AP Lang Terms (Full Year): All Lists

didactic

intended to teach but often in a patronizing way

EXAMPLE for DIDACTIC

Trying to help Jade during tutoring, Mark stated, "It's really not that hard; you just need to multiply." Mark may have been trying to help, but the way in which he stated that the work was simple could have been seen as an insult because Jade was struggling with the material.

paradox

a statement that seems to contradict itself but that is ultimately true

EXAMPLE for PARADOX

I was a coward; I went to the war. / Nobody goes to that restaurant; it's too crowded.

denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests; dictionary definition

EXAMPLE of DENOTATION

Although the word "home" may suggest safety and comfort, it's really simply "one's residence." The \___________ of house and home are the same even if they evoke different emotions.

tone

attitude of a writer/speaker in a work

EXAMPLE of TONE

playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber / In Into the Wild, Krakauer strikes a serious \_________ when discussing McCandless's final days.

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

EXAMPLE of ALLITERATION

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

allusion

reference to outside work of literature, art, history, pop culture, etc.; an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

EXAMPLE of ALLUSION

"I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio's." / Chocolate is his Kryptonite.

parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

EXAMPLE OF PARODY

Spaceballs and the space epic genre (e.g. Star Wars);

Horror Films (e.g. Scary Movie is a parody)

anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

EXAMPLE of ANAPHORA

My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.

wit

biting/insightful humor that includes sharp comebacks, clever banter, and dry one-liners

EXAMPLE of WIT

Class Example: McCormick asks a student if he is out of witty comebacks, and he replies, "You're weird." / The actress was asked what can be assumed a rude question to which she replies cleverly using her \______.

trope

figure of speech, theme, image, character, or plot element used many times throughout works of art, literature, etc. (e.g. archetypes)

EXAMPLE of TROPE

One of the most common \_________in television is the "get rich quick scheme." Some character, perhaps a neighbor or friend, is constantly coming up with new ideas to make a ton of money in a short time, and the episode gets its source of comedy or tension from the ways that plan goes horribly awry. Fred Flintstone, for example, is constantly coming up with ways that he and Barney Rubble can get rich quick - racing cars, inventing soft drinks, etc. The \_________appears in so many episodes that one of Fred's catchphrases was "Barney, we're gonna be rich!" / The idea of a superhero is also a \________.

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses someone (or something) that is not present or cannot respond in reality

EXAMPLE for APOSTROPHE

Mark Antony's address to the dead Caesar in Julius Caesar

propaganda

information, typically of a misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or viewpoint

EXAMPLE of PROPAGANDA

Animal Farm (All animals are equal. Some are more equal than others.) / Wartime posters (WWII)

simile

a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared using like/as

EXAMPLE of SIMILE

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

example of satire

political cartoons / Saturday Night Live segments

hypophora

when a speaker poses a question and then answers the question

EXAMPLE OF HYPOPHORA

What made me take this trip to Africa? There is no quick explanation.

juxtaposition

placement of two or more things side by side, often to bring out differences

EXAMPLE OF JUXTAPOSITION

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

polysyndeton

use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially when they could be omitted

EXAMPLE of POLYSYNDETON

He ran and jumped and laughed for joy.

imagery

writing/speech that appeals to the senses

EXAMPLE of IMAGERY

A shaggy brown dog bright orange mud on the white picket fence.

metaphor

a comparison of two unlike things

EXAMPLE of METAPHOR

The sea was a sheet of glass.

refute

prove a statement or theory to be false

EXAMPLE of REFUTE

McCormick said quietly, "I hate Thursdays." Ty chose to correct McCormick and prove her wrong by noting, "Look, McCormick. It is only Monday. The calendar says so."

Asyndeton

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.

asyndeton EXAMPLE

On his return he received medals, honors, treasures, titles, fame.

Aphorism

a pithy observation that contains a general truth

aphorism EXAMPLE

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." -Benjamin Franklin

Anecdote

a brief story

anecdote EXAMPLE

Sylvia emphasized Sam's kindness by telling the story of the time he stopped to help a stranded motorist in the pouring rain.

Understatement

when a writer presents a situation or thing as if it is less important or serious than it is in reality

understatement EXAMPLE

"It rained a bit more than usual" while describing an area being flooded after heavy rainfall.

Oxymoron

opposing words in a sentence that contradict each other

oxymoron EXAMPLE

jumbo shrimp; pretty ugly; bittersweet

Inference

conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning

inference EXAMPLE

If there is water on the floor when a person walks in, it can be \_______________that there is a roof leak.

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

connotation EXAMPLE

"Odor" and "fragrance" literally mean the same thing, but good things have fragrance and bad things have odor.

Litotes

an understatement in which a positive is expressed by negating its opposite

litotes EXAMPLE

The ice cream was not too bad.

Analogy

an extended comparison between two things, typically used for explanation/clarification

analogy EXAMPLE

"The structure of an atom is like a solar system. The nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around their sun." / rough is to scratchy as smooth is to silky

Voice

individual writing/speaking style that includes use of language, syntax, character development, dialogue, etc.

voice EXAMPLE

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a very good example of this term, in which the character Scout narrates the whole story. Though she is an adult, she tells her story from her childhood's point of view. When she grows older, her language becomes more sophisticated. Scout uses first‑person narrative to create a realistic sense, enabling the audience to notice the child is growing up. Her dialogue allows readers to hear the language of younger Scout. Also, it enables the readers to feel the\______ of an adult in her actions and thinking.

Bias

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another

bias EXAMPLE

Occurs when the interviewer assumes a candidate has specific traits because they are a member of a group / An interviewer may assume that a woman would not be able to successfully perform in a job that requires frequent lifting of packages weighing 50 pounds.

Diction

word choice; the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

diction EXAMPLE

In response to a request that you do something, formal \__________might sound like, "I will address that issue right away." Alternatively, using informal \_______________, the response would be more casual like, "You got it."