AP English 11 Literary Terms Flashcards
Allusion
A brief reference to a person or thing, most often from history, mythology, or religion
Ambiguity
multiple meanings
analogy
a resemblance between two different things which require more explanation than a simile would require, using something familiar to explain the unfamiliar
assonance
the close repetition of similar vowel sounds
Cacophany
discordant or harsh sounds
chiasmus
a verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first half with the parts reversed. (fair is foul, foul is fair)
connotation
the implied or suggested meanings evoked by a word
Consonance
close repetition of identical consonant sounds before and after different vowels (flip flop and east west)
denotation
a words most literal and limited meaning
dissonance
cacophany
hyperbole
exaggeration for effect
inversion
the reversal of normal order of words in a sentence
irony
a result opposite from what is expected (dramatic irony, situation irony, verbal irony)
litotes
understatement for effect
metaphor
comparing two fundamentally different things without using “like” or “as”
metonymy
substitution of one word or phrase for another that is very closely associated with it (the white house declared today…)
neologism
a newly coined word or phrase (eg chortle)
oxymoron
a two-word apparent contradiction (ash snowflakes)
paradox
an apparently contradictory statement that contains a basis of truth that reconciles the seeming opposites
parallel structure
repetition of two or more items using identical grammatical structure within each item
personification
giving human or life-like qualities to nonhuman objects or abstract ideas (tears trudge from her eyes)
simile
comparing two fundamentally different things using “like” and “as” (bodies like driftwood in a stream)
syllepsis
a figure of speech in which the same word is applied to two others in different senses (creased-up cardboard and annoyed face)
symbol
something concrete that stands for something abstract
synecdoche
substitution of a part of the whole (all hands on deck)
synesthesia
the intermingling of sensations/crossing the lines between the senses (sound of the smell of the footsteps)
Alliteration
Close repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words
allegory
An extended narrative that carries a second meaning along with the surface story
apostrophe
a personified abstraction or the addressing of a person not present
Asyndeton
a list or a series in which no “and” is used at all; the items in the list are separated by commas alone
diction
word choice
euphony
agreeable sounds
figurative language
makes use of figures of speech- most of which are techniques for comparing dissimilar objects, to achieve effects beyond the range of literal language
genre
a literary type or class
imagery
the use of language to create visual pictures
meiosis
litotes
onomatopoeia
using words that sound like what they mean
paraphrase
the restatement in different words of the sense of a piece of writing
polysyndeton
a list or series of words, phrases, or clauses connected with the repeated use of the same conjunction, most commonly “and” or “or”
Precis
a concise summary or abstract of a longer work
pun
word play involving either the use of words with two different meanings or two words spelled differently but with similar meanings
repetition
a fundamental device in art- assonance, alliteration, consonance, and parallelism
rhetoric
the art of using words effectively in speaking or in writing
sarcasm
bitter, derisive expression; verbal irony
satire
ridicule of any subject
solecism
deviation from conventional grammar, syntax, or pronunciation
syntax
the arrangement of and relationships among words, phrases, and clauses forming sentences (sentence structure)
tautology
needless repetition of an idea using different words (died of a fatal dose of heroin)
tone
the authors attitude towards his subject shown indirectly
trope
in general, any rhetorical or figurative device
zuegma
syllepsis
stream of consciousness
writing that reflects the natural, realistic flow of a characters thoughts
syllogism
a deduction from two propositions (all men are mortal, greeks are men, therefore, all greeks are mortal)
