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AP Literature Vocab Flashcards

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7996628342Alliterationthe occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.0
9675841054Allusionan expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.1
9675848042Analogya comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification2
9675851260Anecdotea short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person3
9675906181Apostrophea term used when a speaker directly addresses someone or something that isn't present in the poem4
9675909265Antecedenta thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another5
9675912593Antitheticala rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect6
9675917383Apotheosisthe highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax7
9675920612Blank versea literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter8
9675925028Heroic Coupleta stanza consisting of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter, especially one forming a rhetorical unit and written in an elevated style, as, Know then thyself, presume not God to scan / The proper study of Mankind is Man9
9675927960Digressiona temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing10
9675933901Dogmaticinclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true11
9675936846Elegya poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead12
9675961085Free Versepoetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.13
9675965438Hyperboleexaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.14
9675991798Iambic Pentametera line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable, for example Two households, both alike in dignity.15
9676009410Ironichappening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this16
9676027411Main Verbthe verb in a main clause17
9676032801Malapropismthe mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect18
9676062375Maxima short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct19
9676068591Metaphor-a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable -a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.20
9676089649meterThe highly organized rhythm characteristic of verse; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. (See iambic pentameter.)21
9676104989monologuea long and typically tedious speech by one person during a conversation22
9676109199Narrativea story that you write or tell to someone, usually in great detail. A narrative can be a work of poetry or prose, or even song, theater, or dance23
9676124886Onomatopoeiathe formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named24
9676135648Paradoxa statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow25
9676243004Pastorala literary work (such as a poem or play) dealing with shepherds or rural life in a usually artificial manner and typically drawing a contrast between the innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of city and especially court life.26
9676305735Personificationthe attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form27
9676312941Quatraina stanza of four lines, especially one having alternate rhymes28
9676384752Rhetorical questiona question that you ask without expecting an answer29
9676437493Satirethe use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues30
9676446216Similea figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid31
9676453027Sonneta poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line.32

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