AP Lang Vocab Terms A

15734997	allegory	the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.
15734998	alliteration	the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (she sells sea shells). Although the term is not used in the multiple-choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and/or supply a musical sound
15734999	allusion	a direct or indirect referance to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place or work of art
15735000	ambiguity	the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence or passage.
15735001	anadiplosis	the repitition of a key word, especially the last one, at the beginning of the next sentence or clause.
15735002	example of anadiplosis	he gave his life, life was all he could give
15735003	analogy	a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.
15735004	anaphora	the rhetorical device of repeating a word of phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences for emphasis and rhythm
15735005	anathema	a thing or person accursed or damned; a thing or person greatly detested; a formal curse or condemnation excommunicating a person from a church or damning something; any strong curse
15735006	antecedent	the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
15735007	anticlimax	using a sequence of ideas that abruptly diminish in dignity or importance at the end of a sentence, generally for satirical effect.
15735008	antimetabole	repeating words in reverse order for suprise and emphasis
15735009	antithesis	a contrast or opposition of thoughts, usually in two phrases, clauses, or sentences.
15735010	Example of antithesis	"You are going; I am staying" The exact opposite (Joy is the _____ of sorrow)
15735011	aphorism	a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle
15735012	apostrophe	a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.
15735013	example of apostrophe	william wordsworth addresses john milton as he writes, " milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: england hath need of thee."
15735014	archetype	the original pattern, or model from which all other things of the same kind are made; a perfect example of a type or group
15735015	assonance	the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words; e.g., the words "cry" and "side" have the same vowel sound and so are said to be examples of _____________
15735016	asyndeton	the practice of leaving out the usual conjunctions between coordinate sentence elements. For example: smile, shake hands, part.
15735017	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.
15735018	attitude	the position or posture assumed in connection with an action, feeling, mood.