AP Lit Summer Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key AP Literature terms from absolute to vernacular.

absolute

A word free from limitations or qualifications (e.g., "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.

anaphora

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

anecdote

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

antecedent

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

antithesis

A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced.

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.

archetype

A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious.

argument

A statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work.

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.

bildungsroman

A novel dealing with the formative years of the main character, especially psychological growth and moral education.

chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (e.g., "Fair is foul and foul is fair").

cliché

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

climax

The point of highest interest in a literary work.

colloquialism

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing.

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

compound sentence

A sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by conjunctions.

conceit

A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor.

concrete details

Details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events.

connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word.

cumulative sentence

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

declarative sentence

A sentence that makes a statement or declaration.

deductive reasoning

Reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying it to a specific case.

denotation

The literal meaning of a word.

dialect

A variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often tied to a region.

dialogue

Conversation between two or more people.

diction

The word choices made by a writer.

didactic

Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing.

dilemma

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

dissonance

Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds.

elegy

A formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme.

ellipsis

The omission of a word or phrase that is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from context.

epic

A long narrative poem written in elevated style recounting the adventures of characters of high position important to a nation or race.

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 section.

epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

epitaph

An inscription on a tombstone or burial place.

epithet

A term used to point out a characteristic of a person; often a compound adjective in classical usage (e.g., "swift-footed Achilles").

eulogy

A formal speech praising a person who has died.

euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something unpleasant.

exclamatory sentence

A sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark.

expletive

An interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes a profanity.

fable

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

figurative language

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

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 during a story.

foreshadowing

Presentation of material that prepares the reader for what is to come later.

frame device

A story within a story, such as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

genre

A major category or type of literature.

homily

A sermon or moralistic lecture.

hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance that leads to the protagonist's downfall.

hyperbole

Intentional exaggeration to create an effect.

hypothetical question

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

idiom

An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the literal meanings of its words; also a regional speech or dialect.

imagery

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

implication

A suggestion an author makes without stating it directly; the author implies, the reader infers.

inductive reasoning

Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances.

inference

A conclusion drawn based on premises or evidence.

invective

An intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack.

irony

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning or an incongruity between expectation and reality.

jargon

Specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession.

juxtaposition

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

legend

A narrative handed down from the past, containing historical and usually supernatural elements.

limerick

Light verse of five lines with a set rhyme scheme (AABBA).

limited narrator

A narrator who presents the story from the perspective of one character, restricting information to that character's experience.

literary license

Deviation from normal rules or methods to achieve an effect (e.g., intentional fragments).

litotes

A type of understatement achieved by negating the opposite (e.g., "not a pretty picture").

malapropism

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

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 closely associated with it (e.g., "The pen is mightier than the sword").

mood

The emotional atmosphere of a work.

motif

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

motivation

A character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain way.

myth

A traditional story with supernatural characters that explains natural events.

narrative

A story or narrated account.

narrator

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

non sequitur

An inference that does not logically follow from the premises.

omniscient narrator

A narrator who knows and can tell all, including characters' inner thoughts.

onomatopoeia

A word formed by imitating natural sounds.

oxymoron

An expression in which two contradictory words are joined.

parable

A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson.

paradox

An apparently contradictory statement that contains some truth.

parallelism

The use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms.

paraphrase

A restatement of a text in different words, often for clarity.

parody

A humorous imitation of a serious work.

parenthetical

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

pastoral

Literature dealing with rural life, revealing the challenges and blessings of nature.

pathos

The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity.

pedantic

Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship.

personification

Endowing nonhuman objects or creatures with human qualities.

philippic

A strong verbal denunciation.

point of view

The vantage point from which a story is told.

polysyndeton

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