AP Glossary Flashcards
Active Voice
The subject of the sentence performs the action.
Example of Active Voice
“Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house. “
Effect of Active Voice on text
The subject of the sentence comes first and performs the action that the rest of the sentence describes.
Allusion
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 reader is supposed to be familiar with.
Example of Allusion
“She felt like she had a golden ticket.”
Effect of Allusion on text
Allusion can be used to build trust with their readers, contextualize characters, and help disclose mysterious plots points.
Alter-ego
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.
Example of Alter-ego
In Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, Shakespeare talks to his audience about his own upcoming retirement, through the main character in the play, Prospero.
Effect of Alter-ego on text
It lets authors explore other sides of themselves, or other sides of their characters.
Anecdote
A brief recounting of a relevant episode.
Example of Anecdote
In Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire by J K Rowling, Dumbledore uses an anecdote when talking to another headmaster. “I’d never dream to assume that I know all of the secrets of Hogwarts. Just this morning, for example, I had taken a wrong turn on my way to the bathroom, I then found myself inside a wonderfully proportioned room which I had not seen before, it contained a truly astonishing collection of chamber pots. I then returned to investigate but discovered the room had disappeared.“
Effective of Anecdote on text
They’re often inserted into fictional or nonfiction texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Example of Antecedent
“David plays football in the courtyard. All the children have gathered there.”
Effect of Antecedent on text
It can make the sense of a sentence clear to the readers.
Classicism
Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional themes and structures.
Example of Classicism
Dryden’s poetry, especially “MacFlecknoe” and “Annus Mirabilus are poems example.
Effect of Classicism on text
Classicism focuses more on the realistic aspect of the text and the theme is more realistic as well.
Comic Relief
When a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story.
Example of Comic Relief
The “gatekeeper scene” in Macbeth.
Effect of Comic Relief on text
Comic relief brings a relief to a time of darkness in the text and doesn’t make the story so negative.
Diction
Word choice, particularly as an element of style.
Example of diction
In “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair” in an example.
Effect of Diction on text
It’s the thing that sets the tone, mood, and atmosphere of a piece.
Colloquial
a form of diction; ordinary or familiar type of conversation. Colloquialism is a common or familiar type of saying.
Example of Colloquial
Y’all means you all and that’s an everyday life example.
Effect of Colloquial on text
In can give deep insights into the writer’s society and can tell us how people really talk in their real lives.
Connotation
Rather than the dictionary definition, the associations suggested by a word.
Example of Connotation
“Policeman,” “Cop,” and “The Man,” all mean police officer but they look different.
Effect of Connotation on text
It can cause creativity in writing when using figures of speech.
Denotation
The literal, explicit meaning of the word, without its connotations.
Example of Denotation
In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” the line “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you” is an example.
Effect of Denotation on text
It gives a more direct meaning in expressions in the text to enhance the accuracy of the interpretation of the text.
Jargon
The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity.
Example of Jargon
Lawyers speak using particular jargon as do soccers players.
Effect of Jargon on text
It’s used to emphasize a situation or to refer something that will seem exotic to the reader.
Vernacular
language or dialect of a particular country; language or dialect of a regional clan or group; plain everyday speech.
Example of Vernacular.
In “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “Say, who is you? Whar is you? Dog my cats ef I didn’ hear sumf’n. Well, I know what I’s gwyne to do: I’s gwyne to set down here and listen tell I hears it agin” is an example.
Effect of Vernacular on text
It makes dialogues and phrases the can reinforce the setting of the text or add depth by creating a sense of realism so readers can relate to the text.
Didactic
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.
Example of Didactic.
“Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan uses didactic in the form of spiritual allegory and it describes a religious and spiritual journey of a man on the way to deliverance.
Effect of Didactic on text
It can offer something additional to its reader rather than entertaining them when they read the text.
Adage
A folk saying with a lesson.
Example of Adage
“A rolling stone gathers no moss” is an example.
Effect of Adage on text
It can give awareness to the readers about some facts life and can be applied to any circumstance or situation to give wisdom and sum up the moral lesson of a story. It makes the text effective, compact and rich.
Allegory
A story, fictional or non fictional in which characters, things and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or truth.
Example of Allegory
“Animal Farm,” by George Orwell is one.
Effect of Allegory on text
It can deliver difficult message in easy to read stories which makes them useful and expressive. This can help the readers understand the text.
Aphorism
A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle and can be a memorable summation of the author’s point.
Example of Aphorism
Ben Franklin wrote this in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” when he wrote “God helps them that help themselves,” and “A watched pot never boils.”
Effect of Aphorism on text
It can allow the writer to teach a moral and because they are so short, they can be easily remembered and the readers can relate the piece to real life and apply them to their lives.
Ellipsis
The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author.
Example of Ellipsis
“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth…the proposition that all men are created equal” from the Gettysburg Address is an example.
Effect of Ellipsis on text
Leaving out words or phrases change the meaning of the text and they tell the readers something is missing.
Euphemism
A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.
Example of Euphemism
“Jimmy was sent to a correctional facility” is an example.
Effect of Euphemism on the text
It allows the text to seem softer towards difficult or unpleasant things and they can be use to avoid offensive texts and can put words in a more delicate manner.
Figurative Language
it’s writing that is not meant to be taken literally.
Example of Figurative Language
“You’re as cuddly as a cactus” from “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is an example.
Effect of Figurative Language on text
It can help express something in the text in a more imaginative and creative way to make concepts easier to understand.
Analogy
A comparison of one pair variables to a parallel set of variables.
Example of Analogy
“America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle” is an example.
Effect of Analogy on text
This causes imagery in the text and can enhance the meaning and understanding of something in the text by presenting it in a creative way.
Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration.
Example of Hyperbole
An example is “My mother will kill me if I am late.”
Effect of Hyperbole on text
It can be used to emphasize a characteristic something and how it feels. And communicate feelings in a creative way and make in more interesting.
Idiom
A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally.
Example of Idiom
“I got chewed out by my coach” is an example.
Effect of Idiom on text
It can make the text more richer and add character to the writing to make it more exciting and interesting.
Metaphor
Making an implied comparison not using “like” or “as” or other words.
Example of Metaphor
“My feet are popsicles” in an example.
Effect of Metaphor on text
It can add detail to the text and it can make the text more interesting and it’s more imaginative. And if it’s written good, the reader can imagine it and sometimes even feel a scene or what a character is going through.
Metonymy
Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept.
Example of Metonymy
“Relations between London and Washington have been strained” is an example.
Effect of Metonymy on text
They can summarized complex process or programs into shortened phrases and they can emphasize the important and defining characteristic of the subject and creates imagery.
Synecdoche
A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa.
Example of Synecdoche
“The cattle rancher owned 500 head” is example.
Effect of Synecdoche
It can allow for connections with the reader and the text and they can enhance the expression. It allows for emphasize of certains parts of the whole by highlighting the importance of them for the whole.
Simile
Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things.
Example of Simile
“My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles” is an example.
Effect of Simile on text
They can make the text more descriptive, entertaining, and more creative. You can generate thought and emotion through the way the simile is written when comparing to things and can create imagery for the reader.
Synesthesia
a description involving a crossing of the senses.
Example of Synesthesia
“A purplish scent filled the room” and “I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing” are examples.
Effect of Synesthesia on text
This allows writers to show more creativity with they write their ideas about by making them more vivid and add more layer to a text which can make the work more interesting and appealing.
Personification
Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human
Example of Personification
“The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill” in an example.
Effect of Personification text
It can make a scene that doesn’t have anything that isn’t human more interesting in a creative way. This can make a concept in a text easier to understand and to enjoy.
Foreshadowing
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.
Example of Foreshadowing
In “Romeo and Juliet,” when Romeo says “life were better ended by their hate, / Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love,” it foreshadows their suicides and the family conflict that exists afterwards.
Effect of Foreshadowing on text
It can be used to make the reader of the text feel almost text and can give the audience clues to what will happen later in the text without revealing the plot and can make the reader hook on the text.
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Example of Genre
Examples are poetry, prose, drama, fiction, and non-fiction.
Effect of Genre on text
This allows text to be classify and group together with whatever text they share similar characteristics with. And you can compare and contrast works with the same genre.
Gothic
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death. Also refers to an architectural style of middle ages, often seen in cathedrals of this period.
Example of Gothic
“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe is an example of gothic in literature.
Effect of Gothic on text
The plot in gothic text bring an atmosphere with mystery and the setting of gothic text is also important in the text. It surrounds paranormal and creates melodrama in the text.
Imagery
Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind and usually involves the five senses and goes along with figures of speech.
Example of Imagery
“She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus wafting through the air, its tropical smell a reminder that she was on vacation in a beautiful place” is an example using imagery with scent.
Effect of Imagery on text
Imagery in text helps the reader imagine what happening in text and creates creativity in text to engage the reader and make the text more interesting.
Invective
A long, emotionally violent attack using strong abusive language.
Example of Invective
“With such gallant bravery, you are sure to be alone for the rest of your days” is an example of invective.
Effect of Invective on text
When you insult someone in text, it can cause negative emotion in the text and make the reader feel that negative emotion.
Irony
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
Example of Irony
“Describing someone who says foolish things a ‘genius” in an example of verbal irony.
Effect of Irony on text
Irony can create humor in the text and can help the reader point to the deeper meaning of the situation in the text.
Verbal Irony
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.
Example of Verbal Irony
“Stating during a thunderstorm, ‘beautiful weather we’re having” is an example of verbal irony.
Effect of Verbal Irony
It can create a form of sarcasm in the text and when it’s used in the right time and in the suitable circumstance, it can help the reader analyze and think harder about a situation.
Dramatic Irony
When the audience of a drama, plau, movie, etc., knows something that the character doesn’t and wouldn’t be surprised to find out.
Example of Dramatic Irony
In horror movies, the audience knows who the killer is but the character and victims in the movies doesn’t.
Effect of Dramatic Irony on text
When it’s used in text, it can excite the readers’ interest and form a contrast between situation of characters and what’s happening in text. And it can make the reader curious in the text.
Situational Irony
Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie.
Example of Situational Irony
“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” is an example of that.
Effect of Situational Irony on text
It can lay emphasis on important scene and make it more vivid and create unexpected turns and plot twists in story.
Juxtaposition
Placing things side by side for the purpose of comparison and in can make a point.
Example of Juxtaposition
“A butler spends his days in a beautiful mansion dressed in a tuxedo, but returns home to a closet-sized apartment in a rundown part of town” is an example.
Effect of Juxtaposition on text
It can highlight contrast between two things in the text and can also compare two things. It can help readers gain a greater meaning through the elements in the texts.
Mood
The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice.
Example of Mood
“The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on” from Charles Dickens’ “Pickwick Papers” gives a calm and peaceful mood.
Effect of Mood on text
Using setting, theme, diction, and tone can evoke a response in readers and can create an atmosphere in text.
Motif
A recurring idea in a piece of literature.
Example of Motif
“To Kill a Mockingbird” has a motif with the idea “you never really understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is brought out up in the book many times.
Effect of Motif on text
It goes along with presenting a theme if the text by acting as a reinforcement and can help the readers understand the messages in the text.
Oxymoron
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox.
Example of Oxymoron
“Act naturally” is an example.
Effect of Oxymoron on text
They can make the text seem more interesting to the reader and could confuse the reader before they think and understand the meaning of the context.
Pacing
The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.
Example of Pacing
Syntax, polysyndeton, anaphora, and meter can be used to change a writer’s pace from fast to sluggish to a vibrato.
Effect of Pacing on text
Pacing not allow impacts the speed of the text but it can also be use to determine how the story will appeal to its audience and what section of audiences will read the text.
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.
Example of Paradox
“You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job” is an example.
Effect of Paradox on text
It can create contradictions in the text surrounding characters and situations they are in. And it can create mystery in the text.
Parallelism
Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.
Example Parallelism
“Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs” is an example.
Effect of Parallelism on text
It can make the text more easier to read and make it easier to understand. It can provide symmetry is prose, poems, and speeches to create rhythm and repetition. It can add emphasis, organization, or pacing to the text.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.
Example of Anaphora
“I came, I saw, I conquered” is an example.
Effect of Anaphora on text
It can emphasize details of the text and can appeal to the audience and create an artistic effect on the text to make it more memorable.
Chiasmus
When the same words are used twice in succession. but the second time, the order of the words is reversed.
Example of Chiasmus
“Fair is foul and foul is fair” is an example.
Effect of Chiasmus on text
It creates a symmetric structure in the text and makes the text seem complete or full circle. But it creates an illusion and could leave important details out.
Antithesis
Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses or even ideas, with parallel structure.
Example of Antithesis
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” is an example.
Effect of Antithesis on text
It contrasts something to its opposite in text and can emphasize key points in the text. It can express curious contradictions as well.
Zeugma (Syllepsis)
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.
