AP Lit Vocab

studied byStudied by 67 People
5.0(1)
Get a hint
hint

Alliteration

1/46

Studying Progress

New cards
46
Still learning
0
Almost done
0
Mastered
0
46 Terms
New cards

Alliteration

Repetition of consonants at the beginning of words that are near each other or repetition of ronsonants at the reginning of rords that are rear each rother.

New cards
New cards

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature or some cultural knowledge that contributes to meaning.

New cards
New cards

Anadiplosis

The repetition of the last word of one phrase, clause or sentence at the beginning of the next same structure.

New cards
New cards

Analogy

A likeness or connection between two things that are not alike in most ways

New cards
New cards

Anaphora

Repetition of words/sentences/phrases at the beginning of lines /sentences/paragraphs. Anaphora is prominent in the Bible (which I know to capitalize always) and in works like MLK's "I have a dream" speech

New cards
New cards

Antecedent

Word for which a pronoun stands.

New cards
New cards

Apostrophe

The direct address of someone or something that is not present.

New cards
New cards

Archetype

A plot or character element that recurs in cultural myths such as the quest or the descent into the underworld

New cards
New cards

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds usually internally rather than literally

New cards
New cards

Asyndeton

A stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses. Its use can have t eh effect of speeding up the rhythm of a passage and making a single idea more memorable.

New cards
New cards

Bathos

A deliberate anticlimax to make a definite point or draw attention to a falseness. May be humorous.

New cards
New cards

Caesura

A pause within a line of verse; may come at an unexpected point in the rhyme.

New cards
New cards

Catharsis

A purifying or cleansing of the emotions, brought on by a literary experience, especially Greek drama

New cards
New cards

Chiasmus

Chiasmus refers to repetition of ideas or diction but in a different order.

The land was ours before we were the land's."

New cards
New cards

Conceit

A very elaborate comparison between unlikely objects.

New cards
New cards

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds without the vowel sound repeated

New cards
New cards

Diction

Word Choice

New cards
New cards

Enjambment

The running-on of one line of poetry into another. In modern poetry, enjambment often gives the poem a conversational tone.

New cards
New cards

Epigram

A short often witty verse or quotation at the beginning of a story, book, poem, or chapter.

New cards
New cards

Euphemism

Using a softer, gentler word instead of the most accurate.

EX: passed away instead of died

New cards
New cards

Hyperbole

Refers to a large overstatement often used to draw attention to a mark of beauty or a virtue or an action with which the writer/narrator disagrees.

New cards
New cards

Imagery

Use of sensory details; using language that appeals to the senses. Usually imagery is visual but may involve the other senses as well.

New cards
New cards

In Medias Res

Latin for "in the middle of things, this term suggests that a narrative begins at the high point of the story, then flashes back to cover background and previous action. My best example yet is Morrison's Paradise, which begins: "They shot the white girl first and took their time with the rest."

New cards
New cards

Irony

A discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.

New cards
New cards

Litotes

Emphasis by conscious understatement

New cards
New cards

Malapropism

Comical misuse of language; from the character Mrs. Malaprop in a play by Sheridan.

New cards
New cards

Metaphor

A comparison of two unlike things feelings or objects; may merely suggest the comparison.

New cards
New cards

Metonymy

when a related object represents an entity. Examples include referring to the opinions and actions of the President as "the oval office." Another example comes from Middle English kennings such as "the whale road" for the ocean.

New cards
New cards

Motif

A recurring symbol, image, word, character, or idea that contributes meaning throughout a work.

New cards
New cards

Onomatopoeia

A device in which the word captures the sound.

New cards
New cards

Oxymoron

A form of paradox in which contradictory words are used next to each other.

New cards
New cards

Parable

A short allegorical story that teaches a moral about life, usually connected to religion

New cards
New cards

Pathos

A quality that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness or sorrow.

New cards
New cards

Paradox

A situation or action or feeling that appears to be contradictory but on inspection turns out to be true or at least to make sense within its context.

New cards
New cards

Personification

Attributing or referring to an inanimate object as human or possessing human attributes.

New cards
New cards

Polysyndeton

The use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"). This can achieve a variety of effects: increase the rhythm of prose, speed or slow its pace, convey solemnity or even ecstasy and childlike exuberance.

New cards
New cards

Pun

A play on words for humorous or sarcastic effect.

New cards
New cards

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to make a point; no answer is expected. EX: Is that any way to treat your mother?

New cards
New cards

Sarcasm

When verbal irony is too harsh, it become sarcasm, the "lowest form of wit."

New cards
New cards

Simile

Comparison using "like" or "as."

New cards
New cards

Stream of Consciousness

A writer records what his character is thinking without obvious connections from one subject to another. Faulkner does this to some degree (and sometimes) in S & F and James Joyce does it all the time. This technique forces readers to draw conclusions on their own.

New cards
New cards

Synechdoche

When a part of an object is used to represent the entire thing or vice versa.

New cards
New cards

Syllepsis

A grammatical construction in which a word connects to two or more other words in different ways. Example: He lost his money and then his mind.

New cards
New cards

Syntax

Pattern of word choice.

New cards
New cards

Tone

The attitude of the author toward his subject. Tone is hard to find since it's not stated directly.

New cards
New cards

Zeugma

Same as Syllepsis

New cards