English 11 Ap Language And Composition Exam Vocabulary

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abstraction

Back 1

a concept or value that cannot be seen (ex. love, honor) and which the writer illustrates by comparing it metaphorically to a known, concrete object.

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absolute phrase

Back 2

group of words which is almost a complete sentence and which adds information to the sentence; can be made into a sentence by adding was or were.

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ad hominem argument

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an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feelings rather than intellect (from the Latin meaning "to or against the man.")

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allegory

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a verse or prose narrative in which the characters,action, and sometimes setting represent abstract concepts apart from the literal meaning of the work.

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alliteration

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repetition of initial sounds (often consonant sounds)

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allusion

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reference to artistic, literary, scientific, or historical people, places or things to convey tone, purpose, or effect.

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ambiguity

Back 7

expression of an idea in such a way that suggests more than one meaning.

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analogy

Back 8

a comparison of two things to show how something unfamiliar is like something widely known.

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anapest

Back 9

a metrical foot that has two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.

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anecdote

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a brief story that illustrates a point.

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antagonist

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the force or person working against the protagonist; the villain

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antithesis

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a contrast of ideas expressed in grammatically balanced statement.

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antecedent

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the word to which a pronoun refers

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aphorism

Back 14

a brief, clever saying that expresses a principle, truth, or observation about life

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appositive

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a noun which restates the noun preceding it

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apostrophe

Back 16

directly addressing someone dead, someone missing, an abstract quality, or something nonhuman as if he/she/it were present.

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approximate rhyme

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using words that have some sound correspondence but imperfect rhyme.

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archetype

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a character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people from all cultures because it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore.

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aside

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private words by a character on the stage so that the audience hears the words but the other characters do not.

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assonance

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repetition of vowel sounds.

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atmosphere

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the mood of a work partly established through description of setting and partly through the objects chosen to be described.

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attitude

Back 22

the author's way of looking at a subject, implicit in the mode (tragedy, comedy, satire, romance) and essential to meaning.

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ballad

Back 23

a narrative poem with songlike qualities written in quatrains with the rhyme scheme abcb, usually in iambic pentameter.

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blank verse

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unrhymed iambic pentameter

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cacophony

Back 25

succession of harsh, discordant sounds in prose or verse to achieve a specific effect.

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caesura

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a pause in a line of verse, usually near the middle of the line.

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characterization

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the process by which the writer reveals the personalities of the characters; direct statement, physical description, dialogue, thoughts and feelings, actions, effect on others, others' reactions.

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clause

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a group of words with a subject and a verb; may be independent (main) or dependent (subordinate); a subordinate one may function as noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.

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climax

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the decisive or turning point in a story or play when the action changes course and begins to resolve itself.

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closed couplet

Back 30

two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and represent a complete thought.

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colloquialism

Back 31

the use of slang or informalities in speech and writing; not generally acceptable in formal writing; should create a conversational tone.

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comic relief

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something said or done that provides a break from the seriousness of the work.

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conceit

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a juxtaposition that makes a surprising connection between two seemingly different things.

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conclusion

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a reaffirmation or restatement of the thesis; also expresses a final though about a subject, summarizes main points, uses a quotation, predicts an outcome, makes an evaluation, or recommends a course of outcome.

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confessional poetry

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poetry that uses intimate and painful, disturbing or sad material from the poet's life.

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conflict

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internal of external tension created by the struggle or by the outcome of the struggle.

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connotative language

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words which have an implied meaning, emphasizing feelings or subjectivity that surrounds the word.

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contrast

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a literary technique in which the author examines two opposites to create an attitude, to accomplish a purpose or affect, or to make an assertion.

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control of a wide range of the elements of writing

Back 39

mature diction, varied syntax, and effective organization to convey a clear and insightful evaluation, analysis, impression, or assertion.

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couplet

Back 40

two lines of poetry

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dactyl

Back 41

a metrical foot with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

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deduction

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deriving at a conclusion by making an inference from the premise

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denotative language

Back 43

the literal, dictionary definition of a word, emphasizing an objective tone

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denouement

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resolution of the plot

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description

Back 45

using vivid words to create a dominant impression of what the five senses are experiencing

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dialogue

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conversation between two or more characters.

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diction

Back 47

word choice.

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didactic

Back 48

a work in which the author's primary purpose is to instruct, teach or moralize.

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digression

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use of material unrelated to the subject of the work.

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dilemma

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a type of conflict in which both choices have negative connotations.

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dramatic monologue

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a poem in which the speaker addresses one or more listeners who remain silent or whose replies are not revealed.

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economy

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a style of writing characterized by brevity and conciseness.

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elegy

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a solemn, reflective poem, usually about death, written in a formal style.

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ellipsis

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omission of an element from a sentence so that the grammatical structure is incomplete but the meaning is clear; often appears in aphorisms, epigrams, proverbs, and maxims.

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end-stopped lines

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lines of poetry that end with punctuation marks.

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enjambment

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in poetry, the running over of a sentence from one verse or stanza to the next without stopping at the first.

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epic

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long narrative poem dealing with heroes and adventurers; having a national, world-wide, or cosmic setting; involving supernatural focuses, and written in a deliberately ceremonial style.

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epigram

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a short witty verse or saying, often ending with a wry twist.

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epigraph

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a motto or quotation at the beginning of a story, novel, or chapter, often indicating theme.

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epistolary novel

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a novel in letter form written by one or more of the characters.

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euphemism

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describing something distasteful in a positive way.

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euphony

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a choice and arrangement of words creating a pleasant sound.

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exemplum

Back 63

a short medieval story illustrating a moral.

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exposition

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one of the four major types of writing which explains; in drama, it is the initial part of the play when the background information is presented to the audience.

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fable

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brief tale which teaches a moral truth and which contains characters who are often animals.

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figures of speech

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imaginative comparisons (ex. metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) to convey tone, purpose, or effect.

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fixed form

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poems which have specific rhyme, meter, and/or stanza arrangement.

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flashback

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going back in time to reveal past history that is important to the work.

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flat character

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a one-dimensional character who remains the same throughout the work and about whom little is revealed.

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foil

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a character who contrasts another character.

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foot

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a unit of meter that contains a measure of syllables (ex. anapest, dactyl, iamb, spondee, trochee)

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form

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external pattern of the poem (ex. continuous form, stanzaic form, free verse, fixed form, blank verse)

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foreshadowing

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a literary technique in which the author gives hints about future events.

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frame

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a narrative device presenting a story or group pf stories within the context of a larger work.

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free verse

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poetry with no set rhyme and no set meter.