AP Literature and Composition - Literary Devices and Vocabulary Yellow Words

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcard set covering literary devices, syntax, point of view, structure, and literary analysis argument tools required for AP Literature and Composition.

absolute

A word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique,” “perfect”).

adage

A familiar proverb or wise saying.

allegory

A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions.

alliteration

The repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words.

allusion

A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize.

analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way.

anecdote

A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event.

aphorism

A concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance.

apostrophe

A figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction.

bathos

Insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity.

caesura

Natural pause or stop caused by punctuation in a poem or story.

cliche

An expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off.

colloquialism

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing.

conceit

A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor.

connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word.

denotation

Literal meaning of a word.

dialect

A variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region.

didactic

Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing.

enjambment

Phrase or line continues into the next line without punctuation.

epigram

A brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying.

epigraph

A saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work.

epitaph

An inscription on a tombstone or burial place.

epithet

A term used to point out a characteristic of a person (e.g., Homeric compound adjectives like “swift-footed Achilles”). Can be abusive/offensive or proud accomplishments (e.g., “the Rocket”).

eulogy

A formal speech praising a person who has died.

euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant.

expletive

An interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity.

fable

A brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters.

fantasy

A story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters; may be merely whimsical or present a serious point.

figurative language

Language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.).

hyperbole

Intentional exaggeration to create an effect (opposite of understatement); both often used in irony.

hypothetical question

A question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition.

idiom

An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words; or, a regional speech or dialect.

imagery

The use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses.

implication

A suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly.

irony

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs.

jargon

The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession.

juxtaposition

Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast.

literary license

Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (e.g., intentional sentence fragments).

litotes

A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (e.g., describing a horrific scene by saying, “It was not a pretty picture.”).

malapropism

The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (“The doctor wrote a subscription.”).

maxim

A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage.

metaphor

A direct comparison of two different things.

metonymy

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it (e.g., “The pen is mightier than the sword”).

mood

The emotional atmosphere of a work (different from tone, which is the author's treatment of a subject).

motif

A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs.

motivation

A character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act.

onomatopoeia

A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds.

oxymoron

An expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined.

paradox

An apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth.

pedantic

Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship; not used as a compliment.

personification

Endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics.

pun

A play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings.

riddle

A question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum.

romantic

Describing a character or literary work that reflects Romanticism, stressing emotion, imagination, and individualism.

sarcasm

Harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule.

satire

The use of humor to emphasize human weakness or imperfections in social institutions.

scapegoat (archetype)

A person or group that bears the blame for another.

simile

A comparison of two things using “like,” “as,” or comparative words like “than.”

solecism

Non-standard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules.

style

The choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work.

symbol

An object that is used to represent something else.

synecdoche

Using one part of an object to represent the entire object (e.g., referring to a car as “wheels”).

synesthesia (or synaesthesia)

Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another (“a loud color,” “a sweet sound”).

theme

A central idea of a work.

tone

The attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience.

trite

Overused and hackneyed.

understatement

The deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is; a deliberate under-emphasis.

usage

The customary way language or its elements are used.

vernacular

The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage.

anaphora

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences.

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.

antithesis

A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced.

asyndeton

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions.

balanced sentence

A sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast.

chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (“Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary”).

cumulative sentence

A sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases.

ellipsis

The omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (“Some people prefer cats; others, dogs”).

paraphrase

A restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity.

polysyndeton

The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural.

syllepsis

A construction in which one word is used in two different senses (“After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.”).

point of view

The vantage point from which a story is told.

narrator

The one who tells the story; may be first person, third person, limited, omniscient, or objective (referred to as speaker in poetry).

first person

A narrator who presents the story as the main character, using “I”.

limited narrator

A narrator who presents the story as seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that character (also called third person limited).

free indirect discourse

The narrator’s voice is subsumed into a character’s perspective, often seen when an omniscient narrator dips in and out of characters' thoughts within a scene.

omniscient narrator

A narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters.

objective narrator

A narrator that moves the reader's attention through the story like a roving movie camera.

bildungsroman

A novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.

epistolary

A novel in letter form.

climax

The point of highest interest in a literary work.

cognitive dissonance

The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.

catharsis

The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions primarily through art.

dilemma

A situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives.

duality

An instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something; a dualism.

false binary

The ingrained, mistaken notion that there are just two options in any given situation.

epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

flashback

The insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

flat character

A character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story.

foreshadowing

The presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work.

frame device (frame narrative)

A story within a story (e.g., Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales).