AP Lang Study Matching

35 Terms

Allegory

Story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other

people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities.

Alliteration

repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.

Allusion

reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature, etc.).

Ambiguity

deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way- - this is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work.

Anecdote

Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual

Antithesis

Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure.

Aphorism

brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram.

Assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together.

Asyndeton

Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z... the writer uses X,Y,Z.... see polysyndeton.

Characterization

the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.

Cliche

is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse. Avoid clichés like the plague. (That cliché is intended.)

Colloquialism

a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations.

Connotation

the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.

Diction

a speaker or writer’s choice of words.

Didactic

form of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.

Farce

a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations.

Irony

a discrepancy between appearances and reality.

Juxtaposition

poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit.

Metaphor

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.

Metonymy

a figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it. “We requested from the crown support for our petition.” The crown is used to represent the monarch.

Mood

An atmosphere created by a writer’s diction and the details selected.

Motif

a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author), unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme.

Oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. “Jumbo shrimp.” “Pretty ugly.” “Bitter-sweet”

Paradox

a statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth.

Parallelism

the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.

Parody

a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s style.

Personification

a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.

Polysyndeton

sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series. Instead of X, Y, and Z... Polysyndeton results in X and Y and Z... Kurt Vonnegut uses this device.

Rhetoric

Art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse.

Satire

a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about a change.

Style

the distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer’s distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax.

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. “If you don’t drive properly, you will lose your wheels.” The wheels represent the entire car.

Theme

the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.

Tone

the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.

Understatement

a statement that says less than what is meant.