AP Lang Terminologies
Metonymy
Definition: A figure of speech where something is referred to by an associated concept.
Example: “The crown will decide the nation’s fate.” (Crown = monarchy/king).
Homily
Definition: A serious speech or lecture that gives moral or spiritual advice.
Example: A sermon in church urging people to practice forgiveness.
Connotation / Denotation
Definition: Denotation = literal meaning of a word; Connotation = emotional or cultural associations.
Example: “Home” (denotation: place you live; connotation: warmth, family, comfort).
Apostrophe
Definition: Directly addressing an absent person, idea, or inanimate object.
Example: “O Death, where is thy sting?”
Syllogism
Definition: A logical argument with a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.
Example:
Major: All humans are mortal.
Minor: Socrates is human.
Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.
Anaphora
Definition: Repetition of words/phrases at the beginning of successive clauses.
Example: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields…”
Chiasmus
Definition: Reversal of grammatical structure in successive phrases.
Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Pedantic
Definition: Writing that is overly academic, precise, or “show-offy” with detail.
Example: An essay that spends two paragraphs explaining the definition of a word instead of making a point.
Antithesis
Definition: Two opposite ideas placed together for contrast.
Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
Loose / Periodic Sentence
Definition: Loose = main idea first, followed by details. Periodic = details first, main idea at the end.
Example:
Loose: “I went to the movies yesterday, bought candy, and shopped at the mall.”
Periodic: “After buying candy and shopping at the mall, I went to the movies.”
Bathos
Definition: An abrupt, often humorous shift from the serious to the trivial.
Example: “He spent his final hours thinking of his wife, his children, and his dog Spot.”
Prose
Definition: Ordinary written or spoken language (not poetry).
Example: Novels, essays, articles.
Synecdoche
Definition: A figure of speech where a part represents the whole.
Example: “All hands on deck” (hands = sailors).
Paradox
Definition: A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth.
Example: “Less is more.”
Allusion
Definition: An indirect reference to history, literature, or culture.
Example: “He met his Waterloo.” (Refers to Napoleon’s defeat).
Allegory
Definition: A story or work with a deeper symbolic meaning (moral, political, religious).
Example: Animal Farm as an allegory for totalitarianism.
Aphorism
Definition: A short, witty statement of truth or principle.
Example: “Actions speak louder than words.”
Asyndeton
Definition: Leaving out conjunctions for effect.
Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Epigram
Definition: A brief, clever, and memorable statement.
Example: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” (Oscar Wilde)
Euphemism
Definition: A polite or less direct way of saying something harsh.
Example: “Passed away” instead of “died.”
Colloquialism
Definition: Informal, everyday expressions in writing/speech.
Example: “Y’all” or “gonna.”