AP Language and Composition Literary Devices Test Flashcards
Allegory
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
Allusion
An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference
Ambiguity
The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Antecedent
The word phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun
Antithesis
A figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other
Aphorism
A pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Apostrophe
A rhetorical figure in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an abstraction or inanimate object”
Cacophony
A literary term that describes a blend of unharmonious sounds
Caricature
A distorted representation of a person in a way that exaggerates some characteristics and oversimplifies others
Catharsis
The use of strong feelings in literature to engage the reader in a type of emotional purification
Clause
A group of words working together that contains both a subject and a verb
Colloquialism
A literary device often used by authors as a way to convey personality and authenticity to characters
Connotation
secondary, implied, or associative meanings and emotions that a word carries beyond its literal definition
Diction
A writer’s or speaker’s distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a piece of writing such as a poem or story
Digression
Ethos
The writers attempt to persuade by appealing to the reader’s moral values
Euphamism
A word or phrase used to obliquely describe something unpleasant, impolite, or taboo
Foil
A character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character
Foreshadowing
Genre
The classification of a literary work by its form, content, and style into categories such as poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction
Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration specifically for literary or rhetorical effect
Invective
The literary device in which one attacks or insults a person or thing through the use of abusive language and tone
Imagery
A literary device that uses vivid description to create a sensory experience in the reader’s mind
Irony
the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
Logos
to appeal to the audiences’ sense of reason or logic
Metaphor
a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another
Metonymy
figure of speech in which the name of an object or concept is replaced with a word closely related to or suggested by the original
Mood
the overall atmosphere or emotional complexion of a piece of writing
Onomatopoeia
using or creating words that imitate or name a sound
Motif
an object, image, sound, or phrase that is repeated throughout a story
Narrative
a form of writing that tells a story
Oxymoron
a figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing meanings
Parable
a short tale that illustrates a universal truth
Paradox
a statement, pair of statements, or even the exploration of an idea that seems contradictory upon first glance
Parody
an imitation of th
Pastoral
a work of literature that focuses on the relationship between humanity and nature in a rural environment
Pathos
to persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to fee
Personification
a literary device that uses non-literal language to convey abstract ideas in a relatable way
Point of View
the perspective from which the story is told
Rhetoric
language that’s carefully constructed to persuade, motivate, or inform the reader or listener about the speaker or writer’s position
Rhetorical Question
a device used to persuade or subtly influence the audience
Satire
a way of writing about a flaw or failure in society by inflating it to absurdity
Setting
the time, place, and environment in which a story occurs
Simile
a comparison between two things, usually using the words ‘like’ and ‘as’
Symbol
an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings
Thesis
focuses your ideas for the paper; it’s your argument or insight or viewpoint crystallized into a single sentence that gives the reader your main idea
Theme
a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative
Tone
the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes towards a given subject
