AP English Language and Literary Devices

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering literary terms, figures of speech, rhetorical devices, and grammatical elements from the lecture notes.

Ad homonym argument

An argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason.

Allegory

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

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

Ambiguity

Multiple meanings of a word, either intentional or unintentional.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them, explaining something unfamiliar by pointing out its similarity to something more familiar.

Antecedent

A word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Antithesis

A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, or clauses.

Aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work.

Caricature

A representation that is peculiar.

Chiasmus

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism.

Clause

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

Colloquialism

Slang or informality in speech or writing.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually an analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Connotation

The nonliteral meaning of a word.

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word.

Diction

An author's word choice.

Didactic

Having the primary aim of teaching or instructing.

Euphemism

A less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length.

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.

Generic conventions

A term used to describe traditions for each genre.

Genre

A major category into which a literary work fits.

Homily

A term that literally means sermon.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement, which can have a comic effect.

Imagery

Sensory details or figurative language used to describe or arouse emotion.

Inference

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.

Invective

An emotionally violent verbal denunciation or attack using strong abusive language.

Irony

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant.

Verbal irony

Irony where the words literally state the opposite of the writer's true meaning.

Situational irony

Irony where events turn out the opposite of what was expected; what characters and readers think ought to happen does not actually happen.

Dramatic irony

Irony where facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or fiction, but are known to the audience.

Juxtaposition

Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Loose sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by a dependent clause.

Metaphor

A figure of speech using an implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other.

Metonymy

A figure of speech meaning 'change label' or 'substitute name.'

Mood (grammatical)

A grammatical category that deals with verbal units and the speaker's attitude (indicative, subjunctive, or imperative).

Mood (literary)

The 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 words.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

Paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory.

Parallelism

Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, involving recurrent grammatical similarity.

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another.

Pedantic

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or a 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.

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, such as first person (using 'I') or third person (using 'he, she' with two divisions).

Predicate adjective

An adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb.

Predicate nominated

A noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that follows a linking verb and renames the subject.

Prose

A major division of genre that refers to fiction and nonfiction.

Repetition

The duplication of any element of language, either exact or approximate.

Rhetoric

The principles governing the art of writing effectively.

Rhetorical appeal

Persuasive strategies consisting of logos (reasoning), ethos (credibility), and pathos (reader's emotions).

Exposition

A rhetorical mode that explains and analyzes information by presenting an idea.

Argumentation

A rhetorical mode whose purpose is to prove the validity of an idea.

Description

A rhetorical mode used to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, or event.

Narration

A rhetorical mode used to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events.

Rhetorical question

A question that is asked merely for effect and does not expect a reply.

Sarcasm

Bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.

Satire

A work that targets human vices and follies, producing varied effects that are often humorous.

Simile

An explicit comparison using 'like', 'as', or 'if'.

Style

An evaluation of the sum of choices an author makes, or the classification of authors into a group.

Subject complement

The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements or completes the subject by either renaming it or describing it.

Subordinate clause

A word group containing both a subject and a verb that, unlike an independent clause, cannot stand alone.

Syllogism

A deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises: a major premise and a minor premise.

Symbolism

Anything that represents or stands for something else.

Natural symbols

Objects and occurrences from nature used to represent ideas commonly associated with them.

Conventional symbols

Symbols that have been invested with meaning by a group, such as a cross or the Star of David.

Literary symbols

Symbols found in a variety of works that are generally recognized, such as those in Heart of Darkness or Moby Dick.

Syntax

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

Theme

The central idea or message of a work.

Thesis

A sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition.

Tone

The author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both.

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas.

Understatement

Presenting something as less significant than it is; the opposite of hyperbole.

Lilot's understatement

A figure of speech by which an affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite.

Understatement miosis

A rhetorical figure by which something is referred to in terms less important than it really deserves.

Wit

Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights, usually humorous and suggesting the speaker's verbal power.