Ap English Language And Composition

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Allegory

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a narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance. Often a universal symbol or personified abstraction.

Cupid as a chubby angel.

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Alliteration

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the sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables.

"She sells seashells by the seashore."

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Allusion

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a literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference.

One might contrast the life and tribulations of Frederick Douglass to the trials of Job.

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Anaphora

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the regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.

"To raise a happy, healthful, and hopeful child, it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes business people; it takes community leaders; it takes those who protect our health and safety; it takes all of us." (Hillary Clinton, Democratic National Convention Address, 1996)

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Antithesis

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the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas.

Alexander Pope reminds us that "to err is human, to forgive divine."

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Aphorism

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a concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child."

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Apostrophe

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the act of addressing some inanimate abstraction or person that is not physically present: It often helps the speaker to be able to express his or her thoughts aloud.

King Lear intones, "Ingratitude! Thou marble-hearted fiend, more hideous when thou show'st thee in a child than the sea-monster." Ingratitude is a personified concept; by addressing the abstract, Lear commands a significant power.

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Appeals to... authority, emotion or logic

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rhetorical arguments in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field, attempts to play upon emotions, or appeals to the use of reason. Classically trained rhetoricians identify these appeals with their Greek names: ethos is authority, pathos is emotion, and logos is logic.

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Assonance

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the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words.

The alliteration example also demonstrates assonance: "She sells seashells by the seashore."

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Asyndeton

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a syntactical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing more rapid prose.

"Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered), supposedly said by Julius Caesar.

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Attitude

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the sense expressed by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece of writing; the author's feelings toward his or her subject, characters, events, or theme. It might even be his or her feelings for the reader.

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Begging the question

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an argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict, evading or ignoring the real question.

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Canon

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that which has been accepted as authentic, such as in canon law, or the "Canon According to the Theories of Einstein."

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Chiasmus

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a figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second.

"He thinks I am but a fool. A fool, perhaps I am."

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Claim

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in argumentation, an assertion of something as fact.

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Colloquial

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a term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area.

Most people expect Southerners to use the collorquial expression "y'all" to engage the attention of a group of people. In some parts of the United States, a Coke is a product of Coca-Cola Company, while in other parts of the country, "coke" means any type of carbonated beverage. Other people refer to such beverages as "pop" or "soda pop." These are all colloquial terms for the drink.

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Comparison and contrast

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a mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared, contrasted, or both.

On one English Language exam, students were asked to contrast two marriage proposals taken from literature, analyzing them for the use the narrators made of rhetorical devices and their argumentative success.

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Conceit

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a comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem. However, conceits can also be used in nonfiction and prose.

For instance, Richard Selzer's passage "The Knife" compares the preparation and actions of surgery to preparing for and conducting a religious service or a sacred ritual.

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Connotation

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the implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase. It is the opposite of denotation, which is the "dictionary definition" of the word.

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Consonance

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the repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels.

Pitter-patter, splish-splash, and click-clack.

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Convention

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an accepted manner, model, or tradition.

Aristotle's conventions of tragedy.

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Critique

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an assessment or analysis of something, such as a passage of writing, for the purpose of determining what it is, what its limitations are, and how it conforms to the standard of the genre.

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Deductive reasoning (deduction)

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the method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles; movement from the general to the specific, in contrast to inductive reasoning (induction).

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Dialect

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the language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region or group.

Minnesotans say "you betcha" when they agree with you. Southerners refer to the gathering of folks as "y'all." Although dialect is most often found in fiction, sometimes it is evident in speeches from a different era or from a different culture.

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Diction

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the specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effort.

An the AP exam, you must relate how a writer's diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., all come together to become the author's style.

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Didactic

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writing or speech is didactic when it has an instructive purpose or a lesson. It is often associated with a dry, pompous presentation, regardless of its innate value to the reader/listener.

Some of Aesop's fables are didactic in that they contain an underlying moral or social message.

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Elegy

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a poem or prose work that laments, or meditates upon the death of, a person or persons. Sometimes an elegy will end with words of consolation.

Many public elegies were presented in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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Epistrophe

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in rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences.

"If women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work... their families will flourish,

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Epitaph

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writing in praise of a dead person, most often inscribed upon a headstone.

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Ethos

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in rhetoric, the appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator.

(Who is this person saying so, and what makes him able to say so?)

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Eulogy

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a speech or written passage in praise of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person. Elegy laments; eulogy praises.

Many eulogies are spoken in honor of the brave firefighters who heroically risk their lives while saving the lives of others.

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Euphemism

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an indirect , kinder or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information.

It is much nicer for a person who has just been given a pink slip to hear that she has been made redundant rather than she has hereby been terminated.

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Exposition

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writing that explains its own meaning or purpose.

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Extended metaphor

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a series of comparisons within a piece of writing. If they consistently involve one concept, this is also known as a conceit.

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Figurative language/figure of speech

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figurative (in contrast to literal) language has levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, oxymoron, litote, and others.

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Flashback

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(also known as retrospection) an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration.

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Genre

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a type or class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history.

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Homily

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a sermon, but more contemporary uses include any serious talk, speech or lecture involving moral or spiritual life.

John Donne was known for his homilies, among other things.

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Hyperbole

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overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention.

If you are hungry and say, "I'm starving," that is a hyperbole.

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Imagery

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broadly defined, any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object. Basically, imagery involves any or all of the five senses. A writer generally uses imagery in conjunction with other figures of speech, such as simile or metaphor.

"Her cheeks were rosy and so was my love- bursting with fragrance and softness." Here metaphor is used with the images of rosy cheeks (the visual color) and the smell and feel of roses.

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Inductive reasoning (induction)

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the method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principles; movement from the specific to the general. In other words, a general supposition is made after investigating specific instances, a common logic used in scientific study.

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Inference

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a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data.

It is through inference-looking at the clues, learning the facts- that Sherlock Holmes was able to solve the crimes.

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Irony (ironic)

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the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated, often suggesting light sarcasm. Irony is used for many reasons, often to create poignancy or humor. There are three major types of irony: verbal, situational, and dramatic.

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Verbal irony

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the first major type of irony. What the author/narrator says is actually the opposite of what is meant.

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Situational irony

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the second major type of irony. When events end up the opposite of what is expected.

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Dramatic irony

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the third major type of irony. In drama, facts or situations are known to the reader or audience but not to the characters.

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Isocolon

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parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure but also in length.

Biblical admonition "Many are called, but few are chosen"

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Jargon

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specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group

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Juxtaposition

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x

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Litote

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x

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Loose Sentence

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x

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Metaphor

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x

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Metonymy

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x

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Mode of discourse

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x

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Mood

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x

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Narrative

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x

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Onomatopoeia

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x

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Oxymoron

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x

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Paradox

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x

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Parallel Structure

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x

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Pathos

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x

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Periodic sentence

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x

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Personification

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x

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Point of veiw

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x

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Prose

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x

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Realism

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x

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Rebuttal/refutation

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x

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Rhetoric

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x

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Rhetorical question

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x

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Sarcasm

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x

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Satire

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x

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Similie

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x

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Style

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x

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Symbolism

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x

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Synecdoche

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x

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Syntax

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x

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Theme

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Tone

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x

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Voice

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x

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Zeugma

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x