80 AP LANG TERMS

Allegory

A narrative in which characters, settings, and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words close to one another.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work.

Ambiguity

The presence of two or more possible meanings within a single passage, which can be interpreted in different ways.

Anadiplosis

The repetition of the last word of a preceding clause at the beginning of the next clause.

Analogy

A comparison between two different things to highlight some form of similarity.

Anaphora

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

Anecdote

A brief narrative of an entertaining or interesting incident.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure.

Aphorism

A concise statement of a general truth or principle.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or an inanimate object.

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, often influenced by the setting and descriptive details.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

Conduplicatio

The repetition of a key word from a preceding clause at the beginning of the next.

Colloquialism

The use of informal words, phrases, or slang in writing or speech.

Coherence

The logical connections that readers or listeners perceive in a written or spoken text.

Conceit

An extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem.

Connotation

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

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to its connotations.

Diction

The choice of words and style of expression that an author uses in a work.

Didactic

A term used to describe literature that is intended to instruct or educate.

Enumeratio

A rhetorical device in which a subject is divided into parts, or details are listed.

Expletive

An interjection to lend emphasis, sometimes interrupting normal speech.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.

Exposition

A literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters, or other elements of a work.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor that continues over several lines or throughout an entire literary work.

Figurative language

Language that uses figures of speech like metaphors, similes, and hyperbole to convey meaning beyond the literal sense.

Figure of speech

An expression that uses language in a non-literal way to achieve a rhetorical effect.

Generic conventions

Traditions and norms that define and shape a genre of literature.

Genre

A category of literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.

Homily

A sermon or speech that provides moral or spiritual advice.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally.

Hypophora

A rhetorical device where a speaker poses a question and then answers it.

Imagery

The use of descriptive language to create sensory experiences for the reader.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence or reasoning, rather than from explicit statements.

Invective

Harsh, abusive language directed against a person or cause.

Irony

A literary technique where the intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two things side by side for comparison or contrast.

Litotes

A figure of speech that employs understatement by using double negatives or by stating a positive through the negation of its opposite.

Loose sentence

A sentence that starts with a main clause, followed by additional phrases or dependent clauses.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things by stating one is the other.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it's closely associated.

Mood

The emotional feeling or atmosphere that a work of literature produces in a reader.

Narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect.

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory statement that, when explained, may reveal an underlying truth.

Parallelism

The use of successive verbal constructions that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, or length.

Parody

A work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or style.

Pedantic

An adjective describing writing that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.

Periodic sentence

A sentence that has its main clause or predicate at the end, creating suspense or emphasis.

Personification

A figure of speech in which a thing, an idea, or an animal is given human attributes.

Polysyndeton

The use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where they might be omitted.

Point of view

The perspective from which a story is told (first person, second person, third person).

Predicate adjective

An adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence.

Predicate nominative

A noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject.

Prose

Ordinary written or spoken language without metrical structure.

Repetition

The use of the same word or phrase multiple times to emphasize an idea.

Rhetoric

The art of using language effectively and persuasively.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect or to emphasize a point, not expecting an answer.

Sarcasm

The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.

Satire

A genre of literature that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize human vices or folly.

Semantics

The study of meaning in language, including the meanings of words and phrases.

Style

The way a writer writes, which includes their choice of diction, tone, and sentence structure.

Subject complement

The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements or completes the subject.

Subordinate clause

A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and depends on a main clause to make sense.

Syllogism

A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Theme

The central idea or message of a literary work.

Thesis

The main idea or argument that a writer develops and supports throughout a work.

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward the subject or audience in a literary work.

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas or sections of a text.

Understatement

A figure of speech that presents something as less significant than it actually is.

Undertone

An underlying or implied meaning that is not directly stated but can be sensed in the work.

Wit

A form of intelligent humor, often characterized by clever and amusing statements.