AP Lang Terms Part 1

Active Voice

Active Voice

The subject of the sentence performs the action. This is a more direct and preferred style of writing in most cases.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar, usually a literary text.

Alter-ego

A character used by the author to speak the author's own thoughts directly to the audience.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode used to develop a point or inject humor.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Classicism

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

Comic Relief

A humorous scene inserted into a serious story to lighten the mood.

Diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style, with different types of words having significant effects on meaning.

Colloquial

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

Connotation

The associations suggested by a word, rather than the literal meaning.

Denotation

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

Jargon

The diction used by a group practicing a similar profession or activity.

Vernacular

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

Didactic

Fiction, nonfiction, or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral.

Exigence

The catalyst for a particular piece of writing to appear at a particular time to a particular audience.

Adage

A folk saying with a lesson, similar to an aphorism and colloquialism.

Allegory

A story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts.

Aphorism

A terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle, often a memorable summation of the author's point.

Ellipsis

The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose for effect.

Euphemism

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

Figurative Language

Writing that is not meant to be taken literally, in contrast to literal language.

Analogy

A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration used for emphasis.

Idiom

A common expression that doesn't make sense if taken literally.

Metaphor

An implied comparison between two different things.

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word with a related word or concept.

Synecdoche

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

Simile

A direct comparison using 'like' or 'as' between two different things.

Synesthesia

A description involving a 'crossing of the senses.'

Personification

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

Foreshadowing

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