AP Lang: AP Terms

ad hominem argument

throwing irrelevant facts to a given argument, rather than providing logical reasoning (personal attacks)

ad hominem argument

Person 1: I wish the government would implement minimum wage.

Person 2: You only say that because you didn't get a good job.

allegory

a symbol (usually literature) that reveals a hidden meaning/provides a moral message

allegory

"The Tortoise and the Hare": Slow and steady wins the race. The story is not just about two animals racing each other.

alliteration

repetition of the same first letter/sound

alliteration

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

allusion

an indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work

allusion

He was the smartest in the class; he was practically Einstein!

ambiguity

being vague, more than one interpretation

ambiguity

The chicken is ready to eat.

^^the chicken being eaten vs. the chicken eating

analogy

comparison that points out similarities between two different things

analogy

Time is money, so we should use it wisely.

antecedent

A word to which a pronoun refers to or replacing

antecedent

Chelsey finished her presentation.

antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast in a parallel structure

antithesis

They promised freedom but provided slavery.

Too black for heaven, yet too white for hell.

aphorism

a statement revealing the truth in a concise manner

aphorism

Actions speak louder than words.

apostrophe

addresses a person or personified thing not present

apostrophe

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

atmosphere

the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art.

atmosphere

The sight of fog during the night gave her chills down her spine.

caricature

a distorted representation of an individual that could exaggerate their characteristics

caricature

Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of having a good deal of train oil in his system.

chiasmus

statement with repeating words in a criss-cross sequence

chiasmus

"All for one, and one for all."

clause

A structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate. Independent clauses, sometimes called main clauses, may stand on their own as complete sentences; dependent clauses, which are sued as nouns or modifiers, are incomplete sentences and cannot stand alone grammatically. Dependent clauses are sometimes called subordinate clauses. Dependent clauses that function as adjectives, nouns, or adverbs are known, respictively, as adjective, noun, and adverbial clauses

clause

I went to the bookstore.

colloquialism

form of speaking that uses informal tone and words

colloquialism

Y'all are doomed if I don't help y'all with this project.

conceit

unconventional comparison between two drastically different concepts/objects

- elaborate metaphor/extended metaphor

conceit

A broken heart is like a damaged clock.

connotation

an idea that is implied, not literal meaning

- interpretation/association of a term

connotation

She's feeling blue.

denotation

Dictionary or literal meaning

denotation

The sky is blue.

diction

the writer's way of selecting words to establish a tone/evoke a feeling, word choice

diction

Good morning, Sir. I will submit the papers by tomorrow afternoon.

- being formal

didactic

instructing, having a primary aim of teaching → moral/ethical principles

didactic

the story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"

euphemism

polite word or phrase replacing one that may be too direct, unpleasant, or embarrassing

euphemism

I am sorry to inform you that your monkey has passed away.

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

- occurs frequently

extended metaphor

"The sea is a playful cat. It licks and paws the beach. On sunny days it lies calmly with its belly to the sun."

figurative language

using words in a way that provides complication and has another meaning other than its literal definition

figurative language

"The news hit me like a ton of bricks."

generic conventions

factors that aid the reader in identifying what the genre of the writing is

generic conventions

setting, theme, characters

genre

type of literary work that falls under a category due to its special factors

genre

science fiction, fantasy, thriller, horror, etc.

homily

extended speech, usually a religious one that provides correction

- moral or spiritual advice

homily

"In all things, we want Jesus to increase and our own will, our own desires, our own attachments, to decrease."

"A penny saved is a penny earned."

hyperbole

exaggerated statement

- not to be taken literally

hyperbole

I'm so hungry I could eat a hundred horses.

imagery

descriptive words that appeals to the reader, allowing them to visualize it

- five senses

imagery

The grass was green, and the flowers were red.

inference/infer

drawing a conclusion from supported evidence (hypothesis)

inference/infer

She must be hungry since she is making food to eat.

Logically thinking that she is hungry since we know that she is making food.

invective

attacking another person (abusive language/tone)

- negative emotion

invective

"You're literally a dirty rotten scoundrel."

irony/ironic (3)

when an event contradicts what readers expect

three types: verbal, dramatic, situational

v: similar to sarcasm

d: only the audience knows

s: event mocks current circumstance

irony/ironic (3)

The weather is great outside!

(It's actually raining with flash floods, not sunny.)

juxtaposition

a comparison, two things close together with a contrast (c/c)

juxtaposition

Night and day, good and evil, justice and revenge, etc.

loose sentence

main point (independent clause), followed by side points (subordinating clauses)

loose sentence

I went to the movies yesterday, bought candy, and shopped at the mall.

periodic sentence

complex sentence: main clause at the end instead of the beginning

periodic sentence

"In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued."

metaphor

figurative language that reveals similarity between two things by denoting one object as another

metaphor

Your bedroom is a dump.

metonymy

figure of speech: name of object/concept is replaced with word that is closely related to the original

metonymy

"the White House" is a metonymy for the presidential administration."

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

mood

emotion that author strives to evoke in the reader, atmosphere of the work

mood

funny, sad, nostalgic, etc.

narrative

story, could be true or fictitious & is told by a sequence of events

narrative

essays, fairy tales, etc.

The Box Man

onomatopoeia

word made from a sound, associated with what is named

onomatopoeia

pop, oink, sizzle, splat, etc.

oxymoron

figure of speech: combing contradicting words with opposing meanings

oxymoron

deafening silence, falsely true, cruel kindness

paradox

statement that contradicts itself, both true and untrue

- could reveal a deeper meaning, or make sense

paradox

"Less is more."

"Save money by spending it."

"If I know one thing, it's that I know nothing."

parallelism

literary device: parts of the sentence are similar (repeated words, phrases, etc.)

parallelism

"Easy come, easy go."

parody

intentionally exaggerating literary work for humorous effect (satirizes it)

parody

Henry Beard and Douglas Kenney's Bored of the Rings ( parodies J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings)

pedantic

pedantic diction: excessive usage of academic words to seem highly educated

pedantic

"I regret to inform you, my dear son, that I am unable to fulfill your request for pecuniary assistance at this moment. It is with a heavy heart that I must decline your entreaty, as my current financial circumstances do not permit such an indulgence."

personification

literary device: human characteristics for nonhuman things

personification

The thunder clapped.

point of view (3)

position of who is narrating a story

- first: I/we

- second: you

- third: he/she/it/they

point of view (3)

- I need to do my homework. (first-person)

- You need to stop when the light turns red. (second-person)

- She drives carefully because it is raining. (third-person)

anaphora

anaphora

antimetabole

antimetabole

asyndeton

asyndeton

polysyndeton

polysyndeton