AP Lit Terms

Assonance

A literary device in which the repetition of similar vowel sounds takes place in two or more words in proximity to each other.

Apostrophe

A poetic phrase or speech made by a character that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present.

Couplet

A literary device featuring two consecutive lines of poetry that typically rhyme and have the same meter.

Allusion

A reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar.

Connotation

A meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly.

Realism

A movement in art and literature that began in the 19th century, representing reality by portraying everyday experiences.

Deus Ex Machina

A circumstance where an implausible concept or a divine character is introduced to resolve a conflict.

Dynamic Character

A character that undergoes inner changes or develops throughout the narrative.

Static Character

A character that does not undergo inner changes or develop during the story.

Round Character

A character with a complex personality and depth, often undergoing significant development.

Flat Character

A character that is simple and does not undergo significant change.

Enjambment

A literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea over to the next line without a grammatical pause.

Euphemism

A figure of speech used to replace a word or phrase that might make others uncomfortable.

Litotes

A figure of speech featuring a phrase that uses negative wording to express a positive assertion.

Epigraph

A literary device in the form of a quotation or phrase at the beginning of a document, belonging to another writer.

Meter

The basic rhythmic structure of a line within a poem, governing syllables and emphasis.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes an implicit comparison between two non-similar things.

Stream of Consciousness

The continuous flow of thoughts recorded in literature as they occur.

Satire

A literary device for the artful ridicule of folly or vice to create awareness and correction.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two dissimilar objects or concepts using 'like' or 'as'.

Sesquipedalian

The use of long words or the overuse of multisyllabic words.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something signifies the whole, or vice-versa.

Zeugma

A figure of speech in which a word applies to more than one noun, blending together different ideas.

Voice

The form or format through which narrators tell their stories.

Vignette

A small impressionistic scene or descriptive passage focusing on a particular moment.

Verisimilitude

Likeness to the truth; the resemblance of fictitious works to real events.

Tone

A literary device that reflects the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter or audience.

Theme

The central, deeper meaning of a written work.

Soliloquy

A speech or monologue spoken by a single character in a theatrical work, expressing inner thoughts.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one object takes the place of another with which it has a close association.

Foreshadowing

A literary device that hints at what is to come later in a story.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but makes sense upon reflection.

Parallelism

The repetition of grammatical elements in writing to influence structure and meaning.

Personification

A figure of speech in which human attributes are given to nonhuman ideas or things.

Pun

A literary device known as a play on words, involving similar sounds but different meanings.

Point of View

The angle or perspective from which a story is told.

Portmanteau

A literary device in which two words are combined to coin a new word referring to a single concept.

Parody

An imitation of the style of something, exaggerated to create a comedic effect.

Onomatopoeia

A word that sounds like what it refers to or describes.

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines of verse.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech pairing two contradictory words together.

Freytag’s Pyramid

A plot structure outlining five key elements of a story: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech that creates a heightened effect through deliberate exaggeration.

Internal Rhyme

A poetic device defined as metrical lines in which middle and end words rhyme with one another.

Intertextuality

A literary device making use of a textual reference within some body of text, reflecting the text used as a reference.

Irony

A literary device in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality different from what appears to be true.

Iambic Pentameter

A rhythmic pattern in poetry made up of two words, where an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable for a total of 10 syllables.

Diction

The linguistic choices made by a writer to effectively convey an idea or point of view.

Conceit

A comparison that is convoluted, unconventional, and improbable.

Allegory

A narration or description where events or characters represent specific abstractions or ideas.

Alliteration

A literary device that reflects repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.