AP English Language and Composition: Glossary of Key Terms (MC and Essay Sections)

83 Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key AP Lang terms used in MC and essay sections.

ad hominem argument

An argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, targeting the person rather than the issue.

allegory

A narrative in which characters and events symbolize a deeper moral, political, or spiritual meaning beyond the literal level.

alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words, often used for emphasis or musical effect.

allusion

A direct or indirect reference to a well known person, place, event, or work.

ambiguity

The presence of two or more possible meanings in a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

analogy

A comparison that explains something unfamiliar by relating it to something familiar.

antecedent

The word or phrase that a pronoun refers to.

antithesis

A figure of speech that contrasts two opposite ideas in a balanced grammatical structure.

aphorism

A terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle, with authorship sometimes known or unknown.

apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.

atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entire work, often shaped by setting and details.

caricature

A representation that exaggerates a subject's features for comic or grotesque effect.

chiasmus

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism, often for balance or emphasis.

clause

A grammatical unit with a subject and a verb; independent clauses can stand alone, dependent clauses cannot.

colloquialism

Slang or informal expressions not generally acceptable in formal writing.

conceit

A fanciful extended metaphor with elaborate and surprising comparisons.

connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word—the ideas, emotions, or attitudes it suggests.

denotation

The strict, literal dictionary definition of a word.

diction

The writer's word choices and style, including levels of formality and exactness.

didactic

Writing whose primary aim is to teach or instruct, often moral or ethical.

euphemism

A mild or indirect term used in place of a harsh or offensive one.

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at length, often throughout a work.

figurative language

Language that uses figures of speech to go beyond literal meanings.

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language

generic conventions

Traditions or patterns that define a genre and its typical features.

genre

A major category of literary work, such as prose, poetry, or drama, with subcategories.

homily

Literally means “sermon.” Informally, includes any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral/spiritual advice.

hyperbole

A figure of speech that involves exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally, often used for emphasis or effect.

imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.  It appeals to the senses and creates a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

inference/infer

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.

invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.

irony

The contrast between what is stated and what is really meant, with verbal, situational, or dramatic forms.

verbal irony

the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s true meaning often used for sarcasm or humor.

situational irony

a situation in which the outcome is contrary to what is expected, often leading to a surprising or humorous effect.

dramatic irony

facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work

juxtaposition

Placing dissimilar items side by side for comparison or contrast.

loose sentence

A sentence where the main idea comes first, followed by dependent phrases and clauses.

metaphor

A figure of speech that makes an implicit or implied comparison between unlike things.

metonymy

A figure of speech where the name of one object is substituted for something closely associated with it.

mood

The literary mood or atmosphere of a work, and also the grammatical mood indicating the speaker's attitude.

narrative

The telling of a story or account of events.

onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms for a paradoxical effect.

paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory yet contains truth or insight.

parallelism

The use of similar grammatical structures in related phrases or sentences for balance and emphasis.

parody

A work that imitates another's style for comic effect or ridicule.

pedantic

Characterized by an overly scholarly or bookish tone.

periodic sentence

A sentence that delays its main idea until the end, with introductory phrases or clauses.

personification

Giving human attributes to nonhuman things or abstractions.

point of view

The perspective from which a narrative is told, such as first person or third person.

prose

The major division of genre comprising fiction and nonfiction written in ordinary language.

repetition

The duplication of a word, phrase, clause, sentence, or sound for emphasis or cohesion.

rhetoric

The principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

rhetorical appeal

Aristotle's three appeals: logos (logic), ethos (credibility), and pathos (emotion).

logos

Appeal to reason; using logic and evidence to persuade.

ethos

Appeal to credibility or character of the speaker or writer.

pathos

Appeal to the audience's emotions to persuade.

rhetorical modes

The four major kinds of writing and their purposes: exposition, argumentation, description, and narration.

exposition

The purpose of explaining information and presenting evidence.

argumentation

The purpose of proving the validity of a point of view through reasoned argument.

description

Writing that uses sensory details to create a vivid picture.

narration

The act of telling a story or recounting events.

rhetorical question

A question asked for effect that does not expect a reply.

sarcasm

Bitter or caustic language intended to hurt or ridicule someone or something.

satire

a work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform or ridicule

simile

A direct comparison using like or as.

style

evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices

or

classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors

syllogism

A deductive argument with major and minor premises that lead to a conclusion.

(ex. “All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.” )

symbol

anything that represents or stands for something else, concrete object that represents something more abstract

natural symbols

use objects and occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (ex. dawn and hope, rose with love)

conventional symbols

use of symbols invested with meaning by a group (ex. religious symbols, or group symbols like skull and crossbones for pirates or scales of justice for lawyers)

literary symbols

use of symbols similar to conventional in a sense they are found in a variety of works and are generally recognized (ex. whale in Moby Dick and jungle in Heart of Darkness)

syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences and how this affects meaning.

theme

central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life

thesis

sentence or group of sentences that directly expressed the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition

tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience as reflected in language and style.

transition

A word or phrase that links ideas and signals shifts or progression.

understatement

The ironic minimizing of a fact, often for humorous or emphatic effect.

litotes

a figure of speech by which an affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite (ex. “It was no mean feat” meaning it was hard)

meiosis

Greek term for understatement or belittling; a rhetorical figure by which something is referred to in terms less important than it really deserves (ex. calling a mortal wound a scratch)

wit

intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights often used to create humor or make a point through clever phrasing or word play.

dependent clause

A clause that cannot stand alone and depends on an independent clause to complete its meaning.

subordinate clause

A dependent clause that cannot stand alone and is introduced by a subordinating conjunction.