AP Lit Literary Devices

AP Lit Literary Devices

Allegory

A story with its background, characters, etc. are intentionally used as symbols of abstract ideas

Alliteration

Repeatedly using the same starting sound of the word

Allusion

Using references to other texts

Anaphora

The start of sentences / stanzas are repeated (phrases, words, etc.)

Anecdote

Using a personal story

Anthropomorphism

Showing animals or inanimate objects to as if they are of human appearances, character, or behaviour

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together in a sentence or verse.

Atmosphere

The way a writer structures a work to convey feelings, emotions, and moods to the reader

Cacophony

Intentionally using hard-sounding words

Colloquialism

An informal word or phrase used in everyday conversation and casual writing

Consonance

Repeated consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words

Diction

Word choice

Elegy

A sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who has died or something in the past

Enjambment

The poetic continuation of a sentence or a phrase from one line of poetry to the next

Epiphany

A moment of sudden realisation or revelation

Euphemism

A word or phrase that softens an uncomfortable topic

Euphony

Combining soft words to create a nice sound

Foil

Using a character to contrast another (e.g., Henry Clerval is a ____ of Victor Frankenstein)

Foreshadowing

A hint or warning of a future event

Hyperbole

Using exaggeration to convey an amplified personal response

Idiom

A group of words or a phrase established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of individual words

Inclusive language

Word choices that acknowledge diversity, convey respect to all people, sensitive to differences, and promote equal opportunities

Internal Rhyme

When words in the same line or internal phrases of a poem rhyme

Irony

Language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect

Juxtaposition

Put two things together for contrasting effect

Metaphor

A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated, further conveying a latent message

Metonymy

The substitution of the name of an attribute for what that thing meant (e.g., The White House as the president)

Metre

The combination of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up the lines in poetry

Ode

A phrase, a short lyric poem that praises an object like another person, idea, or event

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo clock)

Oxymoron

The literary device of putting two opposite or contradictory terms together

Paradox

A logically self-contradicting statement

Personification

Gives an object or animal human qualities, including emotions and thoughts

Pun

Using humorous way of word or phrase, so as to emphasise or suggest its different meanings or applications

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases

Rhetorical question

A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer

Rhythm

The recurring pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the flow of language in a literary work

Sarcasm

The use of irony to mock or convey a concept

Satire

Uses humorous ways to criticise people or ideas. It makes someone or something looking ridiculous, in order to embarrass its target

Sibilance

The repetition of letter sounds that have a hushing or hissing quality

Simile

The use of an expression comparing one thing with another, always including the words “as... as” or “like”

Sonnet

Poem type: a poem that has 14 lines and a particular pattern of rhyme

Stream of consciousness

A style in literature that is used to represent a character’s feelings and thoughts as they experience them, using long continuous pieces of texts without obvious organisation or structure

Symbolism

Using a character to represent abstract ideas or concepts

Syntax

A particular sentence structure by putting words and phrases in a specific pattern, including subject, verb, and object

Theme

A _____ is an idea the author tries to tell from its story to the reader

Understatement

A particular quality of person, object, emotion, or situation is downplayed or presented as being less than what is true to the situation

Zeugma

Using one word or phrase to explain two separate things or thoughts

Zoomorphism

Assigning a person, event, or deity with animalistic characteristics

Bandwagon

A persuasive style of writing that is used to convince readers of an argument or make them understand a certain topic (essentially: oh this thing is cool)

Chiasmus

Exchanging the parallel of the clauses to establish an effect. e.g., Think not what you the country can do for you, think what you can do for the country

Solecism

Using false grammar to establish an effect

Blank verse

Poem type: unrhymed but metred

Free verse

Poem type: doesn’t have a consistent pattern of rhyme and/or metre

Ballad

Poem type: written in short stanzas, often set to music, that tells a story

Heroic coulpets

Poem type: written in rhymed pairs of lines, typically iambic pentameter, often used for epic poetry; The end of sonnets the “GG” are usually these

Iambic pentametre

A metrical pattern consisting of five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables per line; Usually, an iambic pentametre has 10 syllables per line