AP Language & Composition - Multiple-Choice & Essay Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering literary, rhetorical, and grammatical terms for AP Language & Composition exam preparation.

Homily

A serious talk or speech offering moral or spiritual guidance — originally a sermon, but the term is used more broadly for any earnest lecture on how to live or behave.

Hyperbole

An intentional, obvious exaggeration used for effect — often for humor, but sometimes to create a serious or ironic impact.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to create a vivid picture or evoke emotion. A single image can also carry symbolic or layered meaning beyond its literal description.

Inference/Infer

A logical, reasonable conclusion drawn from evidence in the text — not something stated outright. On multiple-choice questions, the safest inference is the most obvious, most directly supported one.

Invective

Harsh, bitter, insulting language used to attack or denounce someone or something.

Irony/Ironic

A gap between what is said or expected and what is actually true or what actually happens.

Verbal Irony

Saying the opposite of what you mean (e.g., saying "Great weather!" during a downpour).

Situational Irony

The outcome is the opposite of what was expected (e.g., a fire station burns down).

Dramatic Irony

The audience/reader knows something a character does not.

Juxtaposition

Placing two very different things, ideas, or images side by side to highlight their contrast or invite comparison.

Loose Sentence

A sentence where the main (independent) clause comes first, followed by additional phrases or clauses. Because the sentence could grammatically end after the main clause, loose sentences tend to feel relaxed, informal, and conversational.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlike things by saying one thing is another, without using "like" or "as."

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to not by its own name, but by the name of something closely associated with it.

Grammatical Mood

Reflects the speaker's attitude toward a statement: indicative (factual), subjunctive (doubtful/conditional), or imperative (commands).

Literary Mood

The overall emotional atmosphere of a work, shaped by setting, tone, and events — similar to "atmosphere."