AP English Language and Literary Terms

A set of 108 vocabulary flashcards covering literary terms, rhetorical devices, syntax structures, and poetic devices from the lecture notes.

Allegory (Dadactic)

A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.

Colloquial (Diction)

Ordinary or familiar type of conversation. A common or familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism.

Jargon (Diction)

The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity.

Vernacular (Diction)

Language or dialect of a particular country, language or dialect of a regional clan or group, or plain everyday speech.

Dadactic

A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Adage (Dadactic)

A folk saying with a lesson, such as 'A rolling stone gathers no moss.' Similar to aphorism and colloquialism.

Aphorism (Dadactic)

A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle, functioning as a memorable summation of the author's point.

Ellipsis

The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

Alter-Ego

A character that is used by the author to speak the author's own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode, often inserted into fictional or nonfictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

Classicism

Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures.

Comic Relief

When a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat.

Diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning.

Cacophony

Involving or producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Connotation (Diction)

Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a word; implied meaning rather than literal meaning.

Denotation (Diction)

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

Euphony

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

Figurative Language

Writing that is not meant to be taken literally; the opposite of literal language.

Analogy (Figurative Language)

A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables, arguing that the relationship between the first pair is the same as the second.

Hyperbole (Figurative Language)

Exaggeration.

Idiom (Figurative Language)

A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally.

Metaphor (Figurative Language)

Making an implied comparison, not using 'like,' 'as,' or other such words.

Metonymy (Figurative Language)

Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept.

Synecdoche (Figurative Language)

A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa.

Simile (Figurative Language)

Using words such as 'like' or 'as' to make a direct comparison between two very different things.

Synesthesia (Figurative Language)

A description involving a 'crossing of the senses.'

Personification (Figurative Language)

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human.

Foreshadowing

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits.

Gothic

Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death; also refers to a middle ages architectural style.

Imagery

Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind, usually involving the five senses.

Invective

A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.

Irony

When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.

Verbal Irony

When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out.

Situational Irony

Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie where turnouts are surprisingly opposite of expectation.

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.

Mood

The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).

Syntax

Sentence Structure. Word order, sentence length, strength, and complexity affect pacing and mood.

Appositive (Syntax)

A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning.

Balanced Sentence (Syntax)

A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale.

Clause (Syntax)

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

Compound Sentence (Syntax)

Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

Complex Sentence (Syntax)

Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Cumulative Sentence (Syntax)

Also called a loose sentence; when the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements.

Periodic Sentence (Syntax)

When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence; the writer postpones the main clause.

Simple Sentence (Syntax)

Contains only one independent clause.

Declarative Sentence (Sentence Type)

States an idea. It does not give a command or request, nor does it ask a question.

Imperative Sentence (Sentence Type)

Issues a command.

Interrogative Sentence (Sentence Type)

Sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who, whom, and whose).

Motif

A recurring idea in a piece of literature.

Oxymoron

When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox.

Pacing

The speed or tempo of an author's writing.

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.

Parallelism

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.

Anaphora (Parallelism)

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.

Chiasmus (Parallelism)

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed; also called antimetabole.

Anthesis (Parallelism)

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure.

Zuegma (Syllepsis) [Parallelism]

When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words.

Parenthetical Idea

Parentheses used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence, acting like an aside or a whisper.

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes that borrows words or phrases from an original and pokes fun at it.

Persona

The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story.

Poetic Device

A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.

Alliteration (Poetic Device)

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.

Assonance (Poetic Device)

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Consonance (Poetic Device)

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.

Dental Consonance (Poetic Device)

Repetition of d and t at the end or beginning of some words.

Plosive Consonance (Poetic Device)

Repetition of p and b at the end or beginning of some words.

Sibilance Sounds (Poetic Device)

Repeated s sounds in the sounds.

Onomatopoeia (Poetic Device)

The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.

Polysyndeton

When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions.

Pun

When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way.

Rhetorical Question

Question not asked for information but for effect.

Romanticism

Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature.

Sarcasm

A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded, distinguished by its bitter, mocking tone.

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect, targeting human vices and follies.

Style

The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes.

Symbol

Anything that represents or stands for something else, usually a concrete object representing something abstract.

Syntax/Sentence Variety

Grammatical arrangement of words, focusing on how sentence length and structure relate to tone and meaning.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work.

Thesis

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

Tone

A writer's attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization.

Understatement

The ironic minimizing of fact, presenting something as less significant than it is.

Litotes (understatement)

A particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used.

Prosody

Metrical Elements of Poetry.

Scansion

Measuring stresses in a line to determine the pattern.

Iamb

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables: an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (da-DUM).

Trochee

A metrical foot of two syllables: a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (DA-dum).

Anapest

A metrical foot of three syllables: two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable (da-da-DUM).

Dactyl

A metrical foot of three syllables: one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (DA-da-dum).

Spondee

A metrical foot of two syllables: two stressed syllables together (DA-DA).

Pyrrhic

A metrical foot of two syllables: two unstressed syllables (da-da).

Rising Meter

Metrical feet where the stress falls on the second syllable, such as iamb and anapest (unstressed -> stressed).

Falling Meter

Metrical feet where the stress falls on the first syllable, such as trochee and dactyl (stressed -> unstressed).

Blank Verse

Unrhymed Iambic Pentameter.

Caesura

Pause in Middle of Line.

Masculine Rising

Metrical stress pattern moving from an unstressed syllable to a stressed syllable.

Feminine Falling

Metrical stress pattern moving from a stressed syllable to an unstressed syllable.