AP Language and Composition Terms

Allegory

A story where characters/events stand for bigger ideas

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds → “Sally sells seashells”

Allusion

A reference to another text, event, or figure

Ambiguity

When something has more than one meaning or is unclear.

Anadiplosis

Repeating the last word of one clause at the start of the next → “teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.”

Analogy

A comparison showing similarity between two things to explain an idea.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive clauses → “I have a dream”

Anecdote

A short, personal story used to illustrate a point.

Antecedent

The noun a pronoun refers to → “She loves apples” → “She” = antecedent

Antithesis

Opposite ideas balanced in a sentence → “Speech is silver, silence is golden”

Aphorism

A short, wise saying → “Actions speak louder than words”

Apostrophe

Speaking to someone absent or something nonhuman → “O death, where is thy sting?”

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions (no and/or) → “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Atmosphere

The mood/feeling of a scene.

Chiasmus

Reversing structure → “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

Clause

A group of words with subject + verb → can be independent or dependent

Conduplicatio

Repetition of a key word anywhere in the following sentence/phrase.

Colloquialism

Informal/slang expression → “gonna,” “y’all”

Coherence

Logical connection and flow of writing

Conceit

An extended, clever metaphor that compares very unlike things.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural meaning of a word → “home” = warmth

Denotation

The literal dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

Word choice

Didactic

Writing meant to teach or instruct

Enumeratio

Listing details or parts for emphasis.

Expletive

A word/phrase that interrupts for emphasis → “in fact,” or “of course”

Euphemism

A polite way of saying something harsh → “passed away” for “died”

Exposition

Writing that explains or gives background

Extended metaphor

A metaphor that continues through multiple lines/paragraphs.

Figurative language

Language not literal → similes, metaphors, etc.

Figure of speech

A word/phrase used in a nonliteral way → metaphor, irony, etc.

Generic conventions

Features that define a genre → rhyme in poetry

Genre

Category of writing → poetry, fiction, essay, etc.

Homily

A sermon or serious talk giving moral/spiritual advice

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration → “I’m starving”

Hypophora

Asking a question then immediately answering it

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to senses

Inference

Drawing a conclusion from evidence

Invective

Harsh or insulting language

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality → verbal, situational, dramatic

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side for contrast

Litotes

Understatement by using the negative → “Not bad” = good

Loose sentence

Main idea at the beginning, followed by extra info

Metaphor

Saying one thing is another → “Time is money”

Metonymy

Using something related to stand in → “The crown” = king/queen

Mood

The emotional feeling of a piece → reader’s perspective

Narrative

A story told in order

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds → “buzz,” “bang”

Oxymoron

Two contradictory words together → “jumbo shrimp”

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth → “Less is more”

Parallelism

Repetition of grammatical structure → “Easy come, easy go”

Parody

Imitation of a style for comic effect

Pedantic

Overly concerned with rules/details → “showing off” learning

Periodic sentence

Main idea comes at the end

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things

Polysyndeton

Using many conjunctions (and, or, but) → “He ran and jumped and laughed and played.”

Point of view

Perspective of narration → 1st, 2nd, 3rd person

Predicate adjective

An adjective after a linking verb describing the subject → “The cake is delicious”

Predicate nominative

A noun after a linking verb renaming the subject → “She is a teacher”

Prose

Ordinary writing without rhyme or meter → essays, novels

Repetition

Reusing words/phrases for emphasis.

Rhetoric

The art of persuasion in writing/speaking.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect, not answer

Sarcasm

Harsh, mocking irony

Satire

Using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize

Semantics

The study of meaning of words

Style

The way a writer uses diction, syntax, and tone

Subject complement

Word/phrase after linking verb that describes/renames subject

Subordinate clause

A dependent clause that can’t stand alone

Syllogism

A logical argument: major premise + minor premise → conclusion.

Symbolism

When something stands for a bigger idea → “dove = peace”

Synecdoche

A part representing the whole → “All hands on deck” = sailors

Syntax

Sentence structure/word order

Theme

The central message or idea of a text

Thesis

The main argument or claim of an essay

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject

Transition

A word/phrase connecting ideas → “however,” “therefore”

Understatement

Making something seem smaller than it is

Undertone

An underlying attitude beneath the main tone

Wit

Clever and quick use of language to amuse