AP Language and Composition Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

13313334618	Ellipsis	The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author. EX: "The whole day, rain, torrents of rain."	0
13313334619	Euphemism	A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts. EX: "Physically challenged," in place of "crippled." Sometimes used to exaggerate correctness to add humor. EX:"Vertically challenged" in place of "short."	1
13313334620	Figurative Language	writing that is not meant to be taken literally. the opposite of "Literal Language" which is writing that makes complete sense when you take it at face value.	2
13313334621	Analogy	comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. When a writer argues argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables. EX: "America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle."	3
13313334622	Hyperbole	Exaggeration. EX:"My mother will kill me if I am late."	4
13313334623	Idiom	A common and often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally. EX: "I got chewed out by my coach."	5
13313334624	Metaphor	Making an implied comparison, not using "like," as," or other such words. EX: "My feet are popsicles."	6
13313334625	Metonymy	Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. EX: "Relations between London and Washington have been strained," does not literally mean relations between the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England.	7
13313334626	Synecdoche	A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa. EX: "The cattle rancher owned 500 head." EX: "Check out my new wheels."	8
13313334627	Simile	Using words such as "like" or "as" to make a direct comparison between two very different things. EX: "My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles."	9
13313334628	Synesthesia	a description involving a "crossing of the senses." EX: "A purplish scent filled the room." EX: "I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing."	10
13313334629	Personification	Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human. EX: "The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill."	11
13313334630	Foreshadowing	When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.	12
13313334631	Genre	The major category into which a literary work fits.	13
13313334632	Gothic	Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death.	14
13313334633	Imagery	Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the five senses.	15
13313334634	Invective	A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.	16
13313334635	Irony	When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.	17
13313334636	Verbal irony	When you say something and mean the opposite/something different. EX: if your gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes or faster, but calls it a "walk in the park" it would be verbal irony. If your voice tone is bitter, it's called sarcasm.	18
13313334637	Dramatic irony	When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out. EX: in many horror movies, we (the audience) know who the killer is, which the victim-to-be has no idea who is doing the slaying. Sometimes the character trusts the killer completely when (ironically) he/she shouldn't	19
13313334638	Situational irony	Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it makes you laugh because it's funny how things turn out. EX:( Johnny spent two hours planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. When he finally did manage to sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day).	20
13313334639	Juxtaposition	Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. Authors often use juxtaposition of ideas or examples in order to make a point. EX: For example, an author my juxtapose the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary).	21
13313334640	Mood	The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).	22
13313334641	Motif	a recurring idea in a piece of literature. EX: In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that "you never really understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view" is a _________, because the idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.	23
13313334642	Oxymoron	When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox - EX: "wisefool," "eloquent silence," "jumbo shrimp."	24
13313334643	Pacing	The speed or tempo of an author's writing.	25
13313334644	Paradox	A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true. EX: "You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job."	26
13313334645	Parallelism	Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns. EX: "Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs."	27
13313334646	Anaphora	Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row. EX: "I came, I saw, I conquered."	28
13313334647	Chiasmus ( antimetabole )	When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed. EX: "Fair is foul and foul is fair." EX: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."	29
13313334648	Antithesis	Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure. EX: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"	30
13313334649	Zeugma (Syllepsis)	When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies. EX: "The butler killed the lights, and then the mistress." EX: "I quickly dressed myself and the salad."	31
13313334650	Parenthetical Idea	Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence. It is almost considered an aside...a whisper, and should be used sparingly for effect, rather than repeatedly. Parentheses can also be used to set off dates and numbers. EX: "In a short time (and the time is getting shorter by the gallon) America will be out of oil."	32
13313334651	Parody	An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. The Simpsons often _______ Shakespeare plays. Do not confuse with satire.	33
13313334652	Persona	The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story.	34