ap english terms (shortened list)

allegory

a story/visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning

alliteration

repetition of the same sounds -- usually initial consonants of words or stressed syllables

analogy

illustration of an idea by means of a more familiar idea that is similar or parallel

anaphora

repetition of the same word or phrase (usually at the beginning) of successive lines, clauses, or sentences

anecdote

a short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident

antithesis

a contrast or opposition (the “anti” to your thesis!)

allusion

an indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work

apostrophe

a rhetorical figure in which the speaker addresses a dead/absent person

blank verse

unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter

colloquialism

the use of informal expressions appropriate to everyday speech (not formal prose)

diction

the choice of words in a literary work

elegy

an elaborately formal lyric poem lamenting a death or reflecting on a serious subject

epigram

a short and witty saying in either poetry or prose

epiphany

a sudden realization or revelation (originally a religious revelation)

euphemism

the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that might offend or upset (“passed away” or “kicked the bucket” vs. “died”)

expository

characterized by systematic explanation of or argument about any subject

genre

a recognized and established category of written work (drama, poetry, satire)

hyperbole

exaggeration for the sake of emphasis

melodrama

emotionally exaggerated or sensationalist dramas (pure maidens vs. scheming villains, for example)

metaphor

the implied comparison between two things, ideas, or actions

meter

the patterns of measured sound units recurring in verse, such as pentameter

mixed metaphor

an illogical or ridiculous combination of two metaphors (“those vipers stabbed us in the back”)

motif

a situation/incident/idea/image/character type that carries throughout a work or several works; generalized as a theme

omniscient

“all-knowing,” usually in reference to a third-person narrator

onomatopoeia

words that imitate the sounds to which they refer (crash, buzz, etc)

oxymoron

contradictory words used together (jumbo shrimp, bittersweet, etc)

panegyric

a public speech or written composition offering prolonged and effusive praise

paradox

self-contradictory statements or expressions (“Everything I say is a lie”)

parallelism

the arrangement of similarly constructed clauses, sentences, or verse lines to show correspondence

parody

a mocking imitation of the style of a work

pastoral

a highly conventional description of rural, innocent shepards and shepardesses

peripatheia

a sudden reversal of a character’s circumstances and fortunes

personification

practice of assigning human characteristics to inanimate objects

point of view

the vantage point from which stories are told (first-, second-, or third-person)

polemic

the thorough written attack on some opinion or policy

rhetoric

the deliberate exploitation of eloquence for the most persuasive effect in public speaking or in writing -- it can include such strategies as appealing to an authority, restating or challenging a thesis, drawing a connection between two disparate entities, moving from a general statement to a specific example, or presenting a misconception to be corrected

rhetorical question

a question asked for the sake of persuasive effect, not for the actual answer

satire

a mode of writing that exposes the failings of individuals, institutions, or societies to ridicule -- it can range from tolerant amusement to bitter scorn

simile

an explicit comparison between two different things, actions, or feelings using the words “like” or “as”

syllogism

a form of logical argument that derives a conclusion from two propositions (All BB&N students are Red Sox fans; Mike is a BB&N student; therefore, Mike is a Red Sox fan.)

syntax

the way words and clauses are ordered and connected to form sentences

understatement

the representation of a thing as less than it actually is, also called meiosis