AP Terms Flashcards

6483766255	allegory	A story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea or generalization about life, often have a strong moral or lesson. (Ex: Animal Farm; Lord of the Flies)	0
6483771080	alliteration	Repetition of consonant sounds	1
6483772116	allusion	A brief reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.	2
6483773980	ambiguity	An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.	3
6483775571	analogy	A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. Ex: I feel like a fish out of water.	4
6483786738	anecdote	A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event.	5
6483786739	antagonist	A character or force in conflict with the main character	6
6483788451	aphorism	A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. Also called a maxim.	7
6483790235	apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.	8
6483792886	assonance	Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity	9
6483794225	characterization	A method an author uses to let readers know more about the characters and their personal traits.	10
6483795072	cliche	A worn-out idea or overused expression	11
6483795073	colloquialism	informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing	12
6483795711	conceit	A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor	13
6483798837	conflict	A struggle between opposing forces or characters	14
6483801559	connotation	All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word or phrase suggests	15
6483802812	couplet	Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme	16
6483803888	dialect	A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.	17
6483804828	diction	A writer's or speaker's choice of words	18
6483804829	elegy	a sorrowful poem or speech	19
6483806948	epic	A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society	20
6483809093	figurative language	Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.	21
6483809095	foil	A character who is in most ways opposite to the main character (protagonist). The purpose of the foil character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast only	22
6483811651	foreshadowing	A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.	23
6483812401	free verse	Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme	24
6483812402	hyperbole	A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor	25
6483813166	imagery	Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)	26
6483815153	irony	A contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen.	27
6483816324	juxtaposition	Poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit.	28
6483820257	local color	a term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape.	29
6483822237	metaphor	A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared.	30
6483823153	mood	Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader	31
6483823923	motif	A recurring theme, subject or idea	32
6483825217	paradox	A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.	33
6483826653	parallel structure	the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures	34
6483832188	parody	A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.	35
6483832189	personification	A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes	36
6483833232	plot	Sequence of events in a story	37
6483833986	point of view	The perspective from which a story is told	38
6483833987	protagonist	Main character	39
6483835162	quatrain	A four line stanza	40
6483837286	rhythm	a rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language.	41
6483838529	rhetoric	The art of using language effectively and persuasively	42
6483839839	rhetorical question	A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.	43
6483840793	satire	A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.	44
6483841686	simile	A comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as"	45
6483842462	soliloquy	A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage	46
6483843666	stereotype	A generalized belief about a group of people	47
6483844948	stream of consciousness	a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind.	48
6483844949	style	the distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer's distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax.	49
6483846761	suspense	A feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story; key element in fiction and drama; "hook" writer uses to keep audience interested	50
6483847531	symbol	An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself.	51
6483848401	theme	the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.	52
6483849248	tone	A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.	53
6483850964	tragedy	A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character	54
6557281318	foot	A metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables	55
6557282612	iambic	a foot of poetry that follows an "unstressed-stressed" pattern (da DUM) ( u/ )	56
6557292661	trochaic	a foot of poetry that follows a "stressed-unstressed" pattern (DUM da) ( /u )	57
6557297549	anapestic	a foot of poetry that follows an "unstressed-unstressed-stressed" pattern (da da DUM) ( uu/ )	58
6557306481	dactylic	a foot of poetry that follows a "stressed-ustressed-unstressed" pattern (DUM da da) ( /uu )	59
9764674021	anaphora	the repetition of words or phrases at the BEGINNING of consecutive lines or sentences	60
9764676681	epistrophe	the repetition of a word at the END of successive clauses or sentences	61