AP Lit Terms

Antecedent

A person, place, thing, or clause represented by a pronoun.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in a line of poetry or text to create a memorable phrase.

Dysphemism

The substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis to provoke a response.

Flat Character

A literary character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and does not change over the course of the story.

Hamartia

A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.

Allusion

When a text references, incorporates, or responds to an earlier piece of literature, art, music, film, event, etc.

Colloquial Language

Informal, conversational language.

Narrative Poem

A poem which tells a story or presents a narrative, whether simple or complex.

Personification

A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities.