Ap language vocab

Allegory

Story, poem that has a hidden lesson or message

Allusion

A reference to something/someone famous.(Stop being a grinch = stop ruining the fun)

Ambiguity

When something is unclear because it can have more than one meaning.

Analogy

When you explain something by comparing it to something else that's easier to understand.

Anaphora

When a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of sentences to make it stronger.

Anecdote

A short, simple story that someone tells to share an experience.

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions like "and" or "but"

Antithesis

A sentence with two opposite ideas

Colloquialism

Casual, everyday words people use when talking, not formal writing

connotation

the implied meaning of a word, not definition

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Diction

word choice a writer or speaker uses

Epistrophe

When you repeat the same word at the end of sentences

Euphemism

using a more polite term for an unpleasant term

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Invective

abusive/insulting language

Irony

The opposite of what you expect happens

Juxtaposition

Putting two things side by side to show how they are different (or sometimes similar). Light vs dark

Metaphor

Comparison without using like or as

Metonymy

Using one word that's closely linked to mean something bigger("dish" = meal) (concept)

Synecdoche

part of something is used to represent the whole thing (Ive got your back) (part/whole - whole/part)

Oxymoron

Two opposite words put together ( deafening silence)

Paradox

weird sentence that looks wrong at first, but actually makes sense.

Parallesim

Using the same pattern of words in a sentence. They flow the same

Example: "I like to sing, to dance, and to write." (same structure: "to" + verb)

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions to make it sound more dramatic

Rhetorical question

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

Syntax

Sentence structure. Way words are put together to make a sentence

Tone

The feeling or attitude in a piece of writing or speech

Understatement

A statement that makes something seem less important