AP Lang A-Z Terms

Ab ovo (literary)

Describes a narrative structure that proceeds in a chronological order from the beginning to the end

Abstract (Grammatical)

Ideas, concepts, and qualities. These nouns are often uncountable nouns (liquid, gas, sadness) though they can still be referred to in the singular or as countable nouns (a dinner, a friend, an enemy)

acronym (Rhetorical)

A word formed from the initial letters or syllables of a sequence of words

active voice (Grammatical)

A syntactical term for a sentence where the subject is the doer, not the receiver, of the action.

Adage (Literary)

a familiar proverb or wise saying

adjective (Grammatical)

Words that modify nouns. They can appear before the noun it modifies and after the auxiliary verb.

adjective clause (grammatical)

A clause (A group of words containing a noun-verb pair) that describes a noun and functions adjectivally in a sentence. Typically signaled by a relative pronoun (who, whom, which, that, where, and when)

Adverb (Grammatical)

A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, an entire sentence, or another...

Allegory (Literary)

A system of interconnected symbols that work to represent ideas or concepts not readily apparent in the primary narrative. The meaning in a narrative is often didactic, moralistic, or even satirical.

alliteration (Rhetorical)

The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. This is done to stress certain words, phrases, or lines.
Ex. Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore

Allusion (Literary)

A passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible, mythology, literature, etc. It creates a resonance in the reader or in the mood of the story by employing a subtle reference (as opposed to acknowledged quotations), and they will often adapt the reference to suit the new context.

Ambiguity (Rhetorical)

The use of language when multiple meanings are possible. This can be a result of one of two things.

Amblysia (Rhetorical)

Modified language that is used in preparation for tragic or alarming news.

Anachronism (Literary)

A historically inaccurate detail in a text typically used to synthesize ideas and perspectives from different times into a unified reference.
Ex. Shakespeare refers to the dollar in Macbeth which is set in a time when dollars were not used.

Anacoluthon (Rhetorical)

A sentence that begins in one way, pauses, and ends in another; an incomplete or broken-off thought.
Ex. Alright kids, today we are going to learn- ahhh, let's go play dodgeball!"

Anadiplosis (Rhetorical)

The repetition (or close repetition) of the final word of a clause at the beginning of the following clause for emphasis.
Ex. "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Anagram (Rhetorical)

Letters of a word or phrase that can be rearranged to make a new word or phrase. These are most often found in titles of works to embed hidden meaning.

Analogy (Rhetorical)

A comparison between two things on the grounds that they share an abstract, third element. Used to explain something complex more simply and something abstract more concretely
Ex. God is a father, who sits on a throne, and loves his children.

Anaphora (rhetoric)

The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. This is used as an emphasizing device.
Ex. "I am the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be!"

Anastrophe (Rhetorical)

The inversion of the normal word order of a sentence
Ex. "Size matters not. Judge me by size, do you?"

Anecdote (Rhetorical)

A short story or recounting of events; Provides specific focus and personal flavor to a written piece.

Antagonist (Literary)

The character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character.

Antecedent (Grammatical)

The word that a pronoun replaces in a sentence or series of sentences.

Antithesis (Rhetorical)

An opposition or contrast of ideas often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses.
Ex. Napoleon was loved by his men, but history will remember his brutality.

Aphorism (Rhetorical)

A concise statement that illustrates a deep truth or widely held belief.

Apocope (Rhetorical)

The deliberate removal of a letter or letters from the end of a word

Aposiopesis (Rhetorical)

A breaking-off of speech, usually because of rising emotion or excitement.

Apostrophe (Rhetorical)

A mode of speech where an abstract idea, dead person, thing, or place is addressed directly even though there is no way for that entity to respond.

Appositive (Grammatical)

A modifier that is built from a noun which modifies another noun or pronoun often for the purposes of emphasis or clarification; usually set off by commas

Archaism (Rhetorical)

A form of speech or writing that is outdated, obsolete, or no longer current. Can be purposefully used to allude to or evoke associations to older traditions in writing, thought, or practice. Can also be used purposelessly.

Archetype (Literary)

A recognizable theme, symbol, or character that holds a familiar place in a culture's consciousness.
Ex. Glasses are a symbol of intelligence and are worn by Piggy who is constantly questioning and investigating concerns of human nature in Lord of the Flies.

Assonance (Rhetorical)

A type of internal rhyming in which identical or similar vowel sounds are repeated. Like alliteration and consonance, this is done to focus, or draw the reader's ear to certain words, phrases, or lines
Ex. "The table was hiding a baby with rabies"

Assumption (Rhetorical)

A belief or principle, stated or implied, that is taken for granted.

Asyndeton (Rhetorical)

When coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence.
Ex. "Sammy was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing."

Atmosphere (Literary)

A compound term that encompasses the tone (the author's attitude towards a subject) and mood (the audience's attitude towards a subject)

Audience (Rhetorical)

The intended recipient for a piece of writing or speech. They can be broad or narrow.

Bombast (Rhetorical)

inflated or pretentious language that does not match the context of its use

Cacophony (Rhetorical)

An authors choice of words, usually alliterative, that create harsh, discordant, and grating sounds when read aloud. Passages are found in scenes of violence, discomfort, or danger.

Caricature (Rhetorical)

Occurs when an author exaggerates certain character traits of an individual for a ludicrous effect.
ex. the weak and gullible Roderigo in "Othello"

Chiamus (Rhetorical)

reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses.
ex. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

chronological order

Points are organized in a temporal relationship

circumlocution (Rhetorical)

unnecessarily wordiness when a few would express an idea with greater clarity.
ex. "The baserunner successfully avoided the tag." The word, "successfully" is not needed because the baserunner already did his job and avoided the tag, so there is no need to add that word.

Claim (Argumentative)

The proposition put forth in an argument. Can absolute or qualified.
ex. "Ants are a nuisance."

Clause (Grammatical)

A statement that contains a noun and a verb. There are two types: dependent and independent.
ex. "Odysseus is being very cunning and able to get out of any scrape."

Cliché (Literary)

An expression that has become ineffective through overuse.
ex. "There's no place like home."

Colloquialism (Rhetorical)

An informal expression that reflects the culture of an area or group.
ex. The name someone calls a deli sandwich: A "sub" would place someone in New England.

Colon (Grammatical)

A form of punctuation typically used to introduce lists in a sentences (though they can be used to introduce speech or quoted material, to highlight a contrast, or to produce a staccato effect by replacing a conjunction) they should not interrupt independent clauses
ex. "Today at camp, we did my favorite things: hiking, camping and storytelling."

complex sentence (grammatical)

a sentence that is composed of at least one dependent clause and one independent clause joined together into a single sentence.
ex. "Because you dropped that fly ball, you are benched."

Complexity order

Points progress from simple to complex

compound sentence (grammatical)

a sentence composed of two or more independent clauses that are joined together into a single sentence. Independent clauses can be joined by a semicolon or a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
ex. "Commas do not link independent clauses; semicolons do, or commas followed by conjunctions perform this function too."

Concrete (rhetorical)

refer to specific, particular, or material details
ex. "He grinned as he pocketed the coin."

Connotation (Rhetorical)

the implied or suggested meaning of a word
ex. "fox": slick, sneaky, attractive, seductive, etc.

Consonance (Rhetorical)

The repetition of two or more consonant sounds located within a series of words
ex. "Splish, splash, I was taking a bath."

coordinating conjunction (grammatical)

FANBOYS\=for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
words that provide a loose link among items that are equal
ex. "Joe and I fished today."

dead metaphor

A metaphor that has become so common that we no longer notice it as a figure of speech.
Ex. "My sister drives me out of my mind."

Deduction (Rhetorical Mode/Pattern of Organization)

the process of reasoning from a general claim to the specific cases. this mode of logic is most clearly seen in syllogism

denotation

direct relationship between a term and the object, idea, or action it signifies
ex. The word "fox": "a small woodland creature"

dependent clause (grammatical)

a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence; it requires an independent clause to give it meaning
ex. "Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me."

description (rhetorical mode/pattern of organization)

one of the four primary modes of writing in composition courses (exposition, narration, and analysis are the others). can either be objective or subjective.

Dialogue (Rhetorical)

spoken words, either real or imagined, that is recorded in a piece of writing. Through this, writers reveal important aspects of character's personalities as well as events in the narrative.
ex. Lennie from "Of Mice and Men": "Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you." This reveals that Lennie and George both care for each other and will always be there for each other.

Diction (Rhetorical)

the choice of words in speech or writing; often closely linked to a text's tone
ex. "That dude was angry!"

didactic (literary)

attempts to teach a moral or lesson in a work of fiction or non-fiction
ex. "Animal Farm" teaches of the Tsar Nicholas and Communist Revolution of Russia before WW2.

Digression (Rhetorical)

movement away from the main focus in speech or writing that can be intentional or unintentional

Dsyphemism (rhetorical)

a disparaging expression used to describe someone or something. used to emphasize defect, shortcomings, or failings.
ex. "I hate your stupid, ugly, monster face."

Ellipses (grammatical)

Three successive periods (...) that indicates the intentional omission of words in a thought or quotation
ex. "So... what happened?"

elliptical construction

deliberate omission of words from a sentence for rhetorical effect
ex. "Junior year was tough and senior year the same."

Emphasis

the placement of important ideas and words within sentences and longer units of writing so that they have the greatest impact. the end has the most impact, the beginning has nearly as much, and the middle often has the least.
ex. "Get to your room, now!"

Epistle (Literary)

a work of poetry or prose that is presented as a series of letters
ex. "The First Epistle of Peter"

Epistrophe

A figure of speech where successive phrases or clauses all end with the same word.
Ex.) "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child."

Epithet (Rhetorical)

a word or phrase which is attached to a character for the purposes of description in a work of literature or non-fiction
ex. In Homer's IIliad, the character Achilles is referred to as "swift footed Achilles" and "lion-hearted Achilles"

Eponumous (literary)

a person in a work of fiction whose name is derived from the title, or vice versa
ex. characters in Shakespeare's play titles

ethos (rhetorical)

the characteristic ideal that refers to the values of the arguer: honesty, trustworthiness, and morals
ex. "Doctors all over the world recommend this type of treatment."

ethos (rhetorical)

the characteristic spirit or ideal that informs a work. refers to the values of the arguer: honesty, trustworthiness, and morals
ex. "Doctors all over the world recommend this type of treatment."

Euphemism (rhetorical)

A pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea. often used to soften the impact of what is being
ex. "Gil has passed away" for "He died of a crippling heart-attack."

Evidence

the grounds upon which an argument is based or by which proof is established

extended metaphor

A metaphor that extends over several lines, verses, or chapters.
Ex. "Writing this research paper is a grind. My brain is not operating. I am running out of steam." (The mind is a machine)

figurative language (Rhetorical)

A categorical term for all uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison and appeals to sensory experience.
Ex. "I felt the sunshine on my skin, hearing the buzzing of the bees, while gazing at the gentle babble of the brook in the distance."

figures of speech (Rhetorical)

Comparisons that highlight the similarities between dissimilar things
Ex. Simile. "The boxer is like a lion."

Flashback

The story begins in the present and flashes to past events for clarification.

Flashforward

The story begins at the end and works to fill in the gaps.

Foreshadowing (Literary)

A purposeful hint suggesting what may occur later in narrative.
Ex. A character throwing rocks into glass bottles could hint his eventual career as a pitcher in the Major Leagues.

General words

Name groups or classes of objects, qualities, or actions
Ex. "Dinner" is a class of things.

Gobbledygook (Rhetorical)

A mode of speech where the language is completely unintelligible because the words are gibberish. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sounds a turkey makes.
Ex. "It's time to realize our strategic growth mindset and use operational mindfulness to make our presence known in the industry with quality implementation methodologies."

Harangue (Rhetorical)

An emotionally based speech to spur an audience into action.
Ex. The opening lines to Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (1741).

Hyperbole (Rhetorical)

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis.
Ex. "You really drive me up the wall!"

Hyphaersis (Rhetorical)

The omission of a letter from a word, usually to condense the amount of syllables.
Ex. The lyrics to Francis Scott Key's "The Star Spangled Banner": "o'er" substitutes as a single syllable version of the word, "over".

Hypostatization (Rhetorical)

a form of personification in which an abstract concept takes on living qualities.
Ex. "Guilt forced me to confess."

Idiom

a word or phrase that is not taken literally and is used habitually.
Ex. "Time to rise and shine!"

Imagery

A mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations though there can be auditory and sensory components to imagery as well.
Ex. "Glittering white, the blanket of snow covered everything in sight."

implied metaphor

A less directed metaphor.
Ex. "The boxer pecked away at his opponent."

Importance order

Points progress from least to most important

Independent clause

A clause that can stand alone as a sentence and can be paired with dependent clauses.
Ex. "Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me."

Induction

The logical process of arriving at conclusions based off of the experience of specific cases.
Ex. I have seen four students at this school leave trash on the floor. The students in this school are disrespectful.

Inference (Rhetorical)

the process of arriving at a conclusion based on a hint, clue, or implication.
Ex. A character has a briefcase, is taking a ride on an airplane, and is late for a meeting. You can infer that this character is a businessperson.

intentional digression

authors may move away from the main plot to focus on subplots or issues that are peripheral to the central ideas

Irony (Literary)

A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is substituted with the reverse of what is expected to humor or ridicule.
Ex. A fire station burns down.

Juxaposition (Rhetorical)

When two contrasting things- ideas, words, or sentence elements - are placed next to each other for comparison.
Ex. The comparision of the coldness of one room with the warmth of another.

Limited point of view

The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only a few characters.

Litote (Rhetorical)

A form of understatement in which the opposite is used to achieve emphasis.
Ex. "She's not a bad hockey player."

Logos (Rhetorical)

The use of reason as a controlling principle in an argument.
Ex. "We need the addition of a traffic light at the corner of 1st and 34th. Traffic lights are shown to reduce traffic accidents by up to 30% at busy intersections.