Ap English

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Abstract Diction

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Language that describes qualities that cannot be perceived with the five senses

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Allegory

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a work of art, such as a story or painting, in which the characters, images, and/or events act as symbols

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Alliteration

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the repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are in close proximity to each other

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Allusion

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a literary device used to reference another object outside of the work of literature

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Ambiguity

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occurs when something is open to more than one interpretation

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Anachronism

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some mistake in timeline in a play or a novel or better to say that incidents have been jumbled up in a way

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Analogy

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a comparison between two things

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Anaphora

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a literary and rhetorical device in which a word or group of words is repeated at the beginning of two or more successive clauses or sentences

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Anecdote

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a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

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Antecedent (grammatical)

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an earlier clause, phrase or word to which a pronoun, another word or a noun refers back to

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Antithesis

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use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures

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Antimetabole

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a figure of speech in which words or clauses from the first half of a sentence are repeated in the second half of the sentence in reverse order

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Aphorism

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a short saying that expresses a truth in a memorable way

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Apostrophe (literary term)

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when a speaker breaks off from addressing one party and instead addresses a third party

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Appositive

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a noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it

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Asyndeton

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the omission of a conjunction such as “and” or “as” from a series of related clauses.

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Bias

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prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

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Characterization

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the act of creating and describing characters in literature

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Chiasmus

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employs two or more clauses which are related grammatically and conceptually, but in which the grammar and concepts are reversed

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Colloquial/ Colloquialism

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the usage of informal or everyday language in literature

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Concrete diction

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Language that describes qualities that can be perceived with the five senses

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Connotation

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the emotional or cultural association with that word rather than its dictionary definition

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Deductive reasoning

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The process of logic in which a thinker takes a rule for a large, general category and assumes that specific individual examples fitting within that general category obey the same rule

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Denotation

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the actual definition of the word rather than the nuances of its meaning or the feelings it implies

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Dialect

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the variety of a language that a group of people speak, separated either by geography, class, or ethnicity

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Diction

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he choice of words and style of expression that an author makes and uses in a work of literature

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Double entendre

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French for “Double meaning”

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Elegy

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a poem or a song that is written in elegiac couplets in honor of a dead relative or friend

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Ellipsis

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omitting unnecessary words in a sentence, a line, a paragraph or an event, which occurs in long narratives

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Euphemism

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a polite or mild word or expression used to refer to something embarrassing, taboo, or unpleasant

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Epitaph

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an brief inscription written on a grave

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Extended metaphor

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a metaphor that an author develops over the course of many lines or even an entire work of literature

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Fallacy

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an erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention

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Figurative language

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language in which figures of speech are used to make it effective, persuasive and impactful

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Generalization

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the abstraction of a general idea, principle, or pattern from the observation of particular objects, events, or experiences

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Imagery

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literary device that draws on the five senses

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Inductive reasoning

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a logical process in which multiple premises, all believed true or found true most of the time, are combined to obtain a specific conclusion

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Inference

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through the observation of facts presented in a particular pattern, one ultimately sees different or new interpretations and perspectives.

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Irony

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a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality

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Jargon

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a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade

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Juxtaposition

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place two concepts, characters, ideas, or places near or next to each other

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Litotes

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a figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive sentiment

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Metonymy

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figure of speech in which something is called by a new name that is related in meaning to the original thing or concept

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Oxymoron

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a figure of speech in which two seemingly opposing and contradictory elements are juxtaposed

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Paradox

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the juxtaposition of a set of seemingly contradictory concepts that reveal a hidden and/or unexpected truth

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Parallelism

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the usage of repeating words and forms to give pattern and rhythm to a passage in literature

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Parenthetical

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

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Parody

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an imitation of a writer, artist, subject, or genre in such a way as to make fun of or comment on the original work

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Pathetic fallacy

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giving human emotions and actions to animals, plants, and other parts of nature

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Polysyndeton

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several conjunctions are used to join connected clauses in places where they are not contextually necessary

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Pun

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a play on words which usually hinges on a word with more than one meaning or the substitution of a homonym that changes the meaning of the sentence

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Realism

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an approach that attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity

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Rhetoric

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the art of using language to persuade, motivate, or inform an audience via writing or speech

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Rhetorical Question

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question that is asked not to get an answer, but instead to emphasize a point

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Sarcasm

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a rhetorical and literary device used to ridicule someone or something, and generally attempting to wound and amuse simultaneously

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Satire

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genre of literature that uses wit for the purpose of social criticism

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Slang

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conversing in informal ways in a specific social groups

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Stream of Consciousness

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a narrative form in which the author writes in a way that mimics or parallels a character’s internal thoughts

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Syllogism

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a rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific

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Synecdoche

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a word or phrase that refers to a part of something is substituted to stand in for the whole, or vice versa

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Syntax

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the arrangement of words into a sentence that make sense in a given language

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Understatement

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way of speaking which minimizes the significance of something

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Zeugma

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figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas

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Ethos

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represents credibility or an ethical appeal which involves persuasion by the character involved

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Logos

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a statement, sentence or argument used to convince or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason or logic

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Pathos

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a quality of an experience in life or a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy and sorrow

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Modes of discourse

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a system of thoughts composed of different beliefs, practices, ideas, and attitudes which construct a subject in a systematic way