Ap English Terminology Test

Allegory 

A narrative in which the characters and sometimes the setting represents general concepts and ideas. 

To convey (semi-)hidden or complex meanings through symbolic figures, actions, imagery, or events, which together create the moral, spiritual, or political meaning 

The Tortoise & The Hare 

Alliteration 

Repetition of the same consonant sound in a sequence. 

Alliteration has a very vital role in poetry and prose. It creates a musical effect in the text that enhances the pleasure of reading a literary piece. 

Drew drew Drew or Reshetar rides roller coasters or A sea of sea shells. 

Allusion 

A reference to something which is presumably  
commonly known, such as an event, a work of art, a book, a myth, or a place. Can be historical, literary, religious etc. 

To simplify complex ideas and/or emotions for readers. 

I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s. 

Analogy 

A comparison made between two things that may initially seem to have little in common. 

Used for illustration and/or argument. 

Hand is to glove, foot is to boot 

Anaphora 

The deliberate repetition of the  
first part of a sentence 

Used to achieve an artistic effect and impact 

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” 

Anastrophe (Abnormal  
Word Order) 

Gives variety and emphasis to your writing by modifying the usual subject-verb sentence pattern. 

The unusual word order forces us to think a bit longer to understand the sentence, giving it a wiser, more profound quality 

Abnormal word order (verb-subject): “Laughing at him from the shadows stood the actor’s worst nightmare.” 

Anecdote 

A short amusing or interesting story 
Typically one that’s a true first hand account 

Make connections and reveal a truth through humour 

In my experience… 

Apostrophe  

A sudden turn from the general audience (in a play) to address a specific group, person, or personified abstraction 

To bring abstract ideas or non-existent persons to life, so that the nature of emotions they want to communicate comes across 

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? 
Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” 

Archetype  

A universal idea, concept, or character shared by people everywhere 

Gives a literary work a universal acceptance, as readers identify the characters and situations in their social and cultural context. 

The Hero, The Teacher, The Trickster, The Monster, The Magician   

Bias 

An opinion or influence that strongly favours one side in an argument or one item in a group or series. 

To further your own position or stance 

CNN vs. Fox News 

Black Humour 

Finding humor in serious topics such as death, insanity, and murder 

To add levity (light humour) to  
otherwise dark topics. Adds relief.  

Spoiler alert, everybody dies 

Cliche 

A banal or trite plot, character, situation, phrase etc. A cliche is something that has been so overdone or is so predictable as to be embarrassing to repeat. Stereotypes can also be cliche. Any old saying qualifies. 

Cliches should be avoided in your own writing. You should be on alert to find cliches in the texts you are reading - is the author of the text an original thinker? 

“What goes around comes around” 

Connotation 

Associated meanings it implies or suggests 
Attaches personal/emotional meaning to the word 

Paves way for creativity by using figures of speech like metaphor, simile, symbolism, and personification. 

“Home” connotes intimacy, privacy, and coziness. 

Denotation 

The literal or dictionary meanings of a word in  
contrast to its connotative or associated meanings 

Creates familiarity in writing, readers understand terms well. 

“Home” denotes the place  
where a person lives 

Dialect 

The languages of a particular group of people 

To illustrate a distinction in region  

Northern, Southern,  
Welsh, Irish Scottish 

Diction 

The word choice chosen by a writer to convey a  
particular meaning or a specific emotional response from the audience 

To fulfill an author's purpose and intention in writing. 

A poet chooses rich words that are musical. Instruction manuals use technical language 

Dramatic Monologue 

A poetic convention in which a character in a  
poem is heard to be talking to a silent listener. 

A way of expressing the views of a character and offering the audience greater insight into that character's feelings. 

“And indeed there will be time to wonder, "do I dare?" and ”Do I dare?” (from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot) 

Euphemism 

A nice way to say something not so nice  
It is less troubling and disturbing 

Helps writers convey those ideas that have become a  social taboo, and are too embarrassing to mention directly 

You say someone passed away rather than died. 

Figurative Language/ 
Imagery 
 
 

Sensory details used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. Often uses other devices like simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia 

To generate a vibrant and graphic presentation of a scene that appeals to a reader’s senses. Aids in imagination 

Hear the mellow wedding bells ring tin the warm summer breeze. 

Flashback 

A pause in a story to describe events from the past 

Provided insights into characters back  
story and their reason for being 

“He remembered a time when... “ 

Foreshadowing 

Writer gives reader a hint or clue at what's to come 

Build anticipation and dramatic tension 

In Romeo and Juliet the star-crossed lovers keep stating that they would rather die than be apart from each other. 

Hyperbole 

A figure of speech using deliberate  
exaggeration or overstatement. 

Comedic relief and used to produce irony 

“This is the worst  
restaurant on the planet!”  
“I have a million things  
to do today!” 

Idiom 

Idioms are phrases or expressions that have hidden meanings. The expressions don't mean exactly what the words say. NOT LITERAL 

Elaborate their language, to make it richer and spicier, and to help them in conveying subtle meanings to their intended audience 

It’s raining cats and dogs 

Irony 

(Dramatic)  

Facts or events are unknown to the character, but known to the reader, audience, or other characters  in the work. 

Irony brings about some added meanings to a situation. Ironical statements and situations in literature develop readers’ interest. Irony makes a work of literature more intriguing, and forces the readers to use their imaginations to comprehend the underlying meanings of the texts. 

Robin Williams character in Mrs. Doubtfire 

Irony 

(Situational) 

Events turn out the opposite of what is expected 

A fire station burns down. A police station gets robbed. 

Irony 

(Verbal) 

The words literally state the opposite of the writer’s true meaning 

One got in a car accident and said “Lucky me!”  
When we wish our enemies well Congratulate our rivals 

Irony  

(Cosmic) 

The contrast between human determination and fate. The character seeks out a promising end, but destiny stears them away toward a dreadful choice 

How the great composer Beethoven lost his hearing 

Juxtaposition 

When two words, phrases, images, or ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast 

Evoke interest by developing a comparison between two unlike things. 
Creates vividness and controls pacing 

A giant hairy gorilla holding a delicate newborn baby 

Metaphor 

A figure of speech using implied comparisons of seemingly unlike things, suggesting a similarity 

Makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful 

My brother was boiling mad. Her voice is music to his ears. 

Mood (Atmosphere) 

The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. 

Contribute to the emotional appeal for readers of literature. Helps reader to understand the atmosphere of the work 

“It was a dark and stormy night, and the rain fell in torrents...” This evokes feelings of fearfulness and anxiousness 

Motif 

An image or theme repeated in a work of literature. 

Helps readers to comprehend the underlying messages or theme through repetition,  that writers intend to  
communicate to them. 

The doughnut is a constant  
motif in The Simpsons 
 
 

Onomatopoeia 

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sound of words. 

Used to convey meaning to reader 
Used also to help readers visualize  

Splash, drip 

Paradox/Oxymoron 

A assertion seeming opposed to common  
sense, but that may yet have some truth in it 

Purpose of paradox is to add to reading pleasure. Forces readers to decipher deeper meaning and significance.  

Jumbo shrimp, serious fun, bittersweet. 

Pathetic Fallacy 

When the events in nature echo the events in human society, or when human emotions are reflected in the natural world 

Writers try to bring inanimate objects to life, so that the nature of emotions they want to convey is understood in a better way 

Mourners at a funeral are crying and the rain, like teardrops, pours down on them 

Periodic Sentence 

Withholds an important part of the sentence until the end so that it doesn’t make complete sense until the last word is read. 

To create suspense and add interest to writing 

“Whether playing a young wild adven the turer, a fugitive from law, or a U.S. president, there is one actor whose films always make money – Harrison Ford.” 

Personification 

A figure of speech in which an author presents or describe concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions 

Used to park a reader's interest 

The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. The wind howled its mighty objections. 

Poetic Justice 

When the good are rewarded and the evil are punished 

To adhere by the universal code of morality, in that virtue triumphs vice. Provides resolution for readers and ties up loose ends 

In Batman, The Joker eventually meets his fate at the hand of the masked hero 

Pun 

A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings 

Add humour and comedic relief. Contribute to character development, using puns reveal a character’s cleverness and wit 

Corduroy pillows are making headlines 

Rhyming 

A repetition of similar sounding words,  
occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs 

Stylistically appealing and distinguishes poetry from prose. 

English is a Pain! (Pane)/Rain, Reign, rein,/English is a pain./ 
Although the words /Sound just alike/The spelling’s not the same! 

Repetition 

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as sounds, words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or grammatical pattern 

Stylistically appealing; Conveys deeper meaning of text. Stresses the main point of significance; Contributes to dramatic appeal. 

If you think you can do it, you can do it. 

Satire 

Ridicule, irony, or sarcasm in speech or writing (or media).  A novel, play, etc. that ridicules people’s hypocrisy or foolishness in this way. 

Criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. 

Southpark 

Simile  

A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word like or as 

Attracts attention, and appeal directly to the senses of listeners or readers, encouraging their imaginations to understand what is being communicated. 

“The boy charged in  
the room like a bull!” 

Soliloquy  

When a character in a play speaks alone on stage. Very similar to a monologue. 

A technique used to convey the innermost thoughts of a character. Primarily used for character development. 

Hamlets famous To Be or Not to Be 

Stanza 

Two or more lines of poetry that together  
form one of the divisions of a poem. 

To act as the paragraphs of poems by separating different ideas 

What is a middle schooler 
I was asked one day. 
I knew what they were 
But what should I say? 

Symbolism 

When an author uses one thing to represent another 

To add layers of literary meaning;  
Contributes to theme. Evokes interest. 

A dove represents peace 
White represents purity 

Theme 

The central idea or message of the work, offering readers insights into life. 
NOTE: A theme is NOT a single word, but rather a statement encompassing the implied meaning of the text. 

To exhibit a universal truth and provide lession or moral teachings 

Power corrupts those  
that hold it  

Tone 

The writer’s attitude towards his/her subject, audience, or him/herself conveyed through choice of words and punctuation in writing 
 
 

Decides how the readers read a literary piece, and how they should feel while they are reading it 

Is the author serious, playful, apologetic, happy, angry, or commanding> 

Trope 

A trope is a common literary device or recurring theme that appears frequently in storytelling. It's a familiar pattern or motif that can be found across different genres and time periods. 

Relatability: Tropes often draw on universal human experiences, making it easier for readers to connect with characters and situations. 

Quick Understanding: Familiar tropes can provide a shorthand for understanding plot points, character motivations, and themes without extensive explanation. 

A character holding a skull symbolizes a reflection on morality and/or sympathy for the departed. Or the trope that superheroes wear capes 

Rhetorical Question 

A question asked that is not 
intended to be answered 

To persuade or subtly influence the audience 

“Can anyone deny that the microchip has revolutionized communication?” 

Understatement 

Creates the reverse effect by making  
the fact seem less significant 
 
 

To add a touch of irony 

“Bruce Willis’ onscreen characters frequently find themselves in a bit of a jam.”