AP Lang Glossary #2 Flashcards
Study
Foreshadowing
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.
Foreshadowing
Her early interest in airplanes _____ her later career as a pilot
Foreshadowing
To hint at a later event or can sometimes be used as a form of comedy. This is an example of dramatic suspense.
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Gothic
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death.
Gothic
The book Dracula. (gloomy, sad, and death)
Imagery
Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind.
Imagery
Used in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech. To indicate a setting or space.
Imagery
“As I sat by the fireplace I heard crackling and popping from the warm brick fireplace beside me.”
Invective
A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.
Invective
It may be used to create an emotional response from the audience. It can backfire when used improperly.
Invective
Ex: Insulting the audience you’re speaking to while trying to get your point across.
Irony
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
Verbal irony
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.
Verbal irony
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
may be used to create humor, sarcasm, or persuasion.
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.
Dramatic irony
Ex: 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
Can be used to engage the audience. Can evoke suspense, Humor, or empathy from the audience.
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.
Situational irony
Ex: 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
To create a relatable or humorous situation.
Juxtaposition
Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.
Juxtaposition
Authors often use this or ideas or examples in order to make a point.
Juxtaposition
an author may juxtapose the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world to make a point of social commentary.
Mood
The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction). Syntax is often a creator of ____ since word order, sentence length and strength and complexity also affect pacing and therefore _____. Setting, tone, and events can all affect the _____.
Persona
The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story. Do not confuse with alter-ego.
Parody
An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. It borrows words or phrases from an original, and pokes fun at it. This is also a form of allusion, since it is referencing a previous text, event, etc.
Parody
The Simpsons often ___ Shakespeare plays. Saturday Night Live also _____ famous persons and events. Do not confuse with satire.
Parenthetical Idea
Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence. It is almost considered an aside…a whisper, and should be used sparingly for effect, rather than repeatedly. Parentheses can also be used to set off dates and numbers.
Parenthetical Idea
“In a short time (and the time is getting shorter by the gallon) America will be out of oil.”
Parenthetical Idea
May be used to indicate inner monologue, thoughts, or whispers.
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.
Zeugma (Syllepsis)
“The butler killed the lights, and then the mistress.” “I quickly dressed myself and the salad.”
Zeugma (Syllepsis)
Makes the audience consider, a form of figurative language.
Antithesis
Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure.
Antithesis
Ex: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Antithesis
Used to show the difference between two ideas.
Chiasmus
When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed.
Chiasmus
Ex: When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Chiasmus
Used to create an idea or concept.
Oxymoron
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox
Oxymoron
Ex: “wise fool”
Oxymoron
Used to describe or present an idea, contradictory.
Pacing
The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.
Pacing
Writers can use a variety of devices (syntax, polysyndeton, anaphora, meter) to change the _____ of their words.
Pacing
Ex: sluggish, stabbing, vibrato, staccato, measured, etc.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.
Anaphora
This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent.
Anaphora
Ex: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Parallelism
Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.
Parallelism
used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing.
Parallelism
“Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs.”
Motif
a recurring idea in a piece of literature.
Motif
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 ____, because the idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.
Motif
Used to create a point or get across an idea.
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.
Paradox
Ex: “You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job.”
Paradox
To get the audience to consider or contemplate.
