ap lit literary terms

verbal irony

dramatic irony

when the audience knows something the characters don’t

situational irony

understatement

when a writer presents a situation as less important than reality

hyperbole

obvious and purposeful exaggeration to an extreme

paradox

a self-contradicting statement

oxymoron

figure of speech that combines opposite elements

litotes

an understatement where a positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite

ambiguity

an idea or situation that can be understood in more than one way

satire

the use of humor or irony to expose/criticize a person, idea, or institution

metaphor

simile