AP Lang Jolliffe Terms

Active Voice

Doer-Action-Receiver

Active voice (Ex)

The dog chased the cat

Passive voice

starts with the receiver then the action then doer

Passive voice (ex)

The cat was chased by the dog

Simple sentence

a sentence that is just one clause

Compound sentence

a sentence that contains two independent clauses joined by a conjunction

Complex sentence

One dependent clause, one independent clause

Compound complex sentence

two independent clauses and one dependent

Loose sentence

The main details are found after the main idea

Periodic sentence

The details are found before the main idea

Euphony/Euphonious

The quality of being pleasing to the ear especially through a harmonious combination of words

Cacophony/cacophonious

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Scheme

any artful variation from the typical arrangement of words in a sentence (figures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters, and sounds)

Trope

Any artful variation on the way a word or idea is expressed (Figurative language, manipulating the meaning of words)

Schemes involving balance

Parallelism, zeugma, antithesis, antimetabole

Parallelism

Ideas expressed in the same grammatical form to balance ideas to fulfill a similar function (scheme)

Parallelism (Ex)

“She likes cooking, jogging, and reading”

Zeugma

a figure when more than one item in a sentence is governed by a single word (scheme)

Zeugma (ex)

She broke his car and his heart

Antithesis

Parallelism of words, phrases, or clauses that contrast (scheme)

Antithesis (Ex)

She’s as happy as she is sad

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse (scheme)

Antimetabole (Ex)

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Ellipsis

Omission of words, the context of which is provided by the context of the phrase (scheme)

Ellipsis (Ex)

She ordered two pizzas and I, one

Asyndeton

Omission of a conjunction between related clauses, makes the text more dramatic and gives it rhythm (scheme)

Asyndeton (Ex)

We need flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk

Alliteration

Repetition of sounds at the beginning of middle of two or more adjacent words (scheme)

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Consonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Anaphora

Repetition of the same group of words at the beginning of a sentence (scheme)

Anaphora (Ex)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause (scheme)

Anadiplosis (Ex)

Getting up early gives you time for exercising; exercising causes weight loss; weight loss leads to being healthier

Epistrophe

Repetition of same groups at the end of successive clauses (scheme)

Epistrophe (Ex)

Their reason is subdued, honesty is subdued, good will is subdued

Climax

Repetition of words and phrases in order of importance (scheme)

Climax (Ex)

He fought for his family, his troops, and his country

Polysyndeton

Repetition of conjunctions in close succession (scheme)

Polysyndeton

We have ships and men and money

Antanaclasis

To repeat a word or phrase but with a different meaning than the first time (trope)

Antanaclasis (Ex)

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana

Euphemism

A polite or mild expression used to refer to something taboo, embarrassing or unpleasant (Trope)

Synecdoche

A part of something is used to refer to the whole (trope)

Synecdoche (Ex)

Lend me your ears

Metonymy

An entity is referred to by one of its attributes (trope)

Metonymy (Ex)

The Crown (referring to a monarchy)

Hyperbole

Exaggeration; not meant to be taken literally (trope)

Litotes

Understating something to draw attention to it (trope)

Litotes (Ex)

Tis but a flesh wound

Periphrasis

A descriptive word or phrase used to refer to a proper name (Trope)

Periphrasis (Ex)

The Windy City or The Big Apple

Anthimeria

A part of speech, usually a verb substitutes for another part of speech, usually a noun (Trope)

Anthimeria (Ex)

I need to Google something

Appositive

A construction in which two opposing elements are set aside by side and the second explains or modifies the first (Scheme)

Appositive (Ex)

My teacher, Ms. Dabezic, is grading these quizzes harshly

Jargon

Confused, unintelligible language or a strange, outlandish, or barbarous language or dialect

Slang

Informal, non-standard vocabulary that is language particular to a peculiar group