AP Terms 76-100

Flat character

A character that does not develop or undergo a change

(ex:Dory in Finding Nemo)

Foreshadow

A hint as to what will come later in the work

(ex:In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet has a vision of Romeo “As one dead in the bottom of a tomb,” which … his fate.)

Hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance

(ex:Icarus flying too close to the sun after receiving a warning not to.)

Hypothetical question

A question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition

(ex:If money were no object, what would you do with your life?)

Idiom

An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal words

(ex:Break a leg)

Inductive reasoning

Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances

(ex:Every bird that I have seen can fly, so all birds can fly.)

Jargon

The specialized language/vocabulary of a particular group or profession

(ex:Hard copy is an example of business …)

Juxtaposition

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

(ex:Life and death)

Legend

A narrative handed down from the past; usually historical and/or supernatural

(ex:kraken/bigfoot)

Limerick

Light verse; five lines of regular rhythm

Limited narrator

A narrator who presents the story as it is understood through one character

(ex:The narration in ‘The Hunger Games’)

Literary license

Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect

(ex:Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter)

Litotes

Understatement achieved by expressing an idea by negating its opposite

(ex:He’s not the nicest person.)

Malapropism

The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar

(ex:We are going to dance a flamingo.)

Maxim

A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage

(ex:opposites attract)

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it.

(ex:Once I start this job, I’ll finally have some dough)

Mood

The emotional atmosphere of a work.

(ex:humorous)

Motif

A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works.

(ex:The Yellow Brick Road in The Wizard of Oz)

Narrator

The one who tells the story; may be first- or third-person, limited or omniscient.

Non sequitur

An inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, “does not follow”).

(ex:My room is a mess, I need to read that book by Monday.)

Omniscient narrator

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

(ex:The narrator in “Lord of the Flies")

Onomatopoeia

A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds.

(ex:”Bang!”)

Parable

A simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson.

(ex:The Good Samaritan)

Paraphrase

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

(ex:They went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy a new water bottle. Paraphrase:They went to the store to get a water bottle.)

Parenthetical

A comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain.

(ex:My mom, who’s scared of clowns, didn’t enjoy the circus.)