ap lang vocab

active voice

the subject of the sentence performs the action

allusion

an indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar

alter-ego

when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character

anecdote

a brief recounting of a relevant episode

antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

classicism

art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures

comic relief

when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story

diction

word choice, particularly as an element of style

colloquial diction

ordinary or familiar type of conversation

connotation

the associations suggested by a word; implied meaning rather than literal meaning

denotation

the literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations

jargon

the diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity

vernacular

language or dialect of a particular country, regional clan or group, and plain everyday speech

didactic

a term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking

adage

a folk saying with a lesson

allegory

a story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts

aphorism

a terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle

ellipsis

the deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author

euphemism

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts

figurative language

writing that is not meant to be taken literally

analogy

comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables

hyperbole

exaggeration

idiom

a common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally

metaphor

making an implied comparison, not using "like" or "as"

metonymy

replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept

synecdoche

a kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa

similie

using words such as "like" or "as" to make a direct comparison between two very different things

synthesis

a description involving a "crossing of the sense"

personification

giving human-like qualities to something that is not human

foreshadowing

when an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story

genre

the major category into which a literary work fits

gothic

writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death

imagery

word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind

invective

a long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language

irony

when the opposite of what you expect to happen does

verbal irony

when you say something and mean the opposite or something different

dramatic irony

when the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out

situational irony

when it's funny how things turn out in the plot of a book, story, or movie

juxtaposition

placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison

mood

the atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through diction

motif

a recurring idea in a piece of literature

oxymoron

when apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox

pacing

the speed or tempo of an author's writing

paradox

a seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true

parallelism

sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns

anaphora

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row

chiasmus

when the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed

antithesis

two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses with parallel structure

zuegma (syllepsis)

when a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies

paranthetical idea

parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence

parody

an exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes

persona

the fictional mask or narrator that tells a story

poetic device

a device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences, or lines

alliteration

the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words

assonance

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds

consonance

the repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words

onomatopoeia

the use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes

internal rhyme

when a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line

slant rhyme

when a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly

end rhyme

when the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme

rhyme scheme

the pattern of a poem's end rhymes

stressed and unstressed syllables

on every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllabled. in the name "nathan," the first syllable is stressed. in the word "unhappiness," the second of the four syllables is stressed.

meter

a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

free verse

poetry that doesn't have much meter or rhyme

iambic pentameter

poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables

sonnet

a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter

plysyndeton

when a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjuctions

pun

when a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way

rhetoric

the art of effective communication

rhetorical question

a question not asked for information but for effect

romanticism

art or literature characterized by an idealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature

sarcasm

a generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded

appositive

a word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning

clause

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

balanced sentence

parallelism; a sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale

compound sentences

contains at least two independent causes but no dependent clauses

complex sentences

contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

cumulative sentence

when the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements

periodic sentence

when the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence

simple sentence

contains only one independent clause

declarative sentence

states an idea

imperatice sentence

issues a command

interrogative sentence

sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who, whom, and whose)

style

the choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes

symbol

anything that represents or stands for something else

syntax

grammatical arrangement and grouping of words

theme

the central idea or message of a work

thesis

the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition

tone

a writer's attitude toward the subject revealed through diction

understatement

the ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is

litotes

form of understatement generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used

argument

a piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion

premises

statements offered as reasons to support a conclusion are premises

conclusion

end result of an argument

aristotle's appeals

the goal of argumentative writing is to persuade an audience that one's ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's.

ethos (credibility)

being convinced by the credibility of the author

pathos (emotional)

persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions

logos (logical)

means persuading by use of reasoning, using true premises and valid arguments

concession

accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint

conditional statement

if-then statement