AP Glossary Flashcards
active voice
Definition
The subject of the sentence performs the action. This is a more direct and preferred style of writing in most cases.
allusion
Definition
An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things
commonly-known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.
Alter- ego
Definition
A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character.
Anecdote
Definition
- A brief recounting of a relevant episode.
Antecedent
Definition
- The word, phrase, or clause is referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally
asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences.
Classicism
Definition
–Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures
active voice
Example
“Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house.”
Active voice
Effect on text
In most cases, using an active voice will result in shorter, sharper sentences that are easier for the reader to follow. This makes your writing clearer and aids the reader in visualizing what’s happening, especially when you use vivid action verbs.
allusion
Example
“ Chocolate is his kryptonite”
allusion
Effect on text
An allusion can be used as a straightforward device to enhance a text by providing further meaning, but it can also be used in a more complex sense to make an ironic comment on one thing by comparing it to something that is dissimilar.
Classicism
Example-
pictures from Grecce or Ancient Rome
Classicism
Effect on text
I would say that it affects the text by giving a visual explanation or further explanation to the description in the text.
Antecedent
Example
“If I could command the wealth of all the world by lifting my finger, I would not pay such a price for it.”
Anecdote
Example
if a group of coworkers is discussing pets, and one coworker tells a story about how her cat comes downstairs at only a certain time of the night, then that one coworker has just told an anecdote
Anecdote
Effect on the text
Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or non
fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
Alter- ego
Example
In Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, Shakespeare
talks to his audience about his own upcoming retirement, through the main character in the play, Prospero.
Alter- ego
Effect on text
I believe it can affect the text by putting out something behind hidden context but not directly put there for the whole world to instantly understand.
Comic relief
Definition
when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat.
Comic relief
Example
The “gatekeeper scene” in Macbeth is an example of comic relief.
Comic relief
Effect on text
To lighten the mood during a serious plot
Diction
Definition
Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning.
Diction
Example
“The author uses words to write.” (Duh.) Instead, describe the type of diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain).
Diction
Effect on text
An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang. You should be able to describe an author’s diction. You SHOULD NOT write in your thesis, “The author uses diction…”.
Colloquial
Definition
Ordinary or familiar type of conversation.
Colloquial
Example
A “colloquialism” is a common or
a familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism.
Colloquial
Effect on text
Colloquial language is used in informal writing situations and creates a conversational tone.
Connotation
Definition
The associations suggested by a
word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning.
Connotation
Example
(For example, “policeman,” “cop,” and “The
Man” all denote the same literal meaning of police officer, but each has a different connotation.)
Connotation
Effect on text
Using words with different connotations can really change the meaning of a sentence and the tone, which means the attitude of the speaker.
Denotation
Definition
- The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.
Denotation
Example
the denotation of the word “blue” is the color blue
Denotation
effect on text
Denotation is another word for the literal, dictionary definition of a word.
Jargon
Definition
The diction used by a group that practices a similar profession or activity.
Jargon
Example
Lawyers speak using particular jargon, as do soccer players. Due diligence: A business term, “due diligence” refers to the research that should be done before making an important business decision
Jargon
Effect on text
Jargon words are meant to enhance communication by simplifying a particular concept.
Vernacular
Definition
1. Language or dialect of a particular country. 2. Language or dialect of a regional
clan or group. 3. Plain everyday speech
Vernacular
example
Vernacular is the use of ordinary, everyday, and plain language in speaking or writing, such as corn is a common name of a plant, and its scientific name is “maize,” or “Zea mays.”
Vernacular
effect on text
Since vernacular language made it easier to convert people to Christianity, it was eventually used over Latin.
Didactic
Definition
- A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
Didactic
Example
didactic literature includes Aesop’s Fables. Novels written for women in the 18th and 19th centuries were also often didactic, kind of like fictionalized conduct manuals.
Didactic
Effect on text
A didactic text is one that teaches and instructs, and originally, the idea was that learning should be done in an intriguing manner.
Adage
definition
A folk saying with a lesson.
Adage
Example
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
Adage
Effect on text
Similar to aphorism and colloquialism.
Allegory
Definition
- A story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent
qualities or concepts.
Allegory
Example
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory.
Allegory
Effect on text
The interaction of these characters, things, and events are meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.
Aphorism
Definition
A terse statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle.
Aphorism
Example
Ben Franklin wrote many of these in Poor Richard’s Almanac, such as “God helps them that help themselves,” and “A watched pot never boils.”
Aphorism
Effect on text
An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author’s point
Ellipsis
Definition
The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose is done for effect by the author.
Ellipsis
Example
“The whole day, rain, torrents of rain.”
Ellipsis
Effect on text
The term ellipsis is related to ellipse, which is the three periods used to show omitted text in a quotation.
Euphemism
Definition
- A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts. Sometimes they are used for political correctness.
Euphemism
Example
“Physically challenged,” in place of “crippled.”
Euphemism
Effect on text
Sometimes a euphemism is used to exaggerate correctness to add humor. “Vertically challenged” in place of “short.”
Figurative Language
Definition
“Figurative Language” is the opposite: writing that is not meant to be taken literally.
Figurative Language
Example
So, instead of hearing the wind blow against your window tonight, perhaps you’ll hear the whisper of the wind as it calls out for you like a lover in the night (personification and simile, respectively).
Figurative Language
Effect on text
Figurative language adds the same kind of depth to our writing
Antecedent
Effect on text
By using references such as they, their, them, it, he, and she without any antecedent subject would become confusing. Hence, antecedent makes the composition words, grammar, and the expression of the writers clear and precise, as, without it, a sentence remains vague and cannot convey exact meaning.
Analogy
Definition
- An analogy is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables.
Analogy
Example
“America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle.” Similes and metaphors are sometimes also analogies.
Analogy
Effect on text
When a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is
the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables.
Hyperbole:
Definition
Exaggeration.
Hyperbole:
Example
“My mother will kill me if I am late.”
Hyperbole:
Effect on text
The objective of using hyperbole is to add an amusing effect to the text.
Idiom:
Definition
An often-used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally.
Idiom:
Example
“I got chewed out by my coach.”
Idiom:
Effect on text
idioms can amplify messages in a way that draws readers in and helps to awaken their senses
Metaphor:
Definition
Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words.
Metaphor:
Example
“My feet are popsicles.”
Metaphor:
Effect on text
Metaphor, which allows writers to convey vivid imagery that transcends literal meanings, creates images that are easier to understand and respond to than literal language. The metaphor expresses nuances for which no standard vocabulary exists, and entices readers to think in abstract ways.
Metonymy
Definition
– Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept.
Metonymy
Example
“Relations between London and Washington have been strained,” does not literally mean relations between
the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England.
Metonymy
Effect on text
Overall, as a literary device, metonymy enhances literary symbolism.
Synecdoche
Definition
A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa.
Synecdoche
Example
“The cattle rancher owned 500 head.” “Check out my new wheels.”
Synecdoche
Effect on text
Synecdoche is a helpful device for writers to express a word or idea in a different way by using an aspect of that word or idea. This allows for variation of expression and produces an effect for the reader.
Simile:
Definition
Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things.
Simile:
Example
“My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.”
Simile:
Effect on text
The effect of using similes and imagery in a text is that they will make your text more interesting and engaging to readers.
Synesthesia
Definition
a description involving a “crossing of the senses.”
Synesthesia
Example
“A purplish scent filled the room.” “I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing.”
Synesthesia
Effect on text
If you have synesthesia, you may also feel like you can taste the color of the wall while you look at it. So not only will your primary visual cortex be stimulated by the color, your parietal lobe, which tells you what something tastes like, is stimulated, too.
Personification:
Definition
Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human.
Personification:
Example
“The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill.”
Personification:
Effect on text
Personification connects readers with the object that is personified. Personification can make descriptions of non-human entities more vivid, or can help readers understand, sympathize with, or react emotionally to non-human characters.
Foreshadowing
Definition
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.
Foreshadowing
Example
“I told myself this is the end of my trouble, but I didn’t believe myself.”
Foreshadowing
Effect on text
Foreshadowing adds dramatic tension to a story by building anticipation about what might happen next.
Genre
Definition
The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose,
poetry, and drama.
Genre
Example
However, genres can be subdivided as well (poetry can be classified into lyric, dramatic,
narrative, etc.).
Genre
Effect on text
Genre expectations affect both how individuals choose texts to read, and then how those texts are understood
Gothic
Definition
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death. Also refers to an architectural style
of the middle ages, often seen in cathedrals of this period.
Gothic
Example
the Abbey of St-Denis, Sens Cathedral and Chartres Cathedral
Gothic
Effect on text
Gothic lit often elicits intense, suspenseful feelings of fear, shock, dread, or disgust in the reader. Supernatural Beings. Monsters, demons, witches, ghosts, banshees, vampires, and other supernatural creatures often play parts in Gothic fiction.
Imagery
Definition
Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind. Usually this involves the five senses.
Authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.
Imagery
Example
The autumn leaves are a blanket on the ground.
Imagery
Effect on text
Imagery can make something abstract, like an emotion or theory, seem more concrete and tangible to the reader. By using imagery, writers can evoke the feeling they want to talk about in their readers.
Invective
Definition
A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.
Invective
Example
“A knave, a rascal; an eater of broken meats
Invective
Effect on text
Invective is an important literary device in that the insult can arouse negative emotion in the audience as well as the target of the insult.
Irony
Definition
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
Irony
Example
A fire station burns down.
Irony
effect on text
Most forms of irony display a disparity between what the characters think can, should, or will happen and what actually transpires.
Verbal irony
Definition
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.
Verbal irony
Example
if your gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes or faster, but calls it a “walk in the park” it would be verbal irony.
Verbal irony
Effect on text
This approach to irony can help the reader gain insight into each character’s personality.
Dramatic irony
Definition
When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn’t and would be surprised to find out.
Dramatic irony
Example
in many horror movies, we (the
audience) know who the killer is, which the victim-to-be has no idea who is doing the slaying. Sometimes the character trusts the killer completely when (ironically) he/she shouldn’t.
Dramatic irony
Effect on text
Dramatic irony can stimulate strong emotions in a reader because the reader knows what awaits a character and may see the character act against his or her own well-being.
Situational irony
Definition
Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it makes you laugh because it’s funny how things turn out.
Situational irony
Example
Johnny spent two hours planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. When he finally did manage to sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day.
Situational irony
Effect on text
Authors use this device to create a more relatable situation or character within literature. It can also be used to change the tone or mood of a written work.
Juxtaposition
Definition
- Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.
Juxtaposition
Example
an author my juxtapose the average day of a
typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary).
Juxtaposition
Effect on text
Juxtaposition can have the effect of absurdity or humor, or create a link between elements and images that appear unrelated until they are paired.
Mood
Definition
The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).
Mood
Example
Humorous -Maddening.
Mood
Effect on text
The mood creates an emotional response in the audience and allows for greater understanding of what the author is saying.
Syntax is often a creator of mood since word order, sentence length and strength and complexity also affect pacing and therefore mood. Setting, tone, and events can all affect the mood.
Motif
Definition
– a recurring idea in a piece of literature.
Motif
Examples
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that “you never really
understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is a motif, because the
idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.
Motif
Effect on text
They must be related to the central idea of the work, and they always end up reinforcing the author’s overall message.
Oxymoron
Definition
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox
Oxymoron
Example
“wise fool,” “eloquent silence,” “jumbo shrimp.”
Oxymoron
Effect on text
The use of oxymorons add playfulness to writing.
Pacing
Definition
The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.
Pacing
Example
An author’s pacing can be fast,
sluggish, stabbing, vibrato, staccato, measured, etc.
Pacing
Effect on text
Pacing affects the mood of your story, helps develop ideas and themes, and allows your readers to connect to the characters and the events that surround them.
Paradox
Definition
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.
Paradox
Example
“You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job.”
Paradox
Effect on text
This literary device is commonly used to engage a reader to discover an underlying logic in a seemingly self-contradictory statement or phrase.
Parallelism
Definition
Sentence construction which
places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.
Parallelism
Example
“Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs.”
Parallelism
Effect on text
Parallelism is used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing.
Anaphora
Definition
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.
Anaphora
Example
“I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Anaphora
Effect on text
This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent.
Chiasmus
Definition
When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed.
Chiasmus
Example
“Fair is foul and foul is fair.” “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Chiasmus
Effect on text
A chiasmus is a rhetorical device used to create a stylized writing effect, in which the second part of a sentence is a mirror image of the first.
Antithesis
Definition
- Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure.
Antithesis
Example
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Antithesis
Effect on text
When used correctly, antithesis highlights the stark difference between opposing ideas by placing them side-by-side in exactly the same structure.
Zuegma (Syllepsis)
Definition
When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies.
