AP Eng 3 Literary Terms #1-60

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allegory

the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning, usually deals with moral truth or a generalization. Examples: hope, freedom

alliteration

the repetition sounds, especially in initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words, to reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and/or supply a musical sound. Example: she sells sea shells

allusion

a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Examples: Hitler (historical), Kurtz in Heart of Darkness(literary), Noah and the Flood(religious), Atlas (mythical)

ambiguity

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

analogy

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. Analogies can explain something more familiar and make writing move vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging

Antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

aphorism

a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author’s point

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction to add a familiarity or emotional intensity. Examples: liberty, love, William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, “Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: England addresses thee.“

atmosphere

the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described. Even weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events.

clase

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. Independent vs Dependent Example: Because I practiced hard, my AP scores were high

colloquial/colloquialism

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms, give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.

conceit

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.

connotation

the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word, involving ideas, emotions, or attitudes.

denotation

the literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude or color.

diction

related to style, diction refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates the author’s style. Examples: formal or informal, ornate or plain

didactic

from the Greek, didactic literally means “teaching“. Didactic works have the primary aim the teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

euphemism

from the Greek for “good speech“, euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Example: “earthly remains“ not “corpse“

extended metaphor

a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

figurative language

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

figure of speech

a device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Examples: apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonomy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement

generic conventions

the traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre. Example: differentiate between an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing.

genre

the major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.

homily

this term literally means “sermon“, but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

hyperbole

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comical effect; however a serious effect is also possible Often, hyperbole producers irony at the same time.

imagery

the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; on a deeper lever, however, one image can represent more than one thing. Example: a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman’s cheek.

inference/infer

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple choice questions asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it;s unlikely to be the correct answer. Note that if the answer choice is directly stated, it is not inferred and it is not wrong.

invective

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

irony/ironic

the contrast between what is state explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. Irony is used for many reasons, but frequently, it;s used to create poignancy or humor. Example: verbal, situational, dramatic irony.

loose sentence

a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational.

metaphor

a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity. Metaphorical language makes language more vivid, imaginative, and meaningful.

metonomy

greek meaning “changed label“ or “substitute name“, figure of speech which the name of one subject is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. Example: “the White House Declared“ rather than “the President declared“

mood

(1) grammatical - verbal units and the speaker’s attitude Indicative(factual): “Joe eats too quickly.“ Subjunctive(doubtful or conditional attitude): “If I were you, I’d get another job. “ Imperative(commands): “Shut the door!“ (2) Literary - Prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura using the setting, tone, and events of a work

narrative

the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

onomatopoeia

a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Examples: buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, murmur

oxymoron

greek for “pointedly foolish,“ figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Examples: jumbo shrimp and cruel kindness

paradox

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. Example: the first scene of Macbeth closes with the witches’ cryptic remark “Fair is foul, and foul is fair…“

parallelism

greek roots meaning, “beside one another“, refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. Example: Charles Dickens’s A tale of Two Cities begins with, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…“

parody

a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, it distorts or exaggerates distinctive features of the original. As ridicule, it mimics the work by repeating and borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weakness in the original.

pedantic

an adjective that describes words, phrases or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

periodic sentence

a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. The independent clause is preceded by a phrase or cluse that cannot stand alone. The effect is to add emphasis and structural variety. Example: “Ecstatic with my AP scores, I let out a loud shout of joy!“

personification/pathetic fallacy

a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them human attributes or emotions to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told. (1) First person Narrator: tells a story with the first person pronoun "I“ and is a character in the story. (2) Third Person Narrator: related the events with third person pronouns “he“, “she“, and “it“. Omniscient: narrator presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters Limited Omniscient: presents the thoughts and feelings of only one character

predicate adjective

one type of subject compliment-an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. Example: “My boyfriend is tall, dark, and handsome are predicate adjectives“

predicate nominative

a second type of subject complement- a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. Example: “Abe Lincoln was a man of integrity.“; man of integrity is the predicate nominative

prose

one of the major divisions of genre, refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms, because they are written in ordinary .language and most closely resemble everyday speech, anything that isn’t drama or poetry.

repetition

the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern to link & emphasize ideas while allowing the reader the comfort of recognizing something familiar.

rhetoric

greek for “orator,“ describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

rhetorical modes

describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. (1) Exposition: Explains and analyzes information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion (2) Argumentation: Proves the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convinces the reader (3) description: recreates, invents, or visually presents a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that being described (4) Narration: Tells a story or narrates an event or series of events

sarcasm

greek meaning “to tear flesh,“ involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something to be witty and insightful; may use irony as a device

satire

a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and convention for reform or ridicule. Often uses irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm, to be humorous, thought provoking, and insightful.

semantics

the branch of linguistics that studies that meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.

style

(1) an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. Example: flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic (2) Classification of authors to similar authors. Example: Demonstrate how an author’s style reflects and helps define a historical period or literary movement

subject complement

the word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it. The former is technically called a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective.

subordinate clause

am word group that contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, it cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, it depends on a main clause to complete its meaning

syllogism

from the greek for “reckoning together”, a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. Example: Major premise - Socrates is a man. Conclusion -Therefore, Socrates is mortal

symbol/symbolism

anything that represents or stands for something else, usually something concrete like an object, action, character or scene. (1) natural - Objects and occurrences from nature represent ideas commonly associated with them- a rose symbolizes love (2) Conventional - Invested with meaning by a group - Crossbones symbolize pirates (3) Literary - found in a variety of works and generally recognized - Whale in Moby Dick

syntax

the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences; Groups of words rather than individual (diction)

theme

the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction my b directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative.

thesis

the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. Expository writing is judge by how accurately, effectively. and thoroughly it is proved.

tone

similar to mood, describes the author’s attitude toward his or her material,. the audience, or both. Example: playful. serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, somber