AP Lang Vocab

Allegory

A narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance. Often a universal symbol or a personified abstraction

Alliteration

The sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables

Allusion

A literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference in a literary work

Anaphora

The regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of a successive phrases or clauses

Colloquial

A term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas

Aphorism

A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief

Appeals to… authority, emotion, logic

Rhetorical arugments in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field, or attempts to play upon the emotions, or appeals to the use of reason

Apostrophe

An address or invocation to something inanimate

Assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words

Asyndeton

A syntactical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose

Attitude

The sense expressed by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece of writing; authors feelings toward his or her subject, characters, events, or theme. It might even be his or her feelings for the reader

Begging the question

An argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict, evades or ignores the real question

Canon

That which had been accepted as authentic

Chiasmus

A figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second

conceit

A comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem

connotation

the implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase

consonance

the repetition of two or more consonants with a change in intervening vowels

critique

an assessment or analysis of something, such as a passage of writing, for determining what it is, what its limitations are, and how it conforms to the standard of the genre

deductive reasoning

the method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles; movement from the general to the specific

dialect

the language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group

diction

the specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect

didactic

writing or speech that has an instructive purpose or a lesson; often associated with a dry, pompous presentation

elegy

a poem or prose that laments, or meditates upon the death of a person

epistrophe

in rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences

epitaph

writing in praise of a dead person, most often inscribed upon a headstone

ethos

in rhetoric, the appeal of a text to the credibilty and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator

eulogy

a speech or written passage in praise of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person

euphemism

an indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information

exposition

the interpretation or analysis of a text. Also, the opening section of a narrative or dramatic structure in which characters, setting, theme, and conflict can be revealed

extended metaphor

a series of comparisons within a piece of writing. If they are consistently one concept, this is also know as a conceit.

figurative language

language with levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphors, litote, etc

flashback

an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration

genre

a type or class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history

homily

a sermon but more comtemporary uses include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual life

hyperbole

overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention

imagery

any sensory detail or evocation in a work to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object. Involves any or all of the five senses

inductive reasoning

the method of reasoning or argument in which general statementsand conclusions are drawn from specfic principles: movement from the specfic to the general

inference

a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data. Looking at the clues, learning the facts.

irony

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated, often suggesting light sarcasm.

Isocolon

parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure but also in length

jargon

specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group

juxtaposition

the location of one thing adjacent to another to create an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose

litote

a figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by consious understatemnt

loose sentence

a long sentence that starts with its main clause, which is followed by several dependent clauses and modifying phrases