AP Lang Test (2) Vocab Words

Metaphors

Figure of speech that compares two things without using “like” or “as”.

Similes

A figure of speech used to explain or clarify an idea by comparing it explicitly to something else, using the words “like”, “as”, or “as though”.

Personification

Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point.

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences.

Antithesis

Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction

Compound sentence

A sentence that includes at least two independent clauses.

Complex sentence

A sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Periodic sentence

Sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end.

Cumulative sentence

Sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on.

Imperative sentence

Sentence used to command or enjoin.

Imagery

A description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, or sounds. It may use literal or figurative language to appeal to the senses.

Oxymoron

A paradox made up of two seemingly contradictory words.