AP Lit Terms & Definitions

Excluding poetry

Apostrophe

Addressing a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea. Example: In “Story of an Hour,” Louise whispers to “freedom” as though it is present.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Example: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds…”

Figurative Language

Words or phrases that are not intended to be interpreted literally. Example: “Free, free, free” symbolizes liberation in “Story of an Hour.”

Hyperbole

A deliberate and purposeful exaggeration. Example: “Stark raving mad” in “Miracles.”

Metaphor

A comparison of two seemingly unlike things that does not use comparative words. Example: The decorated pole in “Sticks” is a metaphor for the father’s regret.

Metonymy

One word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Example: “The pen is mightier than the sword” (pen = writing, sword = military power).

Mixed Metaphor

When two or more incongruous comparisons are used together. Example: “That’s a real home run down the rabbit hole.”

Oxymoron

A paradox that links seemingly contradictory elements that make sense together. Example: “Deafening silence.”

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but reveals truth. Example: “The joy that kills” in “Story of an Hour.”

Parallelism

Repetition of a syntactical structure in a line or phrase. Example: “Eyes too big, hearts too young, lives too fragile” (parallel phrasing).

Pathetic Fallacy

A type of personification in which aspects of nature reflect events or emotions. Example: The “blue sky” and “sparrows” in “Story of an Hour” mirror Louise’s joy.

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things or abstract ideas. Example: “The trees whispered.”

Rhetorical Question

A question asked not to get an answer but to emphasize a point. Example: “Why did we have hairspray? Was it hers?” in “Miracles.”

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as.” Example: “Lonely as a cloud” (Wordsworth).

Synecdoche

When a part stands for the whole or vice versa. Example: “All hands on deck” means all sailors.

Tenor

The literal subject of a metaphor or simile. Example: In “lonely as a cloud,” the tenor is the speaker’s loneliness.

Vehicle

The figurative comparison in a metaphor or simile. Example: In “lonely as a cloud,” the vehicle is the cloud.

Understatement

A form of irony where something is expressed as less important than it is. Example: Saying “That’s not ideal” after a disaster.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a literary, historical, or cultural event or figure. Example: “She met her Waterloo” (defeat).

Analogy

A comparison to clarify or explain. Example: The spider babies in “Miracles” act as an analogy for the children’s fragile lives.

Atmosphere

The mood/vibe created through setting, diction, imagery. Example: The unsettling atmosphere in “Miracles.”

Diction

Word choice. Example: Chopin’s diction of “afflicted” emphasizes fragility in “Story of an Hour.”

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows more than the characters. Example: Doctors believe Louise dies of joy; we know it’s despair.

Situational Irony

When events turn out opposite of what’s expected. Example: Louise dies just as she embraces freedom.

Verbal Irony

When words imply the opposite of their literal meaning. Example: “His only concession to glee” in “Sticks.”

Formal Diction

Use of sophisticated, elevated vocabulary. Example: A narrator describing grief with elegance rather than slang.

Informal Diction

Conversational, casual word choice. Example: Saunders’ plain diction in “Sticks.”

Imagery

Language appealing to the senses. Example: “Smaller than anything” describes spider hatchlings in “Miracles.”

Inversion

Reversing standard word order. Example: “Happy I am” instead of “I am happy.”

Rhetorical Strategies

Techniques used to persuade or enhance writing. Example: Repetition, appeals to emotion, irony.

Sarcasm

Crude or mocking use of irony. Example: Saying “Great job!” after someone fails.

Symbol

An object representing a larger idea. Example: The pole in “Sticks” symbolizes regret and isolation.

Syntax

The arrangement of words in a sentence. Example: Chopin’s long, flowing sentences mirror Louise’s stream of thought.

Verisimilitude

The appearance of being true or real. Example: The realistic child POV in “Miracles.”

Theme

The central message or insight of a work. Example: “Story of an Hour” critiques marriage as restrictive.

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age story about growth. Example: “Miracles” has elements of children maturing through reflection.

Intrusive Narration

When the narrator breaks in to address the audience. Example: Dickens often uses intrusive narration.

Mood

The reader’s emotional response to a work. Example: A mix of awe and unease in “Miracles.”

Motif

A recurring image, symbol, or idea. Example: The recurring decorations on the pole in “Sticks.”

First-Person POV

Narrator is a character using “I.” Example: The child narrator in “Miracles.”

Second-Person POV

Narrator addresses the reader as “you.” Example: Choose-your-own-adventure books.

Third-Person Limited POV

Narrator is outside the story but knows the thoughts of one/few characters. Example: Focusing only on Louise in “Story of an Hour.”

Third-Person Objective POV

Narrator reports only observable events. Example: Like a camera, no inner thoughts.

Third-Person Omniscient POV

Narrator knows all thoughts and events. Example: A godlike overview of multiple characters.

Unreliable Narration

A narrator whose account is distorted or misleading. Example: The children in “Miracles” reflect innocence and later insight, showing unreliability in memory.

Tone

The narrator’s or author’s attitude toward the subject. Example: Saunders’ tone in “Sticks” is both humorous and tragic.