Literary Terms for AP Language and Composition (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key literary terms and concepts from the lecture notes.

ad hominem argument

An argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, attacking the person rather than the issue.

allegory

A narrative technique in which characters and events symbolize a deeper moral, political, or spiritual meaning beyond the literal story.

alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words, used to reinforce meaning or create a musical effect.

allusion

A direct or indirect reference to a well known person, place, event, or work of art; can be historical, literary, religious, or mythical.

ambiguity

The presence of multiple possible meanings in a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things to explain or illustrate unfamiliar ideas; can make writing more vivid.

antecedent

The noun, pronoun, or phrase that a pronoun refers to.

antithesis

A figure of speech in which opposing ideas are balanced in a parallel structure to emphasize contrast.

aphorism

A terse, memorable statement expressing a general truth or moral principle; when authorship is unknown, it is often a folk proverb.

apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imagined listener or a personified abstraction.

atmosphere

The emotional mood of a literary work, created by setting and description; it can foreshadow events.

caricature

A representation that exaggerates a subject’s distinctive features for comic or grotesque effect.

chiasmus

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism; reversal of terms in successive clauses to create balance.

clause

A grammatical unit with a subject and a verb; independent clauses can stand alone, dependent clauses cannot.

colloquialism

Slang or informal language used in speech or writing; not typically suitable for formal writing.

conceit

A fanciful extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word—the ideas, emotions, or attitudes it suggests.

denotation

The strict, literal dictionary definition of a word, devoid of emotion or connotation.

diction

An author’s word choices and style; how diction contributes to tone, clarity, and purpose.

didactic

Works whose primary aim is to teach or instruct, especially moral or ethical principles.

euphemism

A milder or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts; can soften impact or adhere to political correctness.

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring throughout a work.

figurative language

Language not intended to carry literal meaning, used to be imaginative and vivid.

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language, such as apostrophe, metaphor, irony, and others.

generic conventions

Traditions or features that define a genre and help distinguish between different kinds of writing.

genre

The major category of literature (prose, poetry, drama) with subdivisions; boundaries can be flexible.