AP Literature Vocabulary Terms Flashcards

7240661956	alliteration	the repetition of the initial consonant sound in two or more neighboring words (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)	0
7240661957	allusion	a brief reference to a person, place, event, or passage in a work of literature assumed to be sufficiently well known to be recognized by the reader (My dog is so old; she's been around since the flood.)	1
7240661958	ambiguity	the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage; a double entendre is a type of ambiguity (the short story "The Most Dangerous Game")	2
7240661959	anadiplosis	the repetition of the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence, at the beginning of the next phrase, clause, or sentence (Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.)	3
7240661960	analogy	a comparison between two things in which the more complex is explained in terms of the more simple (comparing a year-long profile of the stock index to a roller-coaster ride)	4
7240661961	anaphora	the repetition of a word or a phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs (I have a dream . . . I have a dream . . . I have a dream . . .)	5
7240661962	anecdote	a short, entertaining account of some happening, frequently personal or biographical	6
7240661963	antecedent	the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun (John stopped at the store before he went home.)	7
7240661964	anticlimax	a sudden drop from the dignified or important in thought or expression to the commonplace or trivial, often for humorous effect	8
7240661965	antithesis	a sentence in which opposing ideas are presented in parallel grammatical structure (It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.)	9
7240661966	aphorism	a short statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle (A penny saved is a penny earned; an apple a day keeps the doctor away)	10
7240661967	apostrophe	a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction (Emily Dickinson's poem "Heart! We will forget him.")	11
7240661968	asyndeton	the omission of a conjunction from a sentence in which it would normally be used (The fruit bowl overflowed with grapes, apples, peaches, bananas, oranges, pears, tangerines.)	12
7240661969	chiasmus	verbal crisscrossing in a sentence; the order of the words in the first clause is inverted in the second clause (Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.)	13
7240661970	clause	a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.	14
7240661971	cliché	an overused expression that should be avoided (A picture is worth a thousand words.)	15
7240661972	colloquialism	word or phrase used in everyday speech but avoided in formal writing (Jack was bummed out about his chemistry grade.)	16
7240661973	connotation	the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or	17
7240661974	attitudes (slender, skinny, gaunt, emaciated	these words may have similar denotations, but their connotations are different)	18
7240661975	damning with faint praise	intentional use of a positive statement that has a negative implication (Your new hairdo is so . . . interesting.)	19
7240661976	deductive reasoning	a form of reasoning that begins with a generalization, then applies the generalization to a specific case; a syllogism is a form of deductive reasoning where a conclusion is drawn based on a major premise and a minor premise (Major Premise: All men are mortal; Minor Premise: Socrates is a man; Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.)	20
7240661977	denotation	the literal or dictionary definition of a word, without associated feelings	21
7240661978	diction	the writer's word choice; for example formal, informal, ornate, plain, etc.	22
7240661979	didactic	intended to instruct; inclined to teach or moralize excessively.	23
7240661980	digression	a temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing	24
7240661981	ellipsis	the punctuation (...) that indicates something has been left out of a quotation	25
7240661982	euphemism	the use of a word or phrase that is less direct, and less distasteful or offensive, than another ("he is at rest" is a euphemism for "he is dead")	26
7240661983	extended metaphor	a metaphor that is developed a great length	27
7240661984	figurative language	writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning	28
7240661985	genre	a major category or type of literature (novel, play, short story, speech, etc.)	29
7240661986	hyperbole	an extravagant exaggeration of fact, used for effect (there were a million people at my party last night)	30
7240661987	imagery	the sensory details used to describe or arouse emotions (visual imagery - sight; auditory imagery - sound; tactile imagery - touch; olfactory imagery - smell; gustatory imagery - taste)	31
7240661988	inductive reasoning	a form of reasoning which begins with a body of fact and then formulates a generalization (Socrates was mortal; Abraham Lincoln was mortal; my grandfather was mortal; therefore, all men must be mortal)	32
7240661989	inference	a reasonable conclusion drawn from the information presented	33
7240661990	invective	an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language	34
7240661991	inverted syntax	reversing the normal word order of a sentence ("Whose woods these are I think I know." Robert Frost)	35