AP LANG VOCAB

Allegory

Definition: A narrative in which characters, events, and details symbolically represent abstract ideas or moral concepts.
Example: George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution and totalitarianism.

Alliteration

Definition: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
Example: "She sells seashells by the seashore."

Allusion

Definition: A brief and indirect reference to a person, event, place, or work of art.
Example: "He’s a real Romeo with the ladies." (Referring to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.)

Analogy

Definition: A comparison between two things, typically for explanation or clarification.
Example: "Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you're going to get."

Anaphora

Definition: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.
Example: "I have a dream that one day... I have a dream that every valley..."

Anecdote

Definition: A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person, often used to illustrate a point.
Example: During a speech about perseverance, someone might share a personal anecdote about overcoming a challenge.

Antecedent

Definition: The noun or noun phrase to which a pronoun refers.
Example: "The dog barked because it was hungry." (The antecedent of "it" is "dog.")

Antithesis

Definition: A rhetorical device that contrasts opposing ideas in parallel structures.
Example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Aphorism

Definition: A concise statement of a general truth or principle.
Example: "Actions speak louder than words."

Apostrophe

Definition: A figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or an inanimate object.
Example: "O Death, where is thy sting?"

Assonance

Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds within closely placed words.
Example: "The early bird catches the worm."

Chiasmus

Definition: A rhetorical device in which the structure of a phrase or clause is reversed in the following clause.
Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."

Colloquialism

Definition: Informal language or slang specific to a region or group.
Example: "Wanna" instead of "want to."

Connotation

Definition: The emotional or cultural meaning associated with a word, beyond its literal definition.
Example: "Snake" might connote danger or deceit.

Consonance

Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the end of words.
Example: "The lumpy, bumpy road."

Denotation

Definition: The literal, dictionary definition of a word.
Example: The denotation of "blue" is a color, but it can connotatively imply sadness.

Diction

Definition: The choice of words used by an author or speaker.
Example: Formal: "Greetings, how are you today?" Informal: "Hey, what’s up?"

Enumeration

Definition: Listing items in order to emphasize a point.
Example: "I have books, pens, paper, and markers in my bag."

Expletive

Definition: A word or phrase used for emphasis, often interrupting a sentence.
Example: "This is, without a doubt, the best day ever."

Euphemism

Definition: A mild or indirect word used to replace one that may be harsh or offensive.
Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."

Foil

Definition: A character who contrasts with another character to highlight their qualities.
Example: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are foils in Robert Louis Stevenson’s story.

Genre

Definition: A category of literature or art defined by style, form, or content.
Example: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama.

Homily

Definition: A sermon or moralizing speech, often religious.
Example: A pastor’s sermon on kindness and charity.

Hyperbole

Definition: Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.
Example: "I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!"

Hypophora

Definition: A rhetorical question that the speaker immediately answers.
Example: "Why do we fight? We fight because we must."

Imagery

Definition: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
Example: "The golden sunlight spilled over the rolling hills."

Invective

Definition: Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
Example: "You’re nothing but a lying, cheating scoundrel!"

Irony

Definition: A contrast between expectation and reality.
Example: A fire station burns down.

Juxtaposition

Definition: Placing two contrasting ideas close together for effect.
Example: "It was a time of war, it was a time of peace."

Litotes

Definition: A form of understatement that uses a double negative or negation.
Example: "She’s not unlike her mother."

Metaphor

Definition: A figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
Example: "Time is a thief."

Metonymy

Definition: A figure of speech in which something is referred to by an associated term.
Example: "The crown" to refer to royalty.

Onomatopoeia

Definition: A word that imitates a sound.
Example: "Buzz," "hiss," or "bang."

Oxymoron

Definition: A combination of two contradictory terms.
Example: "Jumbo shrimp."

Paradox

Definition: A seemingly self-contradictory statement that contains truth.
Example: "Less is more."

Parallelism

Definition: Using similar grammatical structures in related phrases or clauses.
Example: "She likes running, swimming, and biking."

Parody

Definition: A humorous or exaggerated imitation of a work or style.
Example: Weird Al Yankovic’s music parodies.

Personification

Definition: Giving human characteristics to non-human objects or concepts.
Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."

Polysyndeton

Definition: The use of multiple conjunctions in close succession for emphasis.
Example: "I ate and slept and worked and read all day."

Rhetorical Modes

Definition: Patterns of organization for writing and speaking, including narration, description, exposition, and argumentation.

Rhetorical Questions

Definition: A question asked for effect, not to get an answer.
Example: "Isn’t this the best day ever?"

Satire

Definition: The use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or mock.
Example: Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal.

Semantics

Definition: The study of meaning in language, including word choice and connotations.

Syllogism

Definition: A logical argument with a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.
Example: "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal."

Symbolism

Definition: Using symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Example: A dove symbolizes peace.

Synecdoche

Definition: A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole.
Example: "All hands on deck." ("Hands" represents people.)

Understatement

Definition: A rhetorical device that minimizes the importance of something.
Example: "It’s just a scratch," referring to a large wound.