5858774713 | imagery | language that describes by appealing to the senses-- providing a sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell | 0 | |
5858781917 | figurative language | language not meant to be taken literally | 1 | |
5858786729 | simile | direct comparison of dissimilar things, usually using like or as (the snow was dry as cotton) (life is like a road) | 2 | |
5858789853 | metaphor | indirect comparison of dissimilar things, without using like or as (when she smiled, he was firmly hooked) (life is a road) | 3 | |
5858798415 | personification | type of metaphor or simile giving human qualities to inanimate objects (the wind screamed in anger) (nature spoke to her) | 4 | |
5858798416 | hyperbole | obviously saying more than intended (I have a million things to do tonight) | 5 | |
5858801035 | understatement | obviously saying less than intended (Hitler was a bit of a problem) | 6 | |
5858801036 | metonymy | using a thing to stand for a thing associated with it (the crown has spoken) (the bench has ruled against us) | 7 | |
5858803865 | synecdoche | using a part to stand for the whole (all hands were called on deck) | 8 | |
5858803866 | synesthesia | describing one sense in terms of another (the music was as cool and blue as the sky) (I tasted blue and desolation) | 9 | |
5858809404 | contrast/antithesis | use of marked difference for an effect (he was at the same time a transcendent thinker and a bit of a doofus) | 10 | |
5858809405 | diction | word choice (they have to choose some words and sometimes, the particular choice yields particular effects) (the leaves and flowers were clean and virginal . . . the air was drowsy with its weight of perfume) | 11 | |
5858809406 | syntax | sentence structure | 12 | |
5858812155 | parallel structure | equivalent ideas are linked by equivalent wording (out heats were engaged by his words, and our minds by his ideas) | 13 | |
5858812156 | polysyndeton | repeating a connector (usually "and") more than is necessary (harry was cold and tired and depressed and totally unmagical) | 14 | |
5858812157 | asyndeton | NOT using a connector where it would be expected (CGS students must be bright, creative, independent, self-motivated) | 15 | |
5858814157 | periodic sentence | sentence in which the main thought is not finished till the end (the king, although the court made great efforts to pretend otherwise, was dead) | 16 | |
5858816930 | cumulative sentence | sentence that builds force from added subordinate clauses or phrases (for his last then minutes Hamlet was king, a king of his own mind, dying but clear-headed, his last words uttered not in self-pity, but in defense of his friend, his state, his cause) | 17 | |
5858816931 | loose sentence | main clause is followed by subordinate elements (the judge smiled because he knew there was an ironic justice in the sentence) | 18 | |
5858818866 | simple sentence | contains one clause (CSG is very competitive) | 19 | |
5858818867 | compound sentence | contains two or more independent clauses (CGS is competitive, but it is also friendly) NOTE: a compound sentence may contain independent elements that are loose, or cumulative, etc. | 20 | |
5858824274 | persuasion/argumentation | seeks to produce agreement | 21 | |
5858824275 | exposition | conveys information | 22 | |
5858825759 | narration | relates events in story form | 23 | |
5858825760 | description | conveys a picture or impression of something (by using sensory details) | 24 | |
5858833231 | methods of organization/development | chronological, order of importance (or reverse), elaboration (adds complexity), item/example, cataloguing (listing), contrast/antithesis | 25 | |
5858833232 | rhetoric | seeks to influence the reader/listener | 26 | |
5858836862 | rhetorical purposes | effects the writer seeks to achieve (to produce a reasoned agreement, to produce LOL hilarity, to produce increased understanding, to produce awe or respect, to produce fear, to arouse emotions) | 27 | |
5858850483 | slang | informal conversational usage, not appropriate in formal situations | 28 | |
5858852823 | idiom | a commonly used phrase whose sense is not subject to literal translation (he made up the story) | 29 | |
5858852824 | dialect | ordinary speech of particular region or class (differs from slang in its association with region or class) | 30 | |
5858852825 | jargon | highly technical language whose effect is to confuse, rather than enhance, meaning (bureaucratic, military or business jargon "we need to conceptualize the time-lining . . .") | 31 | |
5858854744 | boilerplate | formulaic and cliché-ridden language, particularly associated with bureaucratic or political circumstances (as in a mission statement, political speech, press release, memo, etc.), full of bromides and platitudes | 32 | |
5858854745 | Latinate | dominated by words with derivation/ construction reminiscent of Latin: lots of -tion and -ate endings (. . . those sedentary structures in which functional illiterates predominantly congregate), usually pretty awkward!!!!! | 33 | |
5858856263 | parallel structure | coordinating items suing similar syntax (to follow is as difficult to lead) | 34 | |
5858863452 | anaphora | repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a construction (we cannot dedicate... we cannot hollow... we cannot consecrate) | 35 | |
5858866572 | ellipsis | words are left out because they are understood (our minds were clear and our hearts willing) | 36 | |
5858866573 | chiasmus | an immediate reversal of two terms (typical form is A-B-B-A) (fair is foul and foul is fair) | 37 | |
5858866574 | asyndeton | omission of expected connectors (our students are competitive, bright, eager to learn) | 38 | |
5858869988 | polysyndeton | more than the expected connectors (our students are competitive, and bright, and eager to learn) | 39 | |
5858869989 | coordination | connection with equal weighting (our students are competitive, and they work well as a team) | 40 | |
5858869990 | subordination | connection with unequal weighting (although competitive, our students work well as a team) | 41 | |
5858873090 | parts of speech | noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc. | 42 | |
5859328659 | parts of sentence | subject, object, clause, phrase | 43 | |
5858873091 | allusion | reference (direct or indirect) to other source material (mythological, historical, Biblical, literary) | 44 | |
5858875060 | ellipsis | some word or construction is understood ("our hearts are brave and our minds ready" . . . "are" is elliptical) | 45 | |
5858876660 | paradox | a condition or idea that seems contradictory, but is true, in at least some sense (the more I learn, the less I think I know) | 46 | |
5858876661 | contrast | use of elements that are different, for effect (the school-mistress that passed on her way to school/ and the old drunkard staggering home from the outhouse) | 47 | |
5858878910 | antithesis | (type of contrast) use of elements that are opposites (the terrors of the night and of the day) | 48 | |
5858878911 | imagery | appeal to the senses-- visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, touch, kinetic, organic | 49 | |
5858878912 | onomatopoeia | use of spelling to suggest sound (quack!, vroom!, boing!) | 50 | |
5858881281 | level of discourse (formality) | NOTE: formality and tone are not the same thing-- but either may contribute to the other... examples include ceremonial (will the honorable representative from Arizona yield to a question?), formal (may I ask you a question, ma'am?), informal (so, what do you think about...?), colloquial/vernacular (dude, what you think...?) | 51 | |
5858898836 | motif | a pattern (of imagery, events, details, settings) | 52 | |
5858898837 | denouement | conclusion-- often occurring after the climax | 53 | |
5858898838 | climax | point in a story at which the conflict is resolved | 54 | |
5858898839 | symbolism | use of physical things or animals or persona to stand for ideas | 55 | |
5858901967 | manipulation of time | presenting events in or out of chronological order | 56 | |
5858901968 | frame device | a narrative device through which the principal story is told (by a character in the frame story) | 57 | |
5858904971 | examples of structural devices | comparable or contrasting characters, comparable or contrasting settings, parallel events, recurring events | 58 |
Necessary Terminology- AP Literature Flashcards
Primary tabs
Need Help?
We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.
If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.
Need Notes?
While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!