AP Lang vocab quiz

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

antithesis

Direct opposite

aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses someone absent, dead, imaginary, or something nonhuman.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

colloquialism

The use of slang or the informalities in speech or writing.

connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word

denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

inference

A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning

irony

A contrast between expectation and reality

loose sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

motif

A recurring theme, subject or idea

narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

periodic sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.

personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Prose

Any writing that is not poetry or drama

repetition

Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

rhetoric

the art of using language effectively and persuasively

rhetorical modes

This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing.

Satire

A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.

style

the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

subordinate clause

a group of words with a subject and verb that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

syllogism

A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

transition

a word or phrase that links different ideas

understatement

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.