A.P Lang 1st Semester Exam

Allegory

story with a hidden meaning

Alliteration

Sound/letter repetition at the beginning of consonants

Allusion

indirect reference to something

Ambiguity

being vague or confusing; misleading

Anaphora

word / phrase repetition

Antecedent

word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Antithesis

2 contrasting sentences together

Aphorism

expresses a general truth

Apostrophe

speaking as if someone who isn’t present is present

Cacophony

harsh mix of sounds

Caricature

exaggerated features of someone

Catharsis

tactic for repressing emotions

Clause

contains a subject and a verb

Colloquialism

informal words

Connotation

non-literal, implied meaning of a word

Diction

authors word choice

Digression

use of material unrelated to the subject

Ethos

ethical appeal

Euphemism

less offensive way of saying something

Foil

characters that contrast one another

Foreshadowing

hinting at coming events

Genre

major category of literature

Hyperbole

exaggeration not meant to be taken literally

Imagery

appeals to the senses

Invective

harsh, critical language

Irony

what is stated is different than what’s meant

Logos

logical appeal

Metaphor

Metonymy

symbol of something larger used to explain something large

Mood

how the writing makes the audience feel

Motif

reoccurring theme or symbolism

Narrative

story based on real accounts

Onomatopoeia

word that represents the sound

Oxymoron

2 contrasting words together

Parable

moral, ethical, religious lesson embedded in a story

Paradox

self-contradictory statements

Parody

to imitate someone’s style (usually for entertainment)

Pastoral

dealing with rural life

Pathos

emotional appeal

Personification

human characteristics projected onto inanimate objects

POV

perspective from which a story is told

Rhetoric

authors choices that impact the writing

Rhetorical Question

question with out an answer

Satire

ridicules human tendencies or doings

Setting

time and place of a story

Similie

comparison using like or as

Symbol

represents something

Theme

central idea of a work

Thesis

statement to be proven

Tone

author / speaker voice

This tree is the god of the forest.

metaphor

This tree is like the god of the forest.

Simile

The forest was hushed, resounding with echoes of the tree’s stoic silence.

Imagery

“love” represented by a red rose

symbolism

The car coughed, hacked, and sputtered.

personification

I’ve been waiting a billion years for this.

Hyperbole

The triple bacon cheeseburger glistened with health and good choices.

irony

To be natural is such a difficult pose to keep up.

paradox

Referring to a kind stranger as a “Good Samaritan.”

allusion

“There were times when it seemed to the animals that they worked longer hours and fed no better then they had done in farmer Jones’s day.”

Allegory

It’s a jazz affair, drum crashes and cornet razzes.

onomatopoeia

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Alliteration

The fisherman went to the bank.

ambiguity

I wish I may, I wish I might.

anaphora

Mary saw John and thanked him.

antecedent

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

antithesis

The early bird gets the worm.

aphorism

(studying for A.P Lang later and saying..) “Why did you have to give us such a hard essay Mr. Foley?”

apostrophe

Slowly, with a lot of noise, steam, and crunching power, we pulled away.

cacophony

Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of having a good deal of train oil in his system.

caricature

Talking with a friend, listening to music, creating or viewing art, etc..

catharsis

I graduated last year.

clause

Y’all are gonna pay for this one.

colloquialism

She’s feeling blue.

connotation

“I will address that issue right away.”

diction

If a politician was giving a speech on race and then started talking about how much he loves his family.

digression

“As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I can assure you that this energy drink will improve your fitness and stamina.”

ethos

She’s feeling “under the weather.”

euphemism

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter

foil

It was a dark and stormy night…

foreshadowing

Horror, comedy, romance, drama, etc…

genre

He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive.

invective

Referring to the White House as the Oval Office

metonymy

All men are mortal.

logos

funny, sad, creepy, melancholy, etc..

mood

A repeated mentioning of shattered glass.

motif

“What I did on my summer vacation."

narrative

Life can be so bittersweet.

oxymoron

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

parable

Alec Baldwin’s impression of Donald Trump on SNL

parody

Shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture.

pastoral

If we don't move soon, we're all going to die!

pathos

I screamed as I turned around and saw a monster peeking out from under my bed frame.

POV

Politicians deliver rallying cries to inspire people to act. Advertisers create catchy slogans to get people to buy products. Lawyers present emotional arguments to sway a jury.

rhetoric

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

rhetorical question

If voting changed anything, they would make it illegal.

satire

New York City in 1989

setting

Coming of age, beauty, betrayal, etc..

theme

The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent studying, attending class, and socializing with peers.

thesis

Lighthearted, assertive, humorous, etc..

tone