AP Lang and Comp: Literary Terms Test

Active Voice

the subject of the sentence performs the action

Passive Voice

the subject of the sentence receives the action

Allusion

an indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar

Alter-ego

a character that is used by the author to speak the author's own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character

Anecdote

a brief recounting of a relevant episode, often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor

Antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Classicism

Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures

Comic Relief

when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat

Diction

word choice, particularly as an element of style

Colloquial

ordinary or familiar type of conversation

Connotation

the associations suggested by a word; implied meaning rather than literal meaning

Denotation

the literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations

Jargon

the diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity

Vernacular

language or dialect of a particular country, language or dialect of a regional clan or group, plain everyday speech

Didactic

a term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking

Adage

a folk saying with a lesson

Allegory

a story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts

Aphorism

a terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle, can also be a memorable summation of the author's point

Ellipsis

the deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author

Ellipse

three period (...) used to show omitted text in a quotation

Euphemism

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts

Figurative Language

writing that is not meant to be taken literally

Literal Language

writing that makes complete sense when you take it at face value

Analogy

a type of figurative language comparing one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables

Hyperbole

a type of figurative language that expresses exaggeration

Idiom

a type of figurative language that is a common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally

Metaphor

a type of figurative language that makes an implied comparison, not using words such as "like" or "as"

Extended Metaphor

when the metaphor is continued later in the written work

Conceit

A particularly elaborate extended metaphor

Metonymy

a type of figurative language replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept

Synecdoche

a kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa

Simile

a type of figurative language using words such as "like" or "as" to make a direct comparison between two very different things

Synthesia

a type of figurative language using a description involving a "crossing of the senses"

Personification

a type of figurative language giving human-like qualities to something that is not human

Foreshadowing

when an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story

Genre

the major category in which a literary work fits

Gothic

writing characterized by gloom, myster, fear and/or death

Imagery

word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind, often used in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech

Invective

a long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language

Irony

when the opposite of what you expect to happen ends up happening

Verbal Irony

a type of irony when you say something and mean the opposite/something different

Dramatic Irony

a type of irony when the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out

Situational Irony

irony found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie

Juxtaposition

placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison, which uses ideas or examples in order to make a point

Mood

the atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice

Motif

a recurring idea in a piece of literature

Oxymoron

when apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox

Pacing

the speed or tempo of an author's writing, which can be changed using a variety of devices

Paradox

a seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true

Parallelism

sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns

Anaphora

(parallelism) repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row

Chiasmus

(parallelism) when the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed, also called an antimetabole

Antithesis

(parallelism) two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure

Zuegma

(parallelism) when a single words 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

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

Parody

an exaggerated imitation of serious work for humorous purposes. it borrows words or phrases from an origina, and pokes fun at it. this is also a form of allusion, since it is referencing a previous text, event, etc.

Persona

the fictional mask or narrator that tells a story

Poetic Device

a device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences, or lines

Alliteration

a poetic device using the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words

Assonance

a poetic device using the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds

Consonance

a poetic device using the repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words

Onomatopoeia

a poetic device using a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes

Internal Rhyme

a poetic device in which a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line

Slant Rhyme

a poetic device in which a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly-they are merely similar

End Rhyme

a poetic device in which the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme

Rhyme Scheme

a poetic device in which the pattern of a poem's end rhymes

Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

a poetic device where in every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is said with more force than the other syllables

Meter

a poetic device that has a regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry

Free Verse

a poetic device where there is poetry that doesn't have much meter or rhyme

Iambic Pentameter

a poetic device where poetry is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables

Sonnet

a poetic device with a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter

Polysyndeton

when a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions

Pun

when a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way

Rhetoric

the art of effective communication

Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle

the relationships, in any piece of writing, between the writer, the audience, and the subject.

Rhetorical Question

question not asked for information but for the effect

Romanticism

art of literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature

Sarcasm

a generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded.

Satire

a word that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. it targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions

Sentence

a group of words (including subject and verb) that expresses a complete thought

Appositive

a word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning in a sentence

Clause

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

Independent Clause

a clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence

Dependent Clause

a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause

Balanced Sentence

a sentence structure that has a sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale

Compound Sentence

a sentence structure that contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses

Complex Sentence

a sentence structure that contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

Cumulative Sentence

when the writer begins with an independent clause then adds subordinate elements

Periodic Sentence

a type of sentence structure when the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence, and the writer begins with subordinate elements and postpones the main clause

Simple Sentence

a type of sentence structure that has a sentence that only contains only one independent clause

Declarative Sentence

a sentence that only states an idea

Imperative Sentence

a sentence type where a sentence only issues a command

Interrogative Sentence

a sentence type containing sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who whom, and whose)

Style

the choices in diction, tone, and syntax that the writer makes

Symbol

anything that represents or stands for something else

Syntax

grammatical arrangement of words that is often the creator of mood

Theme

the central idea or message of a work

Thesis

the sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition

Tone

a writer's attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization

Understatement

the ironic minimizing of fact, presenting something as less significant than it is