AP English Vocab

absolute

a word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique,” “perfect.”)

adage

a familiar proverb or wise saying.

allegory

a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions.

alliteration

the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words.

allusion

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize.

analogy

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way.

anaphora

the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences.

anecdote

a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event.

antecedent

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

antithesis

a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced.

aphorism

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance.

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction.

archetype

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response.

argument

a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work.

asyndeton

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions.

balanced sentence

a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast.

bildungsroman

a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character

chiasmus

a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed. (Ex: “fair is foul and foul is fair.”)

cliché

an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off.

climax

the point of highest interest in a literary work.

colloquialism

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing.

complex sentence

a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

compound sentence

a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions.

conceit

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor.

concrete details

details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events.

connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word.

cumulative sentence

a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases.

declarative sentence

a sentence that makes a statement or declaration.

deductive reasoning

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)

denotation

the literal meaning of a word.

dialect

a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region.

dialogue

conversation between two or more people.

diction

the word choices made by a writer.

didactic

having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing.

dilemma

a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives.

dissonance

harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds.

elegy

a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme.

ellipsis

the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (“Some people prefer cats; others, dogs.”)

epic

a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation.

epigram

a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying.

epigraph

a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work.

epiphany

a moment of sudden revelation or insight.

epitaph

an inscription on a tombstone or burial place.

epithet

a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives (“swift-footed Achilles”) that become an almost formulaic part of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of their given epithets (Ex: “The Rocket.”)

eulogy

a formal speech praising a person who has died.

euphemism

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant.

exclamatory sentence

a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark.

expletive

an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity.

fable

a brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters.

figurative language

language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)

flashback

the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

flat character

a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story.

foreshadowing

the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work.

frame device

a story within a story. An example is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, in which the primary tales are told within the “frame story” of the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

genre

a major category or type of literature.

homily

a sermon, or a moralistic lecture.

hubris

excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy.

hyperbole

intentional exaggeration to create an effect.

hypothetical question

a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition.

idiom

an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect.

imagery

the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses.

implication

a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly. NOTE: the author/sender implies the reader/receiver infers.

inductive reasoning

deriving general principles from particular facts or instances (“Every cat I have ever seen has four legs; cats are four-legged animals).

inference

a conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises or evidence.

invective

an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack.

irony

the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs.

jargon

the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession.

juxtaposition

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast.

legend

a narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements.

limerick

light verse consisting of five lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and the second and third lines rhyme.

limited narrator

a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character.

literary license

deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (intentional sentence fragments, for example.)

litotes

a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, “It was not a pretty picture.”)

malapropism

the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (“The doctor wrote a subscription.”)

maxim

a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage.

metaphor

a direct comparison of two different things.

metonymy

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it. (“The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting.]”)

mood

the emotional atmosphere of a work.

motif

a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works.

motivation

a character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act.

myth

a traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events.

narrative

a story or narrated account.

narrator

the one who tells the story; may be first- or third-person, limited or omniscient.

non sequitur

an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, “does not follow.”)

omniscient narrator

a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters.

onomatopoeia

a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds.

oxymoron

an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined.

parable

a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson.

paradox

an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth.

parallelism

the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms.

paraphrase

a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity.

parody

a humorous imitation of a serious work.

parenthetical

a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain.

pastoral

literature that deals with people living off the land, revealing the challenges and blessings of nature.

pathos

the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity.

pedantic

characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship.

personification

endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics.

philippic

a strong verbal denunciation.

point of view

the vantage point from which a story is told.

polysyndeton

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural.