AP Lang Vocab

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74 Terms

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Allegory

A narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrates multiple levels of meaning and significance. Often a universal symbol or personified abstraction.

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Alliteration

The sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables.

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Allusion

A literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference in a literary work.

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Anaphora

The regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.

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Antithesis

The juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas.

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Aphorism

A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief.

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Appeals to…authority, emotion, logic

Rhetorical arguments in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field, or attempts to play upon the emotions, or appeals to the use of reason.

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Apostrophe

An address or invocation to something inanimate.

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Assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words.

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Asyndeton

Syntactical structure in which the conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose.

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Attitude

The sense expressed by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece of writing; the author’s feelings toward his or her subject, characters, events, or theme. It might even be his or her feelings for the reader.

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Begging the question

An argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict, evades or ignores the real question.

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Canon

That which has been accepted as authentic.

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Chiasmus

A figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second.

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Colloquial

A term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area.

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Conceit

A comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem.

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Connotation

The implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase.

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Consonance

The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in intervening vowels.

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Critique

An assessment or analysis of something, such as a passage of writing, for determining what it is, what its limitations are, and how it conforms to the standard of the genre.

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Deductive reasoning

The method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles: movement from the general to the specific.

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Dialect

The language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group.

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Diction

The specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect.

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Didactic

Writing or speech that has an instructive purpose or lesson; often associated with a dry, pompous presentation.

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Elegy

A poem or prose that laments, or meditates upon the death of a person.

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Epistrophe

In rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences.

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Epitaph

Writing in praise of a dead person, most often inscribed upon a headstone.

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Ethos

In rhetoric, the appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator.

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Eulogy

A speech or written passage in praise of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person.

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Euphemism

An indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information.

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Exposition

The interpretation or analysis of a text. Also, the opening section of a narrative or dramatic structure in which characters, setting, theme, and conflict can be revealed.

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Extended metaphor

A series of comparisons within a piece of writing. If they are consistently one concept, this is also known as a conceit.

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Figurative language

Language with levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, litote, etc.

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Flashback

An earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration.

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Genre

A type or class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history.

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Homily

A sermon, but more contemporary uses include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual life.

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Hyperbole

Overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention.

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Imagery

Any sensory detail or evocation in a work to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object. Involves any or all of the five senses.

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Inductive reasoning

The method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principles: movement from the specific to the general.

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Inference

A conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data. Looking at the clues, learning the facts.

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Irony

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated, often suggesting light sarcasm.

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Isocolon

Parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only and grammatical structure, but also in length.

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Jargon

Specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group.

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Juxtaposition

The location of one thing adjacent to another to create an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose.

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Litote

A figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement.

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Loose sentence

A long sentence that starts with its main clause, which is followed by several dependent clauses and modifying phrases.

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Metaphor

One thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or an analogy. An implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another, without the use of like or as.

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Metonymy

A figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something.

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Mode of Discourse

The way in which information is presented in written or spoken form. Narration, description, process analysis, and cause and effect are all types of this.

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Mood

A feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator’s attitude and point of view. It is a “feeling” that establishes the atmosphere in a work of literature or other discourse.

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Narrative

A mode of discourse that tells a story of some sort and it is based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework.

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Onomatopoeia

A word capturing or approximating the sound of what is described. The purpose of these words is to make a passage more effective for the reader or listener.

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Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements.

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Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but may probably be true.

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Parallel Structure

The use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts. In prose, recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that their ideas are equal in importance.

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Pathos

That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow. In argument or persuasion it tends to be the evocation of pity.

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Periodic Sentence

A long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end.

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Personification

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities.

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Point of View

The relation in which narrator/author stands to a subject of discourse. Requires the reader to establish the historical perspective of what is being said.

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Prose

The ordinary form of written language without metrical structure in contrast to verse and poetry.

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Realism

Attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail.

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Rebuttal

An argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered.

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Rhetoric

The art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking.

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Rhetorical Question

A question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered.

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Sarcasm

A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical. Can be light, and gently poke fun at something, or it can be harsh and mean.

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Satire

A literary work that holds up human feelings to ridicule and censure.

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Simile

A direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, using the words like or as.

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Style

The manner in which a writer combines and arranges words, shapes ideas, and utilizes syntax and structure.

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Symbolism

Use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or “stands for” something else.

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Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part signifies a whole.

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Syntax

The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. Basically, sentence structure.

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Theme

The central or dominant idea or focus of a work. The statement a passage makes about its subject.

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Tone

The attitude the narrator/author has toward the subject and theme. Based on particular stylistic devices employed by the author.

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Voice

The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker’s or narrator’s particular “take” on an idea based on a particular passage and how all the elements of the style of the piece come together to express his/her feelings.

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Zeugma

A grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated.