AP Lit - Literary Terms

Alliteration

the repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words
Ex sweet smell of success

Consonance

the repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels
Ex lady lounges lazily

Assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds
Ex fleet feet sweep by sleeping geeks

Paradox/Oxymoron

Paradox reveals a kind of truth which at first seems contradictory; two opposing ideas // Oxymoron puts two contradictory words together
Ex (Paradox) Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage, this is the beginning of the end // (Oxymoron) hot ice

Hyperbole

exaggeration or overstatement
Ex He's as big as a house

Litotes

ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary
Ex you won't be sorry, (meaning you'll be glad )

Euphemism

the substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener (It can also be a substitution of a description of something or someone rather than the name, to avoid revealing secret, holy, or sacred names to the uninitiated)
Ex He kicked the bucket

Metonymy

substituting a word for another word closely associated with it
Ex the pen is mightier than the sword

Chiasmus or antimetabole

A type of rhetoric in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first
Ex (chiasmus) There's a bridge to cross the great divide... There's a cross to bridge the great divide

Synecdoche

when one uses a part to represent the whole
Ex many mouths to feed

Syllepsis

When a single word that governs or modifies two or more others must be understood differently with respect to each of those words
Ex he caught the train and the cold

Ellipsis

leaving words out [dot dot dot]

Aphorism

a brief saying embodying a moral, a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words
ex "lost time is never found again

Inversion

Another device of poetry that changes the usual order of words
Ex Yet certain am I of the spot

Personification

giving human qualities to animals or objects
Ex a smiling moon

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs
Ex "Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better

Metaphor/Simile

(Metaphor) the comparison of two UNLIKE things // (Simile) the comparison of two unlike things using like or as
Ex (Metaphor) It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! // (Simile) He eats like a pig

Synesthesia

the conflation of the senses/ Feeling one thing when sensing others
Ex those music painters, loud perfume

Apostrophe

when an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed
Ex With how sad steps, O moon, thou climbest the skies/ Busy old fool, unruly sun

Allusion

a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art (can also be from history, geography, literature, or religion)
Ex Stephen Vincent Benet's story "By the Waters of Babylon" contains a direct reference to Psalm 137 in the Bible

Analogy

the comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship
Ex hot is to cold as fire is to ice

Symbol

using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning
Ex the bird of night (owl is a symbol of death)

Conceit

Metaphor that compares two vastly different things
Ex Love is an open door

Hypothetical

question based on opinion, personal belief, or conjecture, and not facts
Ex What would you do if you are given 24 hours to live?

Rhetorical Question

Asked for effect rather than an answer
Ex Who knows?

Rhetoric

Presenting ideas in an effective persuasive manner
Ex ethos, logos, pathos

3 types of Irony

Dramatic, Situational, Verbal

Dramatic Irony

Audience/reader knows more than the characters
Example Ending of Romeo and Juliet

Situational Irony

Events happen that are the opposite of what is expected
Ex Son of a police officer is arrested

Verbal irony

Character says one thing but means another
Ex Sarcasm

Tone

Attitude of author towards audience
Ex Happy, sad, anxious, scared

Figurative Language

using figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful
Ex Similes, metaphors, idioms, etc

Asyndeton

When conjunctions that normally connect words are left out
Ex I came, I saw, I conquered

Parallelism

Repetition of words/phrases with similar grammatical structure
Ex My face is washed, my hair is combed, and my teeth are brushed

Colloquial

Conversational, informal
Ex Pop vs soda

Denotative

Literal meaning as found in a dictionary
Ex Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest (sleep)

Connotative

What a word suggests beyond its literal meaning
Ex Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest (burial)

Idiom

figurative meaning
Ex Raining cats and dogs

Dialect

Form of language spoken by people in a specific region

Decorum

the use of a style that is appropriate to a subject, situation, speaker, and audience

Slang/Jargon

difference is jargon refers to the workplace
Ex slang) sup homie // jargon)

Syntax

Sentence structure
ex people generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for

Repetition

repeating the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more memorable

Antithesis

Statement in which two opposing or contrasting ideas are balanced
Ex Setting foot on the moon may be a small step for a man but a giant step for mankind

Imagery

pictures and stuff should know this