AP Lang Summer Work

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Ex. “Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.”

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference to something in the real world or fiction.

Ex. “She’s the Juliet to my Romeo” (References the play Romeo and Juliet)

Ambiguity

The quality of being open to more than one interpretation.

Ex. “I saw her duck” (Can be a bird or lowering ones head), “He ate the cookies on the couch”

Analogy

A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Ex. “He’s as slow as a snail”, “She’s as busy as a bee”, “Time is like a river”

Anaphora

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

Ex. “Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough…”

Anecdote

A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Ex. “Back in my day I had to walk three miles to get to school.”

Antecedent

A word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word refers.

Ex. “The dog wagged its tail.”

Antithesis

A literary device that contrasts opposing ideas through parallel structures.

Ex. “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”

Aphorism

A concise observation that contains a general truth.

Ex. “Actions speak louder than words.”

Apostrophe

A rhetorical device where a speaker directly addresses someone or something that is not present, cannot respond, or is inanimate.

Ex. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.”

Asyndeton

The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.

Ex. “Reduce, reuse, recycle.”

Chiasmus

A literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Ex. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Clause (Independent & Dependent)

A groups of words that contains a subject and a verb.

Independent: Can stand alone as a full sentence. Ex. “The dog sat on the mat.”

Dependent: Cannot stand alone as a sentence. Relies on independent clause for its meaning. Ex. “Because it was raining”

Colloquialism

A word or phrase that is informal, everyday language.

Ex. “What’s up?”, “Head over heels.”

Coherence

The quality of being logical and consistent.

Ex. “The restaurant was highly recommended, however, the service was slow.”

lack of coherence Ex. “The movie was visually charming. I need to buy groceries.”

Conceit

A fanciful metaphor, especially a highly elaborate or extended metaphor in which an unlikely, far-fetched, or strained comparison is made between two things.

Ex. “Life is a bowl of cherries.”

Connotation

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Ex. “Home”: feelings of warmth, security, and love. (Positive) “Cheap”: suggests poor quality or being stingy with money. (Negative)

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Ex. “Home”: place of residence

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech and writing.

Ex. “I regret to inform you that your request has been denied.” (Formal Diction) “The room was filled with piles of clothes and scattered papers.” (Concrete Diction)

Didactic

Designed or intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.

Ex. A parent teaching their child how to tie their shoes, a cooking demonstration, or a textbook.

Enumeratio

In rhetoric, is the act of listing details or items to emphasize a point or clarify a concept.

Ex. “She is intelligent, graceful, kind, and resourceful.”

Expletive

A syllable, word, or phrase inserted to fill a vacancy without adding to the meaning.

Ex. It is, there is/are, here is/are

Euphemism

A figure or speech that replaces a harsh, direct, or unpleasant term with a milder, more indirect expression when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Ex. “Passed away” instead of “died”, “Let go” instead of “fired.”

Exposition

A literary device used to introduce essential background information in literature.

Ex. “The air hung heavy with the smell of salt, the relentless crash of waves a constant reminder of the ocean's power.”

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that is developed at length and in detail, using multiple linked comparisons to develop a single idea.

Ex. “Life is a journey.” —> “Life is a highway that takes us through green pastures, vast deserts, and rocky mountains. Sometimes your car breaks down or you run out of gas, and sometimes you get lost,”

Genre

A category of artistic composition, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Ex. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Biography, Drama, Horror, Mythology, Folklore, Dystopian

Homily

A religious discourse that is primarily for spiritual edification rather than doctrinal instruction; a sermon.

Ex. "This is the way we Christians must travel. We have to cry out ceaselessly with a strong and humble faith, ‘Lord, put not your trust in me. But I, I put my trust in you.’ “ -An excerpt from the homily given by St. Josemaria Escriva, "Living by Faith” published By Scepter Publishers

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Ex. “I'm dying of boredom.”, “I'm so hungry I could eat a dog.”

Hypophora

A rhetorical device where a speaker or writer poses a question and then immediately answers it.

Ex. “How do we know this? Because the data is clear and conclusive.”

Imagery

Descriptive language that engages the human senses which can evoke a mental image.

Ex. “The golden light of the setting sun paints the sky in hues of pink and orange.”