AP English 12 Vocabulary - Literary Terms

These flashcards cover essential literary terms and concepts that will be useful for your AP English 12 exam preparation.

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle).

Oxymoron

A figure of speech combining contradictory ideas or terms.

Parable

An allegorical, usually short text that teaches a moral or religious lesson.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Apostrophe

A writer or speaker speaks directly to someone who is not present or is dead, or speaks to an inanimate object.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Epilogue

A section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or conclusion to what has happened.

Lament

A poem or song expressing grief.

Litote

Ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (e.g., 'You won't be sorry' meaning 'You'll be glad').

Parody

Imitation of music, literature, etc. for amusement or to make a point.

Allegory

A story in which events, settings, characters, etc. stand for abstract or moral concepts.

Analogy

A comparison to show similarities between disparate ideas, issues, etc.

Antithesis

Contrasting ideas.

Aphorism

A witty or concise saying that expresses a truth or principle.

Canto

A subdivision of a long poem.

Conceit

An elaborate figure of speech that makes a surprising connection between dissimilar items.

Deus Ex Machina

A contrived device used to inexplicably resolve a plot point, often leading to unexpected resolution.

Elegy

A text, poem, or narrative that laments or mourns a loss.

Epigram

A clever, usually memorable statement that is meaningful to the following text.

Epiphany

Sudden insight or awareness, often experienced by a character after a dramatic situation.

Epitaph

A commemorative poem or inscription for a deceased individual.

Epithet

A descriptive phrase or adjective used to characterize a person.

Farce

A narrative that stereotypes characters as ridiculous, includes far-fetched events.

In Media Res

Beginning a narrative in the middle.

Kenning

A type of Anglo-Saxon metaphor used to name a person, place, or thing directly.

Lyric

Emotional, music-like poetry or narrative.

Motif

A word, object, image, character, etc. that repeatedly occurs within a text.

Neoclassicism

A revival of classical standards and forms during the late 17th and 18th centuries.

Ode

A lyrical stanza, poem, or text in praise of or dedicated to someone or something.

Pun

A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of words that sound alike but are different.

Realism

The attempt to depict people and things as they really are, without idealizations.

Romance

Historically, a medieval verse narrative chronicling the adventures of brave knights or heroes.

Satire

Texts that criticize or ridicule human actions and weaknesses.

Stream of Consciousness

A narrative device that reflects the inner thoughts of the narrator.

Paradox

Terms or ideas that appear contradictory but are actually both true.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words, used to reinforce meanings or set a mood.

Couplet

Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit.

Symbol

A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning beyond its literal meaning.

Theme

The central topic a text treats; it encompasses both the subject and what is said about it.

Alliteration

A repetition of beginning consonant sounds.

Allusion

A reference to a Biblical, historical, literary, or mythological figure or event.

Antagonist

The character or issue that creates conflict for the protagonist.

Aside

Words spoken by a character to the audience, not meant to be overheard by other characters.

Atmosphere

The mood or feeling in a literary work.

Autobiography

An individual’s account of his or her life.

Biography

An account of a person’s life as told by another writer.

Climax

The highest point of the plot arc, where the emotion or drama is at its peak.

Conflict

Internal or external struggles faced by characters in a narrative.

Connotations

Emotions, meanings, and associations connected to a specific word.

Denotation

The definition of a term as determined by a dictionary.

Denouement

The resolution or conclusion of a narrative, where issues and problems are resolved.

Dialect

A type of speaking characteristic to a specific region or a group of people.

Diction

Word choices made by an author to establish purpose.

Epic

A lengthy poem reflecting the values of a society through the actions of its hero.

Essay

A text reflecting the ideas, values, and research of a writer.

Fable

A narrative featuring animals that reflects a moral message.

Flashback

A portion of a text that returns to a previous event.

Foil

A character developed as a contrast to another to highlight specific characteristics.

Foreshadowing

Clues in a text that hint at future events.

Irony

A discrepancy between what is expected and the reality.

Novel

A long narrative, fictional text generally more than 50,000 words.

Parallelism

The repetition of structure, phrases, or words in a text.

Personification

A figure of speech that gives human qualities to inanimate objects.

Plot

The development of a narrative, consisting of events over time.

Point of view

The narrator’s perspective (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, omniscient, subjective).

Protagonist

The main character in a narrative, usually involved in conflict.

Soliloquy

A long speech spoken by a character alone on stage, common in plays.

Suspense

The uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story.