glossary of terms - ap lang

allegory

the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning

alliteration

the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

allusion

a direct or indirect reference to something which is commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art

ambiguity

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

analogy

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them

anecdote

a short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event, mainly an incident in the life of a person

antecedent

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

aphorism

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

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction such as liberty or love, address to someone or something that cannot answer

atmosphere

the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described

clause

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

• independent clauses express complete thoughts and can stand alone as sentence

• dependent/subordinate clauses cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause

colloquial/colloquialism

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

coherence

a principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intellegible

conceit

a fanciful expression, usually in the form on an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seeming dissimilar objects

connotation

the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word, the implied/suggested meaning

denotation

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

diction

the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

didactic

from the greek didactic, means “teaching”. didactic works have the aim of teaching, especially moral or ethical principles

euphemism

more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept

exposition

one of the chief types of composition, work meant to explain something, most often the intro

extended metaphor

metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

figurative language

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

figure of speech

a device used to produce figurative language, many compare dissimilar things

generic conventions

describes traditions for each genre and help to define each genre

genre

the major category into which a literary work fits

hyperbole

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

imagery

the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions

inference/infer

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented

invective

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

irony/ironic

the contrast between what is explicitly stated and what is really meant. three types, verbal, dramatic and situational

loose sentence

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

metaphor

a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity

metonymy

a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it

mood

grammatical mood deals with verbal units and a speaker’s attitude

imperative mood is used for commands prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work

narrative

the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events

onomatopoeia

a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of simple words

oxymoron

figure of speech where the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox

paradox

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity

parallelism

the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. ex repetition

parody

a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule

pedantic

an adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

periodic sentence

a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end, the ind clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. intent is to add emphasis and structural variety

personification

a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told, includes first person ( i statements), second person (you statements), third person (watches from outside)

prose

one of the major division of genre, refers to fiction and nonfiction including all forms

repetition

the duplication of any element of language such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern

rhetoric

describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

rhetorical modes

the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing

sarcasm

involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something, can use irony

satire

a work that targets human vises and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule

semantics

the branch of linguistics that studies the meaning or words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another

style

an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending literary devices

classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors

subordinate clause

contains both a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone because it does not express a complete thought

syllogism

a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion

symbol/symbolism

anything that represents itself and stands for something else

syntax

the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences

theme

the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life

thesis

the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or position

tone

describes the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both

transition

a word or phrase that links different ideas

trope

an artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas, a figure of speech involving a turn or change of sense. ex metaphors

understatement

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

undertone

an attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece

unreliable narrator

an untrustworthy or naive commentator on events and characters in a story

wit

intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights, usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement