AP Lang A-Z

narration

one of the four basic types of prose that tells what's happening in a story

neologism

a newly invented, or coined, word which can be altogether new, an addition to a previous word, or an existing word which can be given new meaning. Example: Shakespeare has been credited with inventing nearly 2,000 words."

objective/ subjective

a type of writing where one is factual and impersonal (o) and the other one which relies heavily on interpretation (s)

Onomatopoeia

a word that captures the essence of what it describes or stands for

oxymoron

two contradictory words in one expression

example: "the room was filled with a deafening silence."

pacing

the speed of a story's action, dialogue, or narration. Some stories are told slowly, some more quickly. Events happen fast or are dragged out according to the narrator's purpose.

panoramic method

Drawn from the film/ photography technique of a wide angle shot, this term refers to an omniscent, or all knowing, narrator in a work of fiction or non-fiction.

paradox

a seeming contridiction that in fact reveals some truth

example: "your enemy's friend is your enemy."

paragraph

the single most important unit of thought in an essay, is a series ot closely related sentences. These sentences adequately delevop a central or controlling idea. This central or controlling idea, usually stated in a topic sentence, is necessiarly related to the purpose of the whole compisition.

Parallelism

a technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures in a series of words in order to develop an argument or emphasize an idea. Paralell structure is the repittion of word order or form either within a single sentence ot in several sentences that develop the same central idea. It can also aid in coherence and add emphasis. Coordinate ideas, compared and contrasted ideas, or correlative constructions.

parody

an imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject

participle

expressions built from verbs that can function as a verb, an adjective, or a noun. They can be in present, past, or infinitive form

Passive Voice

a syntactical term for a sentence where the subject of the sentence is the reciever of the action. example: "a letter is received by him."

pathos

a sympathetic feeling of pity or compassion evoked by an artistic work. Authors often use this mode to appealing to their sense of emotion

periodic syntax

a sentence that delays the unfolding of the sentence's most important news until the very end, creating a sense of suspense that demands the reader's attention, sometimes until the very last word.

person

a grammatical term that describes the relationship of a writer or speaker to an audience by examining the pronouns that are used

persona

the character created by the voice and narration of the speaker of a text

Personification

a figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities

pleonasm

a redundant use of words

example: "It's déjà vu all over again"

point of view

The perspective from which a story is told

Polysyndeton

when coordinating conjunctions that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are intentionally overused. this is done to emphasize the amount of objects in a sequence or to convey enthuasism in the speaker's voice

Preposition

a word that indicates a relationship between words or ideas

process analysis

a type of exposition. it answers the question "how?" and explains how something works by giving step-by-step directions for doing something

proverb

a concise statement that illustrates a deep truth or widely held belief (may not need)

pun

a play on words that is created using a word that has two different meanings, or using two different words with similar meanings, for a playful effect

purpose

what the writer wants to accomplish through a particlar piece of writing. it seeks to relate, describe, explain, or to convince

Repetition

the reuse of the same word or phrase for emphasis or rhetorical effect

rhetorical question

a question that is asked for the sake of argument

rhetorical strategy

the way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose

sarcasm

a form of verbal irony in which apparent compliments are bitter or nasty

satire

a mode of expression that ridiculed or mocks ideas, persons, events, or doctrines in order to make fun of human foibles or weaknesses

sic

a notation made during the transcription process to indicate that an apparent error was made in the source document, not in the transference. the notation usually appears brackets or parenthesis

semicolon

a form of punctuation typically used to join independent clauses

sequence

the order in which a writer presents information

simile

a figure of speech that compares the words, "like" or "as"

slang

the unconventional, very informal language of particular sub-groups of a culture

speaker

the narrator of a story, person, or drama

specific words

words that name individual objects, qualities, or actions within a class or group

general words

groups or classes of objects, qualities, or actions

strategy

a means by which a writer achieves his or her purpose.

stream of consciousness

a narrative technique which is meant to mirror the continuous, and often times disjointed and disconnected, flow of information through a speaker's mind with little or no regard for traditional narrative coherence

style

the manner in which an author uses and arranges words, phrases, and ideas to express his or her ideas

Syllogism

an argument that utilizes deductive reasoning and consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion

symbol

a person, place, or thing that evokes ideas and associations that are not literally part of the original object

Syntax

the way words are arranged in a sentence

Technical language

the special vocabulary of a trade or profession

theme

the central idea, usually an abstract, upon which a written piece, fiction or non-fiction, is built.

thesis

a statement of the main idea of an essay. It can sometimes be implied rather than directly statement

tone

the author's attitude towards a subject or scenario

transitions

words that bring unity and coherence to a piece of writing by drawing connections between paragraphed ideas

Understatement

When an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves

Vernacular

an informal expression that is controversial in nature and usually reflects the culture or an area or group

voice

how the speaker of a literary work presents himself or herself to the reader

zeugma

a figure of speech in which the same word is applied to two other words in the same sentence with a different name

Abovo (Literacy)

Describes a narrative structure that proceeds in a chronological order from beginning to end

Abstract (Grammatical)

Refers to ideas, concepts, and qualities

Acronym (Rhetorical)

A word formed from the initial syllables or letters of a sequence of words

Active Voice (Grammatical)

A syntactical term for a sentence where the subject of that sentence is the doer of the action.

Adjective (Grammatical)

Words that modify nouns

Adjective Clause (Grammatical)

A clause that describes a noun and functions adjectivally in a sentence. Adjective clauses are almost always signaled by a relative pronoun (who, whom, which, that, where, and when).

Adverb (Grammatical)

A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence

Allegory (Literary)

A system of interconnected symbols that work to represent ideas or concepts not readily apparent in the primary narrative

Alliteration (Rhetorical)

The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. This is done to focus or draw the reader's ear to certain words, phrases or lines.

Allusion (Literary)

A passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing drawn from history, the Bible, mythology. literature, etc.

Ambiguity (Rhetorical)

the use of language when multiple meanings are possible. Example: "Chi Chi's, when you want to feel a little Mexican."

Amblysia (Rhetorical)

Modified language that is used in preparation for tragic or alarming news

Anachronism (Literary)

the use of historically inaccurate details in a text usually used to highlight qualities of timelessness. Example: In 'The Once and Future King,' which takes place in the Middle Ages, the character Merlin wears bifocals which were not invented until the 19th century.

Anacoluthon (Rhetorical)

A sentence that begins in one way, pauses, and ends in another; an incomplete or broken-off thought. Example: "Alright kids, today we are going to learn - ahhh, let's go play dodgeball!"

Anadiplosis (Rhetorical)

The repetition (or close repetition) of the final word of a clause at the beginning of the following clause for emphasis. Example: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Anagram (Rhetorical)

Letters of a word or phrase that can be rearranged to make a new word or phrase. These are most often found in titles of works to embed hidden meaning. Example: The Cooking Channel's show, "The United Tastes of America."

Analogy (Rhetorical)

A comparison between two things on the grounds that they share an abstract, third element

Anaphora (Rhetorical

The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. This is used as an emphasizing device.

Anastrophe (Rhetorical)

inversion of the normal word order in a sentence. Example: "Size matters not. Judge me by size, do you?"

Anecdote (Rhetorical)

A short story or recounting of events used in either fiction or non-fiction. It provides a specific focus and personal flavor to a written piece.

Antagonist (Literary)

The character of force in a literary work that opposes the main character.

Antecedent (Grammatical)

The word that a pronoun replaces in a sentence or series of sentences.

Antithesis (Rhetorical)

An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Aphorism (Rhetorical)

A concise statement that illustrates a deep truth or widely held belief. Example: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Apocope (Rhetorical)

The deliberate removal of a letter or letters from the end of a word, usually reflecting an informal or colloquial usage. Example: "I need to grab a taxi (cab) so I'm not late for bio (logy)!"

Aposiopesis (Rhetorical)

A breaking-off of speech, usually meant to indicate rising emotion or excitement. Example: "If you touch me, just one more time-"

Apostrophe (Rhetorical)

A mode of speech where an abstract idea, dead person, thing, or place is addressed directly even though there is no way for that entity to respond. Example: "America, in the face of our common dangers, let us once more brave the icy currents and endure what storms may come."

Appositive (Grammatical)

A modifier that is built from a noun which modifies another noun or pronoun often for the purposes of emphasis

Archaism (Rhetorical)

A form of speech or writing that is outdated, obsolete, or no longer current. Example: "Whilst thou accompany me to purchase a cheeseburger and milkshake at McDonald's?"

Archetype (Literary)

A recognizable theme, symbol, or character that holds a familiar place in culture's consciouness

Argumentum ad (Argumentative)

Distinguishes the different objects to which an author can appeal in persuasive writing.

Assonance (Rhetorical)

A type of internal rhyming in which identical or similar vowel sounds are repeated. Like alliteration and consonance, this is done to focus, or draw the reader's ear to certain words, phrases, or lines

Assumption (Rhetorical)

A belief or principle, stated or implied, that is taken for granted.

Asyndeton (Rhetorical)

When coordinating conjunctions (such, as, and, or, but) that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence. Example: "Sammy was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing."

Atmosphere (Literary)

A compound term that encompasses the tone (the author's attitude towards a subject) and mood (the audience's attitude towards a subject)

Audience (Rhetorical)

The intended readership for a piece of writing or speech. Writers need to consider their audience when composing. An audience can be either broad or narrow

Bombast (Rhetorical)

inflated or pretentious language that does not match the context of its use. Example: "I have a affinity for that peculiarly American sandwich, known to commoners as a hamburger."

Cacophony (Rhetorical)

An author's choice of words, usually alliterative, that create harsh, discordant, and granting sounds when read aloud.

Caricature (Literary)

Occurs when an author exaggerates or distorts certain traits/characteristics of an individual for a ludicrous effect.

Consonance (Rhetorical)

The repetition of two or more consonant sounds located within a series of words.

Ex: Splish Splash, I was taking a bath.

Chiasmus (Rhetorical)

reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses Example: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

Coordinating Conjunction (Grammatical)

words that provide a loose link among items that are equal in rank.

Ex: for, and, nor but, or, yet, so)

Circumlocution (Rhetorical)

Unnecessary wordiness; the use of many words when a few would express an idea with greater clarity. Example: "William Shakespeare, a great English playwright."

Claim (Argumentative)

The proposition put forth in an argument

Chliché (Literary)

An expression that has become ineffective through overuse. Example: "I lost track of time."

Clause (Grammatical)

A statement the contains a noun and a verb.