AP Language and Composition: Literary and Rhetorical Devices

Active Voice

A sentence structured so that the subject of the sentence performs the predicate, rather than the action being done to the subject.

Allusion

A subtle reference to other media (another literary piece, songs, events, etc.) that the reader is familiar with.

Alter-Ego

The representation of the author as a character, voicing the authors thoughts and often speaking to the audience.

Anecdote

A short recounting of an event or occurrence relevant to the text, often used to develop a point or add humor.

Antecedent

The noun, pronoun, clause, or phrase referred to by a pronoun.

Classicism

Art characterized by realism and traditional morals/structures

Comic Relief

A humorous scene or event used to lighten tension and mood

Diction

The author’s choice of words and how they are used as a style (ex. formal/informal, ornate/plain).

Colloquial

A familiar type conversation or exchange

Connotation

The implications suggested by a word choice, as opposed to the literal meaning.

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word

Jargon

Diction often used within a specific group (often in a job or activity).

Vernacular

The language or dialect of a specific location

Didactic

Literature that teaches a lesson/moral or models the right way to think or behave

Adage

A classic phrase that teaches a lesson

Allegory

A story in which the characters and events reflect another concept, event, or quality.

Aphorism

A statement that expresses a general principle or point (“a watched pot never boils”, “God helps them that help themselves", etc.).

Ellipsis

The removal of a word, phrase, or clause in order to create a specific effect

Euphemism

A more appropriate substitution for an offensive word, concept, or situation

Figurative Language

Writing that is meant to represent something beyond face value

Analogy

A comparison of relationships between one pair of variables to another (X is to Y as A is to B).

Hyperbole

An extreme overexxageration

Idiom

A non-literal expression that is widely used in conversation

Metaphor

The comparison between two variables that is implied rather than outright stated.

Metonymy

The replacement of an actual concept with one that is related (ex. using “The White House” in place of “The President’s Administration”).

Synecdoche

Metonymy in which the whole is represented by one part, or one part is represented by the whole (“check out my new wheels”).

Simile

A direct comparison between two variables using “like”, “as”, or other similar words

Synesthesia

A description in which two senses are used to convey characteristics (“purplish scent”, “deafening colors”).

Personification

The humanization or presence of human qualities in a variable that is not human

Foreshadowing

The hinting of an event that will occur later in a story

Genre

A categorization in which a literary work is sorted into: largely prose, poetry, and drama, however those can be further divided.

Gothic

Writing with a strong presence of themes with gloom, mystery, fear, and death.

Imagery

The use of words to create an image in the mind of the reader, typically done by invoking the senses.

Invective

A long, highly critical, and/or rude use of language

Irony

When the opposite of what one expects to happen occurs

Verbal Irony

When something is said but the meaning is either opposite or different.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience of a work knows more than the characters

Situational Irony

When the outcome of a situation is entirely different than expected.

Juxtaposition

The placing of two things next to each other in order to compare them

Mood

The atmosphere created by the author through diction, syntax, and more.

Motif

A recurring theme, idea, or feature in a piece of literature.

Oxymoron

The grouping of two contradictory terms

Pacing

The speed/tempo of the writing, often created through syntax, meter, anaphora, and more.