AP Lang Terms test #1

Allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in

addition to the literal meaning.

Alliteration

--The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring

words (as in "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.

Ambiguity

--The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or

passage.

Anadiplosis

–The repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause.

Analogy

-- A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Anaphora

One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at

the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.

Anecdote

A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most

frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person.

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.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified

abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The

effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.

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.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause

expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause

cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

Colloquial/Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.

Coherence

A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of

the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy

between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.