AP glossary Flashcards
Active Voice
The subject of the sentence performs the action. This is a more direct and preferred style of
writing in most cases.
passive voice
when the subject of the sentence receives the action.
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 the reader is supposed to be familiar.
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.
Anecdote
A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or non
fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Classicism
Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world; sticks to traditional
themes and structures
Comic relief
when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood
somewhat.
Diction
Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects
on meaning.
Colloquial
Ordinary or familiar type of conversation. A “colloquialism” is a common or
familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism.
Connotation
Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a
word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning.
Denotation
The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.
Jargon
The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity.
Vernacular
- Language or dialect of a particular country. 2. Language or dialect of a regional
clan or group. 3. Plain everyday speech
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.
Adage
A folk saying with a lesson.
Allegory
- A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent
qualities or concepts.
Aphorism
- A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle. An aphorism
can be a memorable summation of the author’s point.
Ellipsis
The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author.
Euphemism
A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.
Figurative Language
“Figurative Language” is the opposite of “Literal Language.” Literal language is
writing that makes complete sense when you take it at face value. “Figurative Language” is the opposite:
writing that is not meant to be taken literally.
Analogy
An analogy is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables.
Hyperbole
Exaggeration.
Idiom
A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally.
Metaphor
Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words.
Metonymy
Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept.
Synecdoche
A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its
parts, or vice versa.
Simile
Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very
different things.
Synesthesia
a description involving a “crossing of the senses.”
Personification
Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human.
Foreshadowing
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Gothic
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death.
Imagery
Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind.
Invective
A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.
Irony
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
Verbal irony
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.
Dramatic irony
When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the
character doesn’t and would be surprised to find out.
Situational irony
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.
Juxtaposition
Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.
Mood
The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).
Motif
a recurring idea in a piece of literature.
Oxymoron
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox
Pacing
The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true
Parallelism
Sentence construction which
places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or
clauses in a row.
Chiasmus
When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of
the words is reversed.
Antithesis
Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel
structure.
Zuegma (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.
Parenthetical Idea
Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence.
Parody
An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. It borrows words or phrases
from an original, and pokes fun at it.
Persona
The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story.
Poetic device
A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.
Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.
Assonance
The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.
Consonance
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.
Onomatopoeia
The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.
Internal rhyme
When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line.
Slant rhyme
When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly
End rhyme
When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.
Rhyme Scheme
The pattern of a poem’s end rhymes.
Stressed and unstressed syllables
In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force
than the other syllable(s).
Meter
A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.
Free verse
Poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme.
Iambic pentameter
Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Sonnet
A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter.
Polysyndeton
When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions.
Pun
When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way.
Rhetoric
The art of effective communication.
Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
The relationships, in any piece of writing,
between the writer, the audience, and the
subject.
Rhetorical Question
Question not asked for information but for effect.
Romanticism
Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the
world, and an emphasis on nature.
Sarcasm
A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded.
Satire
A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect.
Sentence
A sentence is group of words (including subject and verb) that expresses a complete thought.
Appositive
A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its
meaning.
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.
independent clause
expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
dependent, or subordinate
clause
cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.
Balanced sentence
A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each
other like equal weights on a scale.
Compound sentence
- Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent
clauses.
Complex sentence
Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent
clause.
Cumulative sentence
When the writer begins with an
independent clause, then adds subordinate elements.
Periodic sentence
- When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence.
Simple sentence
Contains only one independent clause.
Declarative sentence
States an idea.
Imperative sentence
Issues a command.
Interrogative sentence
Interrogative sentence
Style
The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes.
Symbol
Anything that represents or stands for something else.
Syntax/sentence variety
Grammatical arrangement of words.
Theme
The central idea or message of a work.
Thesis
The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning,
or proposition.
Tone
- A writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and
organization.
Understatement
The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant
than it is.
Litotes
a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement
which otherwise would be used.
Argument
An argument is a piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion.
Premise
Statements offered as reasons to support a conclusion are premises.
Conclusion
A conclusion is the end result of the argument – the main point being made.
Ethos (credibility)
(credibility) means being convinced by the credibility of the author.
Pathos (emotional)
means persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions.
Logos (logical)
means persuading by the use of reasoning, using true premises and valid
arguments.
Concession
Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint.
Conditional Statement
A conditional statement is an if-then statement and consists of two parts, an antecedent and a
consequent.
Contradiction
A contradiction occurs when one asserts two mutually exclusive propositions
Counterexample
A counterexample is an example that runs counter to (opposes) a generalization, thus falsifying it.
Deductive argument
An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the
conclusion.
Fallacy
A fallacy is an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning.
Ad hominem
Latin for “against the man”.
Appeal to authority
The claim that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be
right.
Appeal to the bandwagon
The claim, as evidence for an idea, that many people believe it, or
used to believe it, or do it.
Appeal to emotion
An attempt to replace a logical argument with an appeal to the audience’s
emotions.
Bad analogy
Claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren’t.
Cliche thinking
Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no
exceptions.
False cause
Assuming that because two things happened, the first one caused the second one.
Hasty generalization
A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.
Non Sequitur
A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.
Slippery slope
The assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme
possible outcome.
Inductive argument
An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth
of the conclusion.
Sound argument
A deductive argument is said to be sound if it meets two conditions: First, that the line of
reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid. Second, that the premises are true.
Unstated premises
Not every argument is fully expressed.
Valid argument
An argument is valid if the conclusion logically follows from the premises.
