AP Lang Exam Literary Terms Flashcards
Allegory
symbols are used to convey a hidden meaning
ex.) the tortoise and the hare (literal level and symbolic level)
Alliteration
repetition
ex.) “she sells seashells”
Allusion
an indirect reference
ex.) “he’s the einstein of our generation”
Ambiguity
a word that has multiple meanings
ex.) big - large, fat, popular
Anaphora
form of parallel syntax
ex.) “I have a dream… I have a dream… I have a dream”
Antecedent
the noun that refers to the pronoun
ex.) (Addison) is cool. She has blue hair
Antithesis
flipping the sentence
ex.) fair is foul, foul is fair
Aphorism
a short statement that offers a deeper meaing
ex.) actions speak louder than words
Apostrophe
talking about someone that isn’t in the room
ex.) “Mrs. williams, you need to do your work”
Cacophony
a combination of loud sounds
ex.) shouting vendors, distant sirens, crowded square
Caricature
exaggeration of a characters features
ex.) caricature drawings that you get at art shows/events
Catharsis
use of strong feelings to make the reader feel emotion
ex.) Romeo and Juliet
Clause
subject and verb
ex.) Addison got married last week
Colloquialism
use of slang
ex.) “soccer” instead of football
Connotation
something suggested by a word/thing
ex.) she is feeling “blue”
Diction
word choice
Digression
going off topic
ex.) Thorsby
Ethos
makes the audience trust the speaker
Euphemism
polite word to refer to something that people find upsetting or embarrassing
ex.) “let someone go”
Foil
characters that are opposites and bring out the good/bad in each other
ex.) the brave chief caught the burglars in the bank robbery
Foreshadowing
warning of a future event
ex.) clouds getting dark before a storm
Genre
a specific type of writing
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements that aren’t meant to be taken literally
ex.) “I’m so hyper I could run a marathon”
Imagery
the ability to form mental images of things/events
ex.) “glittering white, the blanket of snow covered everything in sight”
Invective
highly critical language (vector)
ex.) you dirty rotten scoundrel
Irony
when words are the opposite of what is expected
ex.) lifeguard that can’t swim
Logos
logic/reason
Metaphor
doesn’t use like/as
ex.) “that party was the bomb”
Metonymy
a word is substituted for another word that it is closely associated with
ex.) the white house -> presidents house
Mood
the feeling the reader gets from the writing
Motif
repeated pattern
ex.) every time characters fight, its raining outside (rain is symbolized with fighting)
Narrative
a way of presenting connected events in order to tell a good story
Onomatopoeia
ex.) boom! whack! splash!
Oxymoron
combines 2 contradictory words
ex.) big baby
Parable
a story that has multiple lessons
ex.) the bible
Paradox
a statement that contradicts itself
ex.) “less is more”
Parody
an imitation of the style and manner of a particular writer or school of writers
Pastoral
farm/rural
Pathos
emotional appeal
Personification
describing nonliving objects with human characteristics
ex.) “the flowers danced in the breeze”
POV
point of view
Rhetoric
the art of pursuasion
Rhetorical Question
a question asked for a purpose
Satire
the use of humor to expose someone
ex.) a comedy movie
Setting
background of a story
Simile
uses like/as
ex.) as quiet as a mouse
Symbol
an object/person/situation that has a literal meaning and suggests other meanings
ex.) red -> anger
Theme
the main subject that is being described in writing
Thesis
an argument that can be proved
Tone
the attitude the author uses to make the reader feel a certain emotion
