AP Language!

Term

Definition

Adage

Short saying with a lesson — “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

Allegory

Story with symbolic meaning — Animal Farm representing politics.

Allusion

Indirect reference — mentioning Romeo and Juliet for tragic love.

Anaphora

Repeated beginnings — “I have a dream...”

Anastrophe

Reversed word order — “Into the night walked she.”

Aphorism

Brief truth statement — “Actions speak louder than words.”

Appositive

Renaming phrase — “My brother, a doctor, lives here.”

Asyndeton

Omitting conjunctions — “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Atmosphere

Emotional feeling — stormy weather creating tension.

Audience

Intended readers/listeners — a speech aimed at students.

Bildungsroman

Coming-of-age story — a teen maturing into adulthood.

Colloquialism

Casual expression — “gonna” or “y’all.”

Connotation

Implied meaning — “home” suggesting comfort.

Denotation

Literal meaning — “snake” meaning the reptile.

Diction

Word choice — formal vs casual language.

Didactic

Teaching a lesson — a fable with a moral.

Ellipsis

Intentional omission — “If only she knew...”

Euphemism

Gentler wording — “passed away” for died.

Euphony

Pleasant sounds — soft flowing poetry.

Extended metaphor

Long-developed metaphor — comparing life to a journey.

Figurative language

Nonliteral language — metaphors and similes.

Genre

Category of writing — horror or science fiction.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration — “I’m starving to death.”

Idiolect

Person’s unique speech style — distinctive catchphrases.

Idiom

Nonliteral phrase — “break a leg.”

Imagery

Sensory description — “the warm smell of bread.”

Inflection

Word ending change — walk/walked.

Invective

Harsh verbal attack — an angry rant.

Irony

Opposite of expectation — a fire station burning down.

Juxtaposition

Side-by-side contrast — wealth beside poverty.

Metaphor

Direct comparison — “Time is a thief.”

Metonymy

Related object substitution — “The White House announced...”

Mood

Feeling for the reader — suspenseful mood.

Motif

Recurring element — repeated references to darkness.

Oxymoron

Contradictory pair — “jumbo shrimp.”

Pacing

Speed of writing — rapid short sentences.

Paradox

True contradiction — “Less is more.”

Parody

Comic imitation — mocking a famous movie.

Persona

Narrator voice — fictional speaker in a poem.

Personification

Human traits to nonhuman things — “The wind whispered.”

Point of view

Narrative perspective — first person narration.

Polysyndeton

Many conjunctions — “and rain and thunder and wind.”

Pun

Wordplay — “Time flies like an arrow.”

Rhetoric

Persuasive communication — techniques in a political speech.

Sarcasm

Mocking irony — “Great job breaking it.”

Satire

Humorous criticism — The Onion articles.

Semantics

Study of meaning — analyzing word relationships.

Simile

Comparison using like/as — “cold as ice.”

Symbol

Object representing an idea — dove for peace.

Synecdoche

Part for whole — “all hands on deck.”

Synesthesia

Mixed senses — “loud colors.”

Syntax

Sentence structure — long flowing sentences.

Thesis

Main argument — essay’s central claim.

Understatement

Downplaying seriousness — “just a scratch.”

Vernacular

Everyday regional language — local slang.

Wit

Clever humor — sharp one-liners.

Zeugma

One word governing two meanings — “He stole my heart and wallet.”