AP Lang Devices

alliteration

The sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables

ex. Peter Piper picked a pick of pickled peppers

anaphora

The regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses

ex. I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up...I have a dream that my four little children will live in a nation where they won't be judged

assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words

ex. We slowly drove, he knew no haste

cacophony

The use of unappealing, repulsive, or harsh noises (mostly consonants) to evoke chaos, disorder, or dread

ex. Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! The frumious Bandersnatch!

caesura

A stop or pause in a metrical line, often marked by punctuation or by a grammatical boundary, such as a phrase or clause

ex. To be or not to be—that is the question

consonance

The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels. Different from alliteration in that the repetition does ot occur at the beginning of the word

ex. The lint was sent with the tent

couplet

A pair of successive rhyming lines, usually of the same length

ex. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see /

So long lives this

and this gives life to thee

dactyl

A metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables

ex.

Canon to right of them

Canon to left of them

Canon in front of them

Volleyed and thundered

ellison

The omission of unstressed syllables (e.g., "ere" for "ever"), usually to fit a metrical scheme

ex. I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills

enjambment

A poetic device in which a thought or an idea in a poem carries over from one line to another without pause

ex. i stand before you to say / that today i walked home / & caught the light through / the fence & it was so golden / i wanted to cry

epigram

A pithy, often witty, poem

ex. Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found

epigraph

A quotation placed beneath the title at the beginning of a poem or section of a poem

ex. "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once" —Charles Lamb

epistrophe

In rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences

ex. "The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman" —Malcolm X

euphony

The repetitive use of mellow melodic tones that are enjoyable to read or listen to. Soft consonant sounds like m, n, w, r, and f as well as consonants that vibrate, such as sh, and th, are used to create this

ex. Seasons of mists and mellow fruitlessness / and close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; / conspiring with him how to load and bless / with fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

imagery

Strong visual, auditory, olfactory, and even tactile sensations to give the reader a sense of time and place

ex. And then she began to dance, a slow sensuous movement; the smoke of a hundred cigars clinging to her like the thinnest of veils. She seemed like a fair bird-girl, girdled in veils calling to me from the angry surface of some, gray and threatening sea

ode

A formal. often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates a person, place, thing, or idea

ex. ___ on Melancholy

Ay, in the very temple of Delight

Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine, though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue can burst joy's grape against his palate fine;

His soul shalt taste the sadness of her might, and be among her cloudy trophies hung.

onomatopoeia

A word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes

ex. I heard a fly buzz / when I died

pun

A play on words

"They seemed to think the opportunity lost, if they failed to point the conversation to me, every now and then, and stick the point into me" - Great Expectations

tmesis

Cutting a word in half for emphasis

ex. un-freaking-believable

appositive

Nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses that rename a noun that comes just before them. Remember that an appositive can be a single word or several words

ex. "The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise...then she laughed, an absurd, charming little laugh"

asyndeton

A syntactical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose

ex. "We're on an island...We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no people" - Lord of the Flies

ellipsis

The omission of a word or words. It refers to constructions in which words are left out of a sentence, but the sentences can be understood

ex. Lacy can do something about the problem, but I don't know what (she can do)

periodic sentence

A long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end. Creates suspense and anticipation.

ex. With blood-curdling scream and claws outstretched, the eagle went after the rabbit

polysyndeton

A stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect

ex. "Let the white folks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and lawns like carpet, and books, and mostly-mostly-let them have their whiteness" - Maya Angelou

telegraphic sentence

A sentence that includes no more than five words

ex. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." - 1984

conceit

A comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem

ex. Let us go then, you and I,

When the evening is spread out against the sky

Like a patient etherized upon a table

extended metaphor

A series of comparisons within a piece of writing

ex. Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

juxtaposition

The location of one thing adjacent to or juxtaposed with another to create an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose

ex. When the cat's away, the mice will play

metaphor

One thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy; an implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another without the use of a verbal signal such as like or as

ex. My body is a temple

metonymy

A figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something

ex. "Big Brother is watching" (Big Brother = the higher-ups)

personification anthropomorphism

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities

ex. The sun smiled down on us

simile

A direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection

ex. "Butch had a laugh like the edges of an April sunset—translucent and mystifying" - The Women of Brewster Place

synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part signifies a whole

ex. Look at my new wheels! (refers to a new car)

ambiguity

A word, statement, or situation with two or more possible meanings

ex. Leaving behind me—wag

colloquial diction

A term identifying the diction of common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area

ex. "Wanna drink a pop and go watch da Bears?"

diction

The specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect

didactic

Writing with an instructive purpose or lesson. It is often associated with a dry, pompous presentation, regardless of its innate value to the reader/listener

ex. There lived a little boy who was misled by another little boy and this is what he said

Me and you Ty, we gonna make ome cash robbin' old folks and makin' that dash

...

Before long the little boy got surrounded

He dropped the gun, so went the glory, and this is the way I have to end this story...

The cops shot the kid, I still hear him scream...just another case about the wrong path

Straight and narrow or your soul gets cast

idiom

A saying, phrase, or fixed expression in a culture that has figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. It gains that meaning through repetition in a culture.

ex. Don't cry over spilled milk

jargon

Specialized or technically language of a trade , profession, or similar group.

ex. 'geek, crash, bug, and interface' are all _____ from the computer industry

accumulation

A figure of speech in rhetoric that creates a list or gathers scattered ideas in a way that builds up, emphasizes, or summarizes the main point

ex. "He liked to hear of how Japan was conquering China; of how Hitler was running the Jews to the ground; of how Mussolini was invading Spain. He was not concerned with whether these acts were right or wrong; they simply appealed to him as possible avenues of escape" - Native Son

allusion

Literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference

ex. Henry bores me, with his plights and groups as bad as achilles

antanaclasis

A rhetorical device in which a word is repeated an whose meaning changes in teh second instance; a common type of pun

ex. But just because a record has a groove don't make it in the groove

(just because a record has ridges doesn't make it groovy)

antithesis

The juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas

ex. "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times" - A Tale of Two Cities

apostrophe

The act of addressing some inanimate abstraction or person that is not physically present: It often helps the speaker to be able to express his or her thoughts aloud

ex. Silly, you men—so very adept

at wrongly faulting womankind

not seeing you're alone to blame

for faults you place in a woman's mind

chiasmus

The figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second

ex. Or which is more to be blamed

though both will have cause for chagrin

the woman who sins for money

or the man who pays money to sin

dysphemism

The use of a harsh, more offensive word instead of one considered less harsh; generally used to shock or offend.

ex. 'Cancer stick' to refer to a cigarette

euphemism

An indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expression unpleasant information

ex. Take from your happy spring the sweet fruit

before the angry weather covers the beautiful summit with snow

(____ for taking advantage of youth)

hyperbole

Overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention

ex. The AP Lang exam is impossible

hypophora

When a rhetorical question is raised and then answered

ex. "There are those who are asking...'When will you be satisfied?' We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality"

anastrophe

Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence; a fancy word for inversion

ex. Hard on the land wears the strong sea

and empty grows every bed

isocolon

Parallel structure in which th parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure but also lengths

ex. "Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!"

litotes

A figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive statement

ex. It wasn't a terrible trip

meiosis

A figure of speech that minimizes the importance of something through euphemism; downplaying

ex. "I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said 'You're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air!"

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements

ex. "She's a devastating beauty, a pretty girl with ebony eyes"

paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but is probably true

ex. "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. It's weird not to be weird" — John Lennon

parallelism

The use of similar forms of writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts

ex. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach when feeling out of sight

rhetorical question

A question asked when he questioner themself knows the answer already or an answer is not actually demanded; self-evident, used for style as an impressive persuasive device

ex. "If a leopard never changes its spots, how can I change what I've got?...If it''s in my nature, transform, transform, transform"

sarcasm

A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical

ex. Mr Gucciardi is an elite genius

situational irony

When events end up the opposite of what is expected

ex. The song "Georgie Porgie" by MC Lyte, where George is presented as being nice and neat, and in the end he is revealed to be an avid smoker with cancer who dies drunkenly in a car crash

verbal irony

What the author/narrator says is actually the opposite of what is meant

ex. "This AP class is so fun and rewarding"

zeguma

Grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated

ex. "Without love, it's like getting my big break and laryngitis!" — Hairspray

ballad

A popular narrative song passed down orally. Folk ____ are anonymous and recount tragic, comic, or heroic stories with emphasis on a central dramatic event

ex. "I was a child and she was a child

In this garden by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee" — Annabel Lee or

allegory

A narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrate multiple levels and meaning of significance Often it is a universal symbol or personified abstraction.

ex. George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is ____ for corrupt governments

aphorism

A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief; closely related to idiom but an idiom that expresses a specific belief

ex. Nature's first green is gold

Her hardest hue to hold

Her early leaf's a flower

But only so an hour

...

Nothing gold can stay

satire

A literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure

ex. Don Quijote by Miguel de Cervantes is a ___ of traditional knight stories

elegy

A poem or pose work that laments, or mediates upon the death of a person or persons

ex. "Marilyn Monroe was a legend. In her own lifetime, she created a myth of what a poor girl from a deprived background could attain. For the entire world she became a symbol of the eternal feminine..."

malapropism

An incorrect word used accidentally in place of another word with a similar sound. Can be humourous as they give rise to nonsensical statements.

ex. "We is having an interesting babblement about the taste of the human bean. The human bean is not a vegetable...[it has] two legs and a vegetable has none at all" — BFG

bathos

A term used to refer to a writer's inadequate and absurd attempts to use pathos; pathos in a way that is over the top and absurd

ex. "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them...Suddenly Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. 'They're such beautiful shirts,' she sobbed. 'It makes me sad because I've never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.'

circumlocution

A rhetorical device in which the author adds in superfluous words to extend the intended message

ex. Of the liquid refreshment, I am completely devoid, so I would be much obliged, if a beverage your employed (long way of saying: I'm thirsty)

anachromism

Someone or something placed in an inapprorpiate period of time

ex. Don Quijote's century old armor in "Don Quijote"

claim

In argumentation, an assertion of something as a fact; in this case, highly dubious

ex. "The AP Lang exam is an accurate measurement of your writing ability and a reliable predictor or success in college-level coursework"

ethos (appeal to ethics)

When a speaker claims to be an expert in their field

ex. Having been a licensed nutritionist for over 15 years, I can assure you that this diet plan is safe and effective

logos (appeal to logic)

When a writer or speaker appeals to the use of reason

ex. Throughout the speech, Madeline K Albright presents conclusive evidence, such as the military successes of the US, in order to convey the potency and capacities of the United States government

inferences

A conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data

ex. There's an 80% chance of rain today; I should probably bring an umbrella

pathos (appeal to emotion)

When a speaker attempts to play on the emotions of a group of people

ex. By ignoring the plights of America's refugees, we are turning our backs on humanity itself

deductive reasoning (syllogism)

The method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles; movement from the general to the specific

ex. Socrates is a man

All men are mortal

Therefore, Socrates is mortal

concession

Agreeing with the opposing viewpoint on a certain smaller point (but not in the larger argument)

ex. While I admit that hybrid cards have higher carbon production costs that conventional automobiles, this is dramatically offset by the much smaller lifetime carbon footprint of the vehicles

inductive reasoning

The method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principles; a general supposition is made after investigating specific instances

ex. In "To Kill a Mockingbird" the jurors find Tom Robinson guilty due to his race, so all the people of Maycomb County must be racist

rebuttal

An argument technique wherin opposing arguments are anticipated and countered

ex. While social media allows some connection, studies have shown that these actions are superficial and often replace meaningful face-to-face relationships

appeal to ignorance

When one individual utilizes another individual's lack of information on a specific subject as proof that his or her own particular argument is right

ex. Ghosts do exist. Science measures the physical world in order to come to conclusions, and ghosts are nonphysical entities. Therefore, science cannot prove that they don't exist since they don't have the tools to look for them

appeal to authority (argumentum verecundia)

Instead of concentrating on the benefits of an argument, the arguer will attempt to append the argument to an individual of power or authority in an effort to give trustworthiness to their argument

ex. Well, Isaac Newton trusted in alchemy. Do you suppose you know more than Isaac Newton?

appeal to popular opinion

when somebody asserts that a thought or conviction is correct since it is the thing that the general population accepts

ex. Everybody walks to Dunkin' Donuts during lunch, so their drinks must be really delicious

guilt by association

When somebody connects a particular thought or issue to something or somebody negative, so as to infer blame on another individual

ex. "Hitler was a veggie lover, so I don't trust vegans"

ad hominem

Where an individual substitutes a rebuttal with a personal insult; common fallacy used during debates

ex. Why listen to the senator's takes on 'family stability—' he's a divorcee!

begging the question

The conclusion of a contention is accepted as a statement of the inquiry itself. Simply restating the premises of the claim as the conclusion

ex. Reading is essential because it's necessary to succeed

circular reasoning

When an argument takes its evidence from an element inside of the argument itself, instead of from an outside source

ex. We should believe in God because the Bible tells us to. We should believe in the Bible because it is the word of God.

post hoc

When the individual making the contention joins two occasions that happen consecutively, and accepts that one created or caused the other

ex. I saw a jaybird, and ten minutes later I crashed my car. Jaybirds are really bad luck

false dichotomy (bifurcation)

When somebody presents their argument in such a way that there are just two conceivable alternatives left

ex. "Across the world, governments have heard this message: You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists" — George Bush

slippery slope

When one contends that an exceptionally minor movement will unavoidably prompt great and frequently ludicrous conclusions

ex. If I don't get an A on this test, I'll end up homeless—living on the side of the road!

syllogistic fallacy

A false argument, as it implies an incorrect conclusion; may also be used to form incorrect conclusions that are odd

ex. All dogs are mammals, and all cats are mammals, so my dog must be a cat