AP LANG- Terms summative

Symbols/Symbolism (noun)

Anything that represents itself and stands for something else

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usually something concrete that represents something more abstract

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ex. setting that has dull colors represents sadness

Syntax (noun)

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

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similar to diction, but its is groups rather than the individual words

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ex. “the boy ran hurriedly” vs. “hurriedly, the boy ran”

Tone (noun)

the authors attitude toward the material, the audience, or both

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its is easier to determine while talking rather than through text, so imagining how it would sound spoken would help identify tone

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ex. “I couldn’t wait to get to the carnival, the smell of hot dogs, taste of cotton candy, and the exhilarating feel on the rides”

shows excitement, delight, thrill

Understatement (noun)

the ironic minimizing of fact for effect, considered the opposite of hyperbole

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makes something seem less important than it actually is, for humor or emphasis

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ex. “it rained a little more than usual” after a hurricane

Sarcasm (humor) (noun)

from the Greek meaning “to tear flesh,” it involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone/something

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When done well, can be witty/insightful, when done poorly, can be cruel

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ex. “Wow you’re so smart!” after failing a test

Simile (noun)

comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”

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ex. “He was as quiet as a mouse”

Style (noun)

the distinct, or idiosyncratic, choices made by the author to achieve a purpose

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ex. expository, descriptive, persuasive, narrative

Point of view (noun)

perspective from something is told, including biases based on persona or past experience

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ex. 1st person “I, we”; 2nd person “You, your”; 3rd person “he, she, they’

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pun (humor) (noun)

a joke that uses the different possible meanings of a word or words that sound or are spelled alike but have different meanings

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ex. a pessimist blood type is B-negative

Repetition (noun)

Duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern

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there is something actually being repeated

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ex. “Hatred was spreading everywhere, blood was being spilled everywhere, was were breaking out everywhere”

Rhetorical question (noun)

asked just for effect, or to lay emphasis on some point being discussed when no real answer is expected

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ex. “are you kidding me” “are you serious” “who cares” “why not”

Mood (noun)

the atmosphere of a work, established by its details and an author’s choices, and the overall feeling conveyed to the reader

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ex. Calm and tranquil, Eerie and uncanny, Light-hearted

nuance (noun)

shades of meaning created by the subtle differences in word meaning and usage

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ex. difference between a stubborn child, a determined child, and a contrary child

parallelism (noun)

grammatical framing of words, phrases, or paragraphs to give structural similarity, used to add emphasis or organization impact or rhythm

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something just mirrors but not necessarily being repeated, structure not context

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ex. Paul likes dancing, swimming, and running (!)

Paul likes to dance, swimming, and run (x)

“No pain, no gain”

“it takes one to know one”

Parody (humor) (noun)

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule

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ex. your little sister puts on your fathers big shoes and stomps around in them saying, “I need to make a business call!”

Personification (noun)

assigning non-human entities with human emotions, qualities, or actions

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used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects to appear more vivid to the reader

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ex. “the sun smiled down on us”

“the story jumped off the page”

“lighting danced across the sky'“

Verbal irony (noun)

when the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) meaning\\

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ex. “Great, another rainy day in California!” during the summer

Situational Irony (noun)

when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and reader thing ought to happen is not what does happen

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ex. a fire station burning down

Dramatic Irony (noun)

when facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the reader or other characters in the work

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ex. Romeo didn’t know Juliet wasn’t really dead but the character didn’t know that

juxtaposition (noun)

the placement of two very different things together for effect, often through contrast

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don’t have to be opposites

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ex. Night and Day

Good and Evil

Justice and Revenge

Metaphor (noun)

A figure of speech using implied comparisons of seemingly unlike things or substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity

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makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful

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ex. apple of my eye

heart of gold

melting pot

time is money

Euphemism (noun)

a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive

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ex. Uncle ‘passed away’ last year. (instead of died)

Figurative speech/language (noun)

phrasing that goes beyond the literal meaning of words to get a message or point across

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ex. simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, imagery, hyperbole, alliteration, etc

hyperbole (noun)

a figure of speech using deliberate and extravagant exaggeration or overstatement for effect

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ex. “this homework is going to take years!”

“could eat a horse!”

Imagery (noun)

words and descriptions that appeal to a reader’s senses to create an image or idea in their head

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ex. “the muddy socks were piled on top of the right” (sight)

“the buzzing sounds filled the air” (sound)

“the mud felt slimy and cold between my toes” (touch)

“the pizza tasted like cardboard” (taste)

“the perfume smelled like flowers and vanilla” (smell)

Irony (general) (noun)

the contrast between between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true, often used to create poignancy or humor

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ex. verbal, situational, dramatic

Circumlocution (noun)

literally: “talking around” / “talking in circles”

writing that is unnecessarily long and complicated (can be intentional or unintentional)

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ex. “the vehicle I drive to work every morning” vs. “my car”

“our father, who art in heaven” vs. “god”

colloquial (adj.)

informal, conversational language, often pertaining to a local area or region

can be slang, but is not limited to it

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ex. “y’all” “wanna” “ain’t” “yo”

concrete (adj) and Abstract (adj)

involving specific people, things, or actions rather than general ideas or qualities

(vs.) relating to or involving general ideas or qualities

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ex. (100F vs. Hot), (100 g of sugar vs. sweet), (10 km vs. far), (200 mph vs. fast)

denotation (noun) and connotation (noun)

the literal definition (vs.) the abstract idea or quality that a word makes you think about or is suggested and implied beyond the word’s meaning

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ex. House vs home, house is a place where someone lives vs. home is a warm comforting place

Diction (noun)

the choice of words and phrases in speech or writing

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“It was a dark, gloomy night, where all of a sudden a door creaked and opened nearby” (vs.) “a door opened nearby”

Allusion (noun)

an implied or indirect reference, especially in literature, often used to establish comparison

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ex. “Chocolate is my Achilles heel!” reference to a weakness

Anaphora (noun)

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences or phrases to emphasize or reinforce meaning

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ex. “Go big or go home” “no pain no gain”

antithesis (noun)

the opposite or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite of someone or something

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has to be opposites against eachother

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ex. ‘Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.” “Money is the root of all evil” “poverty is the fruit of all goodness.”

Apposition (noun)

a (typically) adjacent word, clause, or phrase that provides extra information about another noun in a sentence

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ex. ‘My teacher, Mr. Hepworth, needs to calm down.”