AP Language and Composition Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Terms

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering essential literary and rhetorical terms for AP Language and Composition.

Active Voice

The subject of the sentence performs the action.

Passive Voice

The subject of the sentence receives the action, often resulting in lifeless writing.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

Alter-ego

A character used by the author to speak his or her own thoughts.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode inserted into texts to develop a point or inject humor.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Classicism

Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world, adhering to traditional themes.

Comic Relief

A humorous scene inserted into a serious story to lighten the mood.

Diction

Word choice that affects the meaning and style of writing.

Colloquialism

An ordinary or familiar type of conversation.

Connotation

The associations suggested by a word, implying meanings beyond the literal definition.

Denotation

The literal, explicit meaning of a word without its connotations.

Jargon

The diction used by a specific group practicing a similar profession.

Vernacular

The language or dialect of a particular country or region.

Didactic

Literature that teaches a specific lesson or moral.

Adage

A folk saying that conveys a lesson.

Allegory

A story where characters and events represent qualities or concepts.

Aphorism

A terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle.

Ellipsis

The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose for effect.

Euphemism

A less offensive substitute for unpleasant words or concepts.

Figurative Language

Writing that is not meant to be taken literally.

Analogy

A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Idiom

A common expression that does not make sense if taken literally.

Metaphor

An implied comparison not using 'like' or 'as'.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor continued later in the written work.

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word or idea with a related word or concept.

Synecdoche

A type of metonymy where a part represents the whole or vice versa.

Simile

A comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Synesthesia

A description involving a crossing of the senses.

Personification

Giving human-like qualities to something non-human.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about what will occur later in a story.

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits.

Gothic

Writing characterized by gloom and mystery.

Imagery

Words that create a picture in the reader's mind.

Invective

A long emotional attack using strong, abusive language.

Irony

When the opposite of what is expected happens.

Verbal Irony

Saying one thing and meaning another.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the character does not.

Situational Irony

A plot twist that is unexpected.

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for comparison.

Mood

The atmosphere created by the literature through word choice.

Motif

A recurring idea in a piece of literature.

Oxymoron

Contradictory terms grouped together suggesting a paradox.

Pacing

The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory situation that is actually true.

Parallelism

Sentence construction that places equal grammatical constructions close to each other.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of two or more sentences.

Chiasmus

Words used twice in succession with the order reversed.

Antithesis

Opposing ideas put together with parallel structure.

Zuegma

A single word governs two or more other words, changing its meaning.

Parenthetical Idea

An idea set off by parentheses.

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.

Persona

The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story.

Poetic Device

A device used in poetry to manipulate sound.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.

Assonance

Repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Consonance

Repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound of the thing it refers to.

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme within a single line of poetry.

Slant Rhyme

A rhyme that is similar but does not perfectly match.

End Rhyme

Rhyme at the end of two different lines of poetry.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of a poem’s end rhymes.

Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

The emphasis placed on certain syllables in words.

Meter

A regular pattern to syllables in lines of poetry.

Free Verse

Poetry that does not follow strict meter or rhyme.

Iambic Pentameter

Poetry written in lines of 10 syllables.

Sonnet

A 14 line poem in iambic pentameter.

Polysyndeton

A list of items separated by conjunctions.

Pun

A humorous use of a word that has two or more meanings.

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not needing an answer.

Romanticism

Art or literature characterized by an idealistic view of life.

Sarcasm

A bitter comment that is cynically worded.

Satire

A work revealing a critical attitude toward some element of life.

Sentence

A group of words that expresses a complete thought.

Appositive

A word or group of words placed beside a noun to supplement its meaning.

Clause

A grammatical unit containing a subject and a verb.

Balanced Sentence

A sentence where two parallel elements are set off against each other.

Compound Sentence

Contains at least two independent clauses.

Complex Sentence

Contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Cumulative Sentence

Begins with an independent clause and then adds subordinate elements.

Periodic Sentence

Main idea is postponed until the end of the sentence.

Simple Sentence

Contains only one independent clause.

Declarative Sentence

States an idea without issuing a command.

Imperative Sentence

Issues a command.

Interrogative Sentence

Incorporates interrogative pronouns.

Style

Choices in diction, tone, and syntax made by a writer.

Symbol

Anything that represents or stands for something else.

Syntax

Grammatical arrangement of words.

Theme

Central idea or message of a work.

Thesis

The sentence or group of sentences that expresses the author's opinion.

Tone

The writer's attitude toward the subject revealed through choices in language.

Understatement

Presenting something as less significant than it is.

Litotes

A form of understatement generated by denying the opposite.

Argument

A piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion.

Premise

A statement offered as a reason to support a conclusion.

Conclusion

The main point being made in an argument.

Concession

Accepting part of an opposing viewpoint to strengthen one's own argument.

Conditional Statement

An if-then statement consisting of an antecedent and a consequent.