatical meaning continuing into the next line. Ex) "I am not prone to weeping, as our sex Commonly are; the want of which vain dew Perchance shall dry your pities; but I have That honorable grief lodged here which burns Worse than tears drown...."27
7199504156EuphemismA mild/indirect word/expression substituted for one that may be too harsh28
7199504157ExpositionUsed to introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc29
7199504158Extended metaphorExploited analogy at length through multiple linked vehicles, tenors, & grounds A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.30
7199504159Figurative LanguageLanguage in which figures of speech are used to make it effective, persuasive and impactful31
7199504160Figure of SpeechA device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. (apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonomy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement) To be used beyond literal sense32
7199504161FootA group of syllables constituting a metrical unit (stressed & unstressed), A metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables.33
7199504162Free VersePoetry that does not rhyme or have regular meter34
7199504163GenreCategory of literature (by form, style, subject matter)35
7199504164HyperboleExaggerated statements36
7199504165Iambic PentameterRhythmic pattern that has 5 iambs per line (unstressed to stressed) [daDUM]37
7199504166ImageryDescription that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)38
7199504167InferenceConclusion based evidence & reasoning39
7199504168Internal RhymeInvolving a word in the middle of a line & another at the end of a line or the middle of the next (that rhymes) A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line Ex: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary.40
7199504169InvectiveInsulting, abusive, or highly critical language41
7199504170InversionReversal of the normal order of words for rhetorical effect. Ex: What they talked of all evening long, no one remembered next day.42
7199504171IronyExpression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite (for humorous/emphatic effect) The name of Britain's biggest dog was "Tiny".43
7199504172Juxtaposition2 things being places close together with contrasting effect44
7199504173LitotesA figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating(denying) its opposite Ex) You won't be sorry (glad)45
7199504174Lyric PoemAn emotional song-like poem expressing personal feelings (sometimes rhymes)46
7199504175MetaphorFigure of speech comparing 2 different things47
7199504176MeterUnit of rhythm in poetry, the pattern of the beats. A stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem (a meter contains several foots)48
7199504177MetonymySubstituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it (The pen (writing) is mightier than the sword (war/fighting) A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty").49
7199504178MoodAtmosphere or pervading tone50
7199504179MotifDistinctive feature or dominant idea51
7199504180Narrative PoemTells a story w/ narrator & characters in a metered verse (short of long)52
7199504181OnomatopoeiaWord of a sound (buzz, moo, sizzle)53
7199504182OxymoronContradicting terms in conjunction Ex) falsely true; jumbo shrimp54
7199504183ParadoxStatement that although may be somewhat true, leads to a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement Ex) Truth is honey which is bitter.55
7199504184ParallelismPhrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other56
7199504185ParodyImitation of the style57
7199504186PersonificationHuman-like characteristics58
7199504187Point-of-viewPosition from which something is observed59
7199504188PolysyndetonUsing many conjuctions60
7199504189ProseWritten/spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure Written in dull writing/expression Ordinary speech or writing without rhyme or meter; referring to speech or writing other than verse61
7199504190RefrainA regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song (usually at the end of each verse/stanza) Ex: The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster... Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn't hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster. (The art of losing isn't hard to master)62
7199504191RepetitionRepeating something that's already been said63
7199504192Rhetorical QuestionA question asked merely for effect to make a point with no expected answer64
7199504193Rhyme SchemeOrdered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse65
7199504194SarcasmThe use of irony to mock or convey contempt66
7199504195SatireThe use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices67
7199504196SimileComparison of 2 things, using like or as68
7199504197SonnetPoem of 14 lines using any of a number of formal rhymes schemes (usually 10 syllables per line)69
7199504198StyleA way of using language70
7199504199Subordinate ClauseA clause in a complex sentence that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and that functions within the sentence as a noun or adjective or adverb (Usually introduced by a conjunction) Ex) She answered the phone "when it rang"71
7199504200SyllepsisA construction in which one word is used in two different senses ("After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.")72
7199504201SyllogismA rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific. Ex) No homework is fun. Some reading is homework. Some reading is not fun.73
7199504202SymbolismUse of symbols to represent ideas or qualities74
7199504203SynaesthesiaA perceptual experience in which stimulation of one sense produces additional unusual experiences in another sense75
7199504204SynedocheUsing one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to a car simply as "wheels")76
7199504205SyntaxThe arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences77
7199504206ThemeSubject of a talk/piece of writing An idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art/literature78
7199504207ThesisA statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or provoked79
7199504208ToneThe general character or attitude of a place, piece i=of writing, situation, etc.80
7199504209UnderstatementThe presentation fo something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is81

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