AP Language Vocabulary Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 9376585031 | Allegory | A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself. |  | 0 |
| 9376585032 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells). |  | 1 |
| 9376585033 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. | 2 | |
| 9376585034 | Ambiguity (am-bi-gyoo-i-tee) | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 9376585035 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. | 4 | |
| 9376585036 | Anaphora (uh-naf-er-uh) | One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. Ex: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." | 5 | |
| 9376585037 | Anecdote | A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person | 6 | |
| 9376585038 | Antecedent (an-tuh-seed-nt) | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 7 | |
| 9376585039 | Antithesis (an-tih-theh-sis) | Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. Creates a definite and systematic relationship between ideas. | 8 | |
| 9376585040 | Aphorism | a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." | 9 | |
| 9376585041 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect is to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back: | 10 | |
| 9376585042 | Asyndeton (uh-sin-di-tuhn) | consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account. | 11 | |
| 9376585043 | Atmosphere | The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as description of the weather can contribute to this. This Frequently foreshadows events. | 12 | |
| 9376585044 | Chiasmus (kahy-az-muhs) | (From the Greek word for "criss-cross," a designation baed on the Greek letter "chi," written X). Chiasmus is a figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words. |  | 13 |
| 9376585045 | Clause | a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can sand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element to the other. You should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. |  | 14 |
| 9376585046 | Colloquial/colloquialism (kuj-loh-kwee-uhl) | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. |  | 15 |
| 9376585047 | Coherence | A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. Words, phrases, clauses within the sentence; and sentences, paragraphs, and chpters in larger pieces of writing are the unit that by their progressive and logical arrangement, make for coherence. |  | 16 |
| 9376585048 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. |  | 17 |
| 9376585049 | Connotation | - The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. |  | 18 |
| 9376585050 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. |  | 19 |
| 9376585051 | Diacope | repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase: word/phrase X, . . ., word/phrase X. |  | 20 |
| 9376585052 | Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author's style. |  | 21 |
| 9376585053 | Didactic (dahy-dak-tik) | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. |  | 22 |
| 9376585054 | Enumeratio | Figure of amplification in which a subject is divided into constituent parts or details, and may include a listing of causes, effects, problems, solutions, conditions, and consequences; the listing or detailing of the parts of something. |  | 23 |
| 9376585055 | Expletive (ek-spli-tiv) | Figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side of the expletive. |  | 24 |
| 9376585056 | Euphemism (yoo-fuh-miz-uhm) | From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be sued to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. |  | 25 |
| 9376585057 | Exposition | In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose of exposition is to explain something. In drama, the exposition is the introductory material, which creates the tone, gives the setting, and introduces the characters and conflict. |  | 26 |
| 9376585058 | Extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. |  | 27 |
| 9376585059 | Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. |  | 28 |
| 9376585060 | Figurative Language | - Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. |  | 29 |
| 9376585061 | Generic conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. |  | 30 |
| 9376585062 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. However, genre is a flexible term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions that are often called genres themselves. For example, prose can be divided into fiction (novels and short stories) or nonfiction (essays, biographies, autobiographies, etc). Poetry can be divided into lyric, dramatic, narrative, epic, etc. Drama can be divided into tragedy, comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. ON the AP language exam, expect the majority of the passages to be from the following genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. |  | 31 |
| 9376585063 | Homily (hom-uh-lee) | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. |  | 32 |
| 9376585064 | Hyperbole (hahy-pur-buh-lee) | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. |  | 33 |
| 9376585065 | Hypophora | Figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). A common usage is to ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph and then use the paragraph to answer it. You can use hypophora to raise questions which you think the reader obviously has on his/her mind and would like to see formulated and answered. |  | 34 |
| 9376585066 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection (It is the highest flower on the Great Chain of Being). An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figure s of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. ON the AP exam, pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of this imagery. |  | 35 |
| 9376585067 | Inference/infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple-choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it's unlikely to be the correct answer. Note that if the answer choice is directly stated, it is not inferred and is wrong. You must be careful to note the connotation - negative or positive - of the choices. |  | 36 |
| 9376585068 | Invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attach using strong, abusive language. |  | 37 |
| 9376585069 | Irony/ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language; (1) In a verbal irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) true meaning. (2) In situational irony, events turn out the opposite of what was expected. What the characters and the readers think ought to happen. (3) In dramatic irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction, but know to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work. Irony is used for many reasons, but frequently, it's used to create poignancy or humor. |  | 38 |
| 9376585070 | Juxtaposition (juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn) | When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. |  | 39 |
| 9376585071 | Litotes (lahy-toh-teez) | From the Greek word "simple" or "plain." Litotes is a figure of thought in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite. It is a special form of understatement, where the surface denial serves, through ironic contrast, to reinforce the underlying assertion. |  | 40 |
| 9376585072 | Loose sentence | a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by wdependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational. Generally loose sentences create loose style. |  | 41 |
| 9376585073 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. Metaphorical language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful. |  | 42 |
| 9376585074 | Metonymy (mi-ton-uh-mee) | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name." Metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. A news release that claims "the White House declared" rather that "the President declared" is using metonymy. The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional response. |  | 43 |
| 9376585075 | Mood | This term has two distinct technical meanings in English writing. The first meaning is grammatical and eals with verbal units and a speaker's attitude. The indicative mood is used only for factual sentences. For example, "Joe eats too quickly." The subjective mod is used to express conditions contrary to fact. For example, "If I were you, I'd get another job." The imperative mood is used for commands. For example, "Shut the door!" The second meaning of mood is literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. In this usage, mood is similar to tone and atmosphere. |  | 44 |
| 9376585076 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. |  | 45 |
| 9376585077 | Onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh) | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. If you not eexamples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect. |  | 46 |
| 9376585078 | Oxymoron | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." This term does not usually appear in the multiple-choice questions, but there is a chance that you might find it in an essay. Take note of the effect which the author achieves with this term. |  | 47 |
| 9376585079 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. |  | 48 |
| 9376585080 | Parallelism | Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. A famous example of parallelism begins Charles Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity . . ." The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm. |  | 49 |
| 9376585081 | Parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, parody distorts or exaggerated distinctive features of the original. As ridicule, it mimics the work by repeating and borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weaknesses in the original. Well-written parody offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written parody offers only ineffectual imitation. Usually an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being parodied in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, parodies take on a life of their own and don't require knowledge of the original |  | 50 |
| 9376585082 | Pedantic (puh-dan-tik) | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. |  | 51 |
| 9376585083 | Periodic sentence | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. For example: "Ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout!" The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. |  | 52 |
| 9376585084 | Personification | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. Personification is used to make these abstractions, animal, or objects appear more vivid to the reader. |  | 53 |
| 9376585085 | Polysyndeton (paulee-sin-dih-tawn) | Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) not normally found in successive words, phrases or clauses; the deliberate and excessive use of conjunctions in successive words or clauses. The effect is a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up - a persistence or intensity. |  | 54 |
| 9376585086 | Predicate adjective | One type of subject complement is an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is an the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject. |  | 55 |
| 9376585087 | Predicate nominative | A second type of subject complement - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that names the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence. |  | 56 |
| 9376585088 | Prose | One of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and non-fiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line |  | 57 |
| 9376585089 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. |  | 58 |
| 9376585090 | Rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 59 | |
| 9376585091 | Rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common rhetorical modes and their purposes are as follows: (1) The purpose of exposition (or expository writing) is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. The AP language exam essay questions are frequently expository topics. (2) The purpose of argumentation is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader. Persuasive writing is a type of argumentation having an additional aim of urging some form of action. (3) The purpose of description is to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in description; good descriptive writing can be sensuous and picturesque. Descriptive writing may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional and subjective. (4) The purpose of narration is to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing. These four modes are sometimes referred to as mode of discourse. |  | 60 |
| 9376585092 | Rhetorical Question [erotesis] | - differs from hypophora in that it is not answered by the writer because its answer is obvious or obviously desired, and usually just a yes or no answer would suffice. It is used for effect, emphasis, or provocation, or for drawing a conclusionary statement from the fact at hand. |  | 61 |
| 9376585093 | Sarcasm | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," sarcasm involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony is a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic, that is, intended to ridicule. When well done, sarcasm can be witty and insightful; when done poorly, it's simply cruel |  | 62 |
| 9376585094 | Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, satire is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively the satirist: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects of satire are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but good satire, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition. |  | 63 |
| 9376585095 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another |  | 64 |
| 9376585096 | Style | The consideration of style has two purposes: (1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Some authors' styles are so idiosyncratic that we can quickly recognize works by the same author (or a writer emulating that author's style)/ Compare, for example, Jonathan's Swift to George Orwell or William Faulkner to Ernest Hemingway. We can analyze and describe an author's personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's purpose. Styles can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, or laconic, to name only a few examples. (2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, we can see how an author's style reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance of the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as the romantic, transcendental or realist movement. | | 65 |
| 9376585097 | Subject complement | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it. The former is the technically a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. Multiple-choice questions. |  | 66 |
| 9376585098 | Subordinate clause | Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, the subordinate clause depends on a main clause, sometimes called an independent clause, to complete its meaning. Easily recognized key words and phrases usually begin these clauses 0 for example: although, because, unless, if even though, since, as soon as, while who, when , where, how and that. |  | 67 |
| 9376585099 | Syllogism (sil- uh-jiz-uhm) | From the Greek for "reckoning together, " a syllogism (or syllogistic-reasoning or syllogistic logic is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the firs one called "major" and the second, "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows; |  | 68 |
| 9376585100 | Symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete - such as object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. However, symbols, and symbolism can be much more complex. One system classifies symbols in three categories: (1) Natural symbols are objects and occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning, a rose symbolizing love, a tree symbolizing knowledge). (2) Conventional symbols are those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols, such as a flag or an eagle; or group symbols, such as a skull an crossbones for pirates or the scales of justice for lawyers). (3) Literary symbols are sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are generally recognized. However, a work's symbols may be more complicated as is the whale in Moby Dick and the jungle in Heart of Darkness. On the AP exam, try to determine what abstraction an object is a symbol for and to what extent it is successful in representing that abstraction. |  | 69 |
| 9376585101 | Synecdoche (si-nek-duh-kee) | is a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion , section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa). |  | 70 |
| 9376585102 | Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as the groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. In the multiple-choice section, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates syntax. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how syntax produces effects. |  | 71 |
| 9376585103 | Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in exposityr or argumentative writing. |  | 72 |
| 9376585104 | Thesis | In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or a group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively, and thoroughly a writer has proved the thesis. |  | 73 |
| 9376585105 | Tone | Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if ti were read aloud can help in identifying an author's tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber |  | 74 |
| 9376585106 | Transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. A few commonly used transitional words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly and on the contrary. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition. We will discuss these methods later. |  | 75 |
| 9376585107 | Understatement | The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. | 76 | |
| 9376585108 | Undertone | An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a work may have threatening undertones. William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" from the Songs of Innocence has a grim undertone. |  | 77 |
| 9376585109 | Wit | In modern usage, intellectually amazing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, wit originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally (in the early seventeenth century), it grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception. |  | 78 |
ap literature terms Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 5604515213 | Juxtaposition | a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts. | 0 | |
| 5604544053 | Parallel Structure | stylistic device, and a grammatical construction having two or more clauses, phrases or words, with similar grammatical form and length | 1 | |
| 5604552096 | Enjambment | moving over from one line to another without a terminating punctuation mark. | 2 | |
| 5604558380 | End Stop | when a line of poetry ends with a period or definite punctuation mark, such as a colon. | 3 | |
| 5604585926 | Apostrophe | a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O". A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech. | 4 | |
| 5604603293 | Circular Reasoning | a logical fallacy in which the reasoner begins with what they are trying to end with. | 5 | |
| 5604609988 | Satire | a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. | 6 | |
| 5604617471 | Hyperbole | a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. | 7 | |
| 5604628512 | Denouement | a literary device which can be defined as the resolution of the issue of a complicated plot in fiction. | 8 | |
| 5604639073 | Digression | several sudden interruptions in the main action of the story, which provides him background information, establish his interest, describe character's motivation and build suspense, etc. | 9 | |
| 5604659756 | Iambic Pentameter | a commonly used type of metrical line in traditional English poetry and verse drama. | 10 | |
| 5604671798 | Iambic Trimeter | a poetic device that is defined as a meter or a line that consists of three iambic feet. | 11 | |
| 5604697528 | Trochaic Trimeter | the opposite pattern of an iamb, and is comprised of stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable | 12 | |
| 5604724930 | Spondaic Tetrameter | a duple foot with two stressed syllables. | 13 | |
| 5604732541 | Dactyl | a metrical foot, or a beat in a line, containing three syllables in which first one is accented followed by second and third unaccented syllables (accented/unaccented/unaccented) in quantitative meter such as in the word "humanly." | 14 | |
| 5604748226 | Elegy | a form of literature which can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone deceased. | 15 | |
| 5604765087 | Villanelle | as a poetic device which requires a poem to have 19 lines and a fixed form. It has five tercets (first 15 lines), a quatrain (last four lines), and a couplet at the end of the quatrain. | 16 | |
| 5604772097 | ode | a literary technique that is lyrical in nature, but not very lengthy. | 17 | |
| 5604781587 | free verse | a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms | 18 | |
| 5604786686 | soliloquy | popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character. | 19 | |
| 5604794748 | monologue | a literary device, which is the speech or verbal presentation that a single character presents in order to express his/her collection of thoughts and ideas aloud. | 20 | |
| 5604816272 | direct address | the name of the person (normally) who is being directly spoken to. It is always a proper noun. | 21 | |
| 5604831070 | synecdoche | a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. | 22 | |
| 5604834027 | metonymy | a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. | 23 | |
| 5604839261 | couplet | a literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought. | 24 | |
| 5604845948 | spondee | a beat in a poetic line which consists of two accented syllables (stressed/stressed) or DUM-DUM stress pattern. | 25 | |
| 5604870603 | epitaph | a brief writing or saying. Epitaph is an inscription written on a grave. | 26 | |
| 5604881419 | paradox | a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. | 27 | |
| 5604890012 | understatement | a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is | 28 | |
| 5604892928 | parody | an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect. | 29 | |
| 5604900396 | oxymoron | a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. | 30 | |
| 5604912605 | logical fallacy | an erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention. | 31 | |
| 5604922038 | parable | a figure of speech, which presents a short story typically with a moral lesson at the end. | 32 | |
| 5604927389 | allegory | a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events. | 33 | |
| 5604932193 | invective | denotes speech or writing that attacks, insults, or denounces a person, topic, or institution. It involves the use of abusive and negative use of language. | 34 | |
| 5604946997 | epigram | a rhetorical device that is a memorable, brief, interesting and surprising satirical statement. | 35 | |
| 5604951814 | onomatopoeia | which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting. | 36 | |
| 5604958043 | Cacophony | points to a situation where there is a mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds. | 37 | |
| 5604964062 | internal rhyme | a poetic device which can be defined as metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhymes with each other. | 38 | |
| 5604969309 | assonance | takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds. | 39 | |
| 5604976628 | alliteration | "letters of alphabet". It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series. | 40 | |
| 5604981844 | chiasmus | a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. | 41 |
Narrative Literary Terms for AP Literature Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 7121362597 | Point of View | The way the author allows you to "see" and "hear" what's going on. | 0 | |
| 7121362598 | First Person Narration | When a character narrates the story with: I-me-my-mine in his/her speech. | 1 | |
| 7121363265 | Third Person Narration | An outsider looking at the action'; the author's voice; is what readers hear in the descriptive passages. | 2 | |
| 7121364872 | Omniscient Narration | Where the thoughts of every character are open to the reader. | 3 | |
| 7121367212 | Limited Omniscient Narration | Where the reader enters only one character''s mind either throughout the entire work or specific section. | 4 | |
| 7121367885 | Free Indirect Discourse | A big chunky phrase that describes a special type of third-person narration that slips in and out of characters' consciousness. | 5 | |
| 7121367886 | Objective Narration | The action and the characters' thoughts, without comment or emotion. The reader has to interpret them and uncover their meaning. | 6 | |
| 7121368701 | Unreliable Narrator | Can be first or third person, but presents the story at least partially incorrectly. | 7 | |
| 7121369189 | Stream of Consciousness | A method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters. | 8 |
New SAT Vocabulary #1 Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 3450790491 | fracas | a loud quarrel or fight | 0 | |
| 3450790492 | pleasurable | enjoyable | 1 | |
| 3450790493 | implacable | unable to appeased or pacified | 2 | |
| 3450790494 | vitiate | spoil, destroy | 3 | |
| 3450790495 | cajole | persuade | 4 | |
| 3450790496 | bawdy | indecent; humorously obscene | 5 | |
| 3450790497 | knead | to work dough or clay into a uniform mixture | 6 | |
| 3450790498 | magnanimous | noble; generous in forgiving; free from petty feelings or acts | 7 | |
| 3450790499 | perennial | long-lasting, continual | 8 | |
| 3450790500 | diagnose | to determine the identity of a disease by medical examination | 9 | |
| 3450790501 | wane | lessen, become weaker | 10 | |
| 3450790502 | harp | to persist in talking continuously (on or about something) | 11 | |
| 3450790503 | compatible | 1. able to co-exist peacefully, well-suited 2. consistent | 12 | |
| 3450790504 | laborious | involving hard work | 13 | |
| 3450790505 | fallible | capable of error | 14 | |
| 3450790506 | glean | to collect bit by bit; to gather with patient labor | 15 | |
| 3450790507 | folly | foolishness | 16 | |
| 3450790508 | dawdle | to waste time | 17 | |
| 3450790509 | lethargy | lack of energy; sluggishness | 18 | |
| 3450790510 | gull | to cheat; to fool or hoax | 19 | |
| 3450790511 | epistle | a letter or literary composition in letter form | 20 | |
| 3450790512 | melee | a noisy, confused fight | 21 | |
| 3450790513 | earnest | serious in intention, purpose, or effort | 22 | |
| 3450790514 | faction | a small group within a larger group | 23 | |
| 3450790515 | lucid | clear, easily understood | 24 |
Flashcards
AP Literature Review Terms Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 9715791084 | allegory | story or poem that can be used to reveal a hidden meaning | 0 | |
| 9715791085 | alliteration | beginning of same letter or sound in closely connected words | 1 | |
| 9715791086 | allusion | indirect of passing reference | 2 | |
| 9715791087 | anaphora | repetition in first part of a sentence , to have an artistic meaning | 3 | |
| 9715791088 | antagonist | a hostile person who is opposed to another character |  | 4 |
| 9715791089 | apostrophe | figure of speech used to adresss an imaginary character |  | 5 |
| 9715791090 | approximate rhyme | words in rhyming pattern that sound alike |  | 6 |
| 9715791091 | aside | when a character's dialogue is spoken but not heard by other actors on the stage |  | 7 |
| 9715791092 | assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |  | 8 |
| 9715791093 | blank verse | poetry written in meter without an ending rhyme |  | 9 |
| 9715791094 | cacophony | blend of unharmonious sounds |  | 10 |
| 9715791095 | caesura | pause in the middle of a line |  | 11 |
| 9715791096 | catharsis | the release of emotions through art (emotional cleanse) |  | 12 |
| 9715791097 | flat character | story character who have no depth, usually has one personality or characteristic |  | 13 |
| 9715791098 | round character | character who has complex personality: contradicted person |  | 14 |
| 9715791099 | dynamic character | changes throughout the story, through major conflict |  | 15 |
| 9715791100 | static character | person who doesn't change throughout story keeps same personality |  | 16 |
| 9715791101 | characterization | process of revealing characters personality |  | 17 |
| 9715791102 | climax | point where conflict hits its highest point |  | 18 |
| 9715791103 | comedy | drama that is amusing or funny |  | 19 |
| 9715791104 | conflict | struggle between opposing forces |  | 20 |
| 9715791105 | connotation | secondary meaning to a word |  | 21 |
| 9715791106 | consonance | repetition of same consonant in words close together |  | 22 |
| 9715791107 | couplet | two rhyming lines in a verse |  | 23 |
| 9715791108 | denotation | the literal meaning of a word | | 24 |
| 9715791109 | denouement | final outcome of the story |  | 25 |
| 9715791110 | deus ex machina | resolution of a plot by chance or coincidence |  | 26 |
| 9715791111 | didactic writing | writing with a primary purpose to teach or preach |  | 27 |
| 9715791112 | direct presentation of character | author telling the reader how a character is and what actions it will do further in the story |  | 28 |
| 9715791113 | double rhyme | rhyme where the repeated vowel is in the second last syllable of words involved (ex; born scorn) | 29 | |
| 9715791114 | dramatic exposition | prose commentaries, to provide background information about the characters and their world |  | 30 |
| 9715791115 | end rhyme | rhymes occurring at the end of line |  | 31 |
| 9715791116 | end stopped line | line ending in regular punctuation |  | 32 |
| 9715791117 | English sonnet | a sonnet rhyming ababcdcdededgg |  | 33 |
| 9715791118 | epiphany | when a character receives a spiritual insight into they life |  | 34 |
| 9715791119 | euphony | smooth choice and arrangement of sounds |  | 35 |
| 9715791120 | extended figure | A figure of speech sustained or developed through a considerable number of lines or through a whole poem. |  | 36 |
| 9715791121 | falling action | Events after the climax, leading to the resolution |  | 37 |
| 9715791122 | feminine rhyme | lines rhymed by their final two syllables |  | 38 |
| 9715791123 | figurative language | Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling. |  | 39 |
| 9715791124 | figure of speech | a way of saying something other than the ordinary way | | 40 |
| 9715791125 | foot | basic unit in the scansion or measurement of verse , stressed and un stressed syllables |  | 41 |
| 9715791126 | form | external pattern or shape of a poem |  | 42 |
| 9715791127 | free verse | Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme |  | 43 |
| 9715791128 | hamartia | tragic flaw which causes a character's downfall |  | 44 |
| 9715791129 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) |  | 45 |
| 9715791130 | indirect presentation of character | the personality of a character is revealed by what he or she does or says |  | 46 |
| 9715791131 | internal rhyme | A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line |  | 47 |
| 9715791132 | irony | A contrast between expectation and reality |  | 48 |
| 9715791133 | verbal irony | A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant |  | 49 |
| 9715791134 | dramatic irony | Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. |  | 50 |
| 9715791135 | irony of situation | refers to an occurrence that is contrary to what is expected or intended |  | 51 |
| 9715791136 | italian sonnet | A sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba, followed by a sestet with the rhyme pattern cdecde or cdcdcd |  | 52 |
| 9715791137 | masculine rhyme | A rhyme ending on the final stressed syllable |  | 53 |
| 9715791138 | melodrama | a play based upon a dramatic plot and developed sensationally |  | 54 |
| 9715791139 | metaphor | A comparison without using like or as |  | 55 |
| 9715791140 | meter | A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry |  | 56 |
| 9715791141 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it |  | 57 |
| 9715791142 | motivation | A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior |  | 58 |
| 9715791143 | narrator | Person telling the story | | 59 |
| 9715791144 | octave | 8 line stanza |  | 60 |
| 9715791145 | onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. |  | 61 |
| 9715791146 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor |  | 62 |
| 9715791147 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. |  | 63 |
| 9715791148 | paradox | A contradiction or dilemma |  | 64 |
| 9715791149 | paraphrase | A restatement of a text or passage in your own words. |  | 65 |
| 9715791150 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | | 66 |
| 9715791151 | plot | Sequence of events in a story | | 67 |
| 9715791152 | point of view | The perspective from which a story is told |  | 68 |
| 9715791153 | omniscient point of view | The point of view where the narrator knows everything about the characters and their problems - told in the 3rd person. |  | 69 |
| 9715791154 | third person limited point of view | narrator tells the story from only one character's point of view | 70 | |
| 9715791155 | first person point of view | a character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself | 71 | |
| 9715791156 | objective point of view | a narrator who is totally impersonal and objective tells the story with no comment on any characters or events. | 72 | |
| 9715791157 | protagonist | Main character | 73 | |
| 9715791158 | quatrain | A four-line stanza | 74 | |
| 9715791159 | rhythm | a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound | 75 | |
| 9715791160 | rhyme scheme | A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem | 76 | |
| 9715791161 | rising action | Events leading up to the climax | 77 | |
| 9715791162 | sarcasm | the use of irony to mock or convey contempt | 78 | |
| 9715791163 | satire | the 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 issues. | 79 | |
| 9715791164 | scansion | Analysis of verse into metrical patterns | 80 | |
| 9715791165 | sestet | six-line stanza | 81 | |
| 9715791166 | setting | The context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs. | 82 | |
| 9715791167 | simile | A comparison of unlike things using a comparison word such as "like" or "as" | 83 | |
| 9715791168 | soliloquy | A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage | 84 | |
| 9715791169 | sonnet | 14-line poem | 85 | |
| 9715791170 | stanza | A group of lines in a poem | 86 | |
| 9715791171 | stream of consciousness | a literary style in which a character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue. | 87 | |
| 9715791172 | syllabic verse | Verse measured by the number of syllables rather than the number of feet per line. | 88 | |
| 9715791173 | symbol | A thing that represents or stands for something else | 89 | |
| 9715791174 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa | 90 | |
| 9715791175 | synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") | 91 | |
| 9715791176 | tercet | three-line stanza | 92 | |
| 9715791177 | terza rima | a verse form with a rhyme scheme: aba bcb cdc, etc. | 93 | |
| 9715791178 | theme | Central idea of a work of literature, a generalization about the human condition | 94 | |
| 9715791179 | tone | Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character | 95 | |
| 9715791180 | tragedy | A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character | 96 | |
| 9715791181 | truncation | the omission of one or more unaccented syllables at the beginning or the end of a line of verse. | 97 | |
| 9715791182 | understatement | the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is; a deliberate under-emphasis | 98 | |
| 9715791183 | verse | A single line of poetry. Also, writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme | 99 | |
| 9715791184 | villanelle | a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout, consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with the first and third lines of the opening tercet recurring alternately at the end of the other tercets and with both repeated at the close of the concluding quatrain. | 100 |
AP American Literature Prefixes Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 7318496523 | De | opposite, from, away | 0 | |
| 7318515818 | Super | greater, beyond | 1 | |
| 7318522487 | Sub | under | 2 | |
| 7318522488 | Pro | Forward | 3 | |
| 7318524212 | Mono | Alone, Single, One | 4 | |
| 7318527603 | Non | Not | 5 | |
| 7318529225 | Ob | in front of, against | 6 | |
| 7318532766 | Mis | Wrong | 7 | |
| 7318535657 | Mal, Male | Bad, ill | 8 | |
| 7318537201 | Inter | Between, Among | 9 | |
| 7318539161 | In | in, into, not | 10 | |
| 7318540986 | Hypo | under, beneath | 11 | |
| 7318543183 | Hyper | Over, above | 12 | |
| 7318545797 | Ex, e | Out, from, forth | 13 | |
| 7318548594 | Equi | Equal | 14 | |
| 7318550578 | Epi | Upon, on top of | 15 | |
| 7318553045 | dis, dif, di | Apart, not | 16 | |
| 7318555652 | Com, con | together, with | 17 | |
| 7318557559 | Circum | Around | 18 | |
| 7318558952 | Bi, bis | two | 19 | |
| 7318561917 | Ad, a, ac, af, ag, an, ar, at, as | to, toward | 20 | |
| 7318564959 | A, ab, abs | away, from | 21 | |
| 7318567514 | Un | not | 22 | |
| 7318589864 | Preter | Past, beyond | 23 | |
| 7318591153 | Omni | Everywhere, all | 24 | |
| 7318592597 | Retro | backwards, behind, back | 25 | |
| 7318593992 | Se | Apart | 26 | |
| 7318595569 | un, uni | one | 27 | |
| 7318596751 | Trans | Across, beyond | 28 | |
| 7318646849 | re | again, back | 29 |
Flashcards
AP Literature Terms Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 3518457824 | antithesis | a figure of speech in which opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other. | 0 | |
| 3518457825 | analogy | comparison of two similar but different objects | 1 | |
| 3518457826 | anaphora | repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, lines, or sentences | 2 | |
| 3518457827 | aphorism | a brief pithy saying, usually characterized by the strongly contrasting words, clauses, ideas, or sentences; a balancing of one term against another for impressiveness and emphasis. | 3 | |
| 3518457828 | apostrophe | usually in poetry, the device calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction; or a sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person | 4 | |
| 3518457829 | alliteration | repetition of same sounds at the beginning of words that are in close proximity to one another | 5 | |
| 3518457830 | anecdote | a short simple story often used for humorous effect or to make a point or introduce a topic | 6 | |
| 3518457831 | allusion | brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, event, or another passage of literature, often without explicit identification. | 7 | |
| 3518457832 | allegory | writing that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one; a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events | 8 | |
| 3518457833 | asyndeton | the omission of conjunctions in a sentence to create emphasis or clarity | 9 | |
| 3518457834 | begging the question | a fallacy in argumentation that assumes in the premise what the arguer should be trying to prove in the conclusion | 10 | |
| 3518457835 | bildungsroman | any writing in which the theme is the coming of age; character moves from youth to maturity | 11 | |
| 3518457836 | cacophony | harsh, sharp, hissing, or dissonant sound used deliberately in poetry or prose | 12 | |
| 3518457837 | caricature | descriptive drawing or description that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person's appearance | 13 | |
| 3518457838 | chiasms | a figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first two parallel clauses is reversed by the second. This may involve the repetition of the same or just a reversed parallel between two corresponding pairs of ideas. | 14 | |
| 3518457839 | cliche | any expression that has been used so often it has lost its freshness | 15 | |
| 3518457840 | connotation | implied or suggested meaning to a word because of its context or usage | 16 | |
| 3518457841 | consonance | the final consonants of the stressed syllables match each other,but the vowels differ | 17 | |
| 3518457842 | conundrum | a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem | 18 | |
| 3518457843 | deductive reasoning | moves from a general premise to a specific conclusion; top down argument | 19 | |
| 3518457844 | denotation | the literal meaning of a word as defined in a dictionary | 20 | |
| 3518457845 | description | a type of writing using sensory details to create imagery | 21 | |
| 3518457846 | dialect | a regional or social variety of a language distinguished primarily by pronunciation, but could also be distinguished by grammar, spelling, or vocab; the language used by the people of a specific area, class, district, or any other group of people | 22 | |
| 3518457847 | diction | word choice, an element of style; it creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. | 23 | |
| 3518457848 | didactic | intended to instruct or teach | 24 |
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