AP LIT TERMS TO KNOW

Allegory

An extended narrative that uses characters and events to represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, event, place, or work of art or literature.

Analogy

A comparison between two different things to highlight a similarity.

Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent or imaginary person, object, or idea.

Approximate Rhyme (Slant Rhyme)

A rhyme in which the sounds are similar but not identical.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

Conceit

An elaborate or unusual extended metaphor that makes a surprising connection.

Connotation

The implied or emotional meaning of a word beyond its literal definition.

Denotation

The dictionary definition or literal meaning of a word.

Diction

The author's choice of words and style of expression.

Elegy

A poem mourning the death of an individual or reflecting on loss.

Eulogy

A speech or piece of writing praising someone who has recently died.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect expression used to replace a harsh or unpleasant one.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed over several lines or throughout an entire work.

Extended Simile

A simile that is developed in detail over several lines.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another to highlight particular qualities.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Irony (Verbal, Dramatic, Situational)

Contrast between expectation and reality; verbal irony says the opposite of what's meant, dramatic irony is known to the audience but not characters, situational irony is an unexpected outcome.

Juxtaposition

Placing two ideas or images side by side for contrast or comparison.

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as."

Metonymy

Substituting the name of something with something closely related to it.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate the sounds they describe.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth.

Parallelism

The repetition of grammatical structures for effect or rhythm.

Point-of-view

The perspective from which a story is told.

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things or ideas.

Satire

A literary work that uses humor or irony to criticize or expose folly.

Setting

The time and place in which a story occurs.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Symbol

An object, person, or event that represents a larger idea.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or vice versa.

Synesthesia

A blending of sensory experiences, such as describing sound with color.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Understatement

Presenting something as less important than it really is.

Ballad

A narrative poem that tells a story and is often set to music.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant sounds used deliberately in poetry.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme.

Dimeter

A line of verse containing two metrical feet.

Dramatic Poem

A poem that presents the speech of one or more characters in a dramatic situation.

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet

A 14-line poem with the rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG.

Euphony

Pleasant, harmonious sounds used in poetry.

Free Verse

Poetry without a fixed rhyme or meter.

Hexameter

A line of verse containing six metrical feet.

Iamb

A metrical foot with one unstressed and one stressed syllable.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.

Lyric Poem

A short poem expressing personal thoughts or emotions.

Meter

The rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

Monometer

A line of verse with one metrical foot.

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a story.

Ode

A lyric poem that praises or reflects deeply on a subject.

Pentameter

A line of verse with five metrical feet.

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines, often with a set rhyme scheme.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the end of lines in a poem.

Sestet

A stanza or poem of six lines.

Soliloquy

A speech given by a character alone on stage, revealing inner thoughts.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter, usually on love or philosophy.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem.

Tercet

A three-line stanza or group of lines.

Terza Rima

A rhyme scheme using triplets with interlocking rhymes (ABA BCB CDC, etc.).

Tetrameter

A line of verse with four metrical feet.

Trimeter

A line of verse with three metrical feet.

Trochee

A metrical foot with one stressed and one unstressed syllable.

Stream-of-consciousness

A narrative style that presents a character's thoughts as a continuous flow.

Tragedy

A dramatic work in which the protagonist suffers a downfall due to fate or flaw.

Plot

The sequence of events in a literary work.

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces that drives the plot.