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AP English Language > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

abstract

A

word or phrase has as a referent an idea rather than a concrete object or thing (i.e. liberty, prejudice, love…)

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2
Q

action

A

what happens in a story: events or conflicts

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3
Q

allegory

A

story in which the characters and the action represent an idea or generalization about life: often have a strong moral lesson

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4
Q

allusion

A

reference in lit to a familiar person, place, or thing, or event

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5
Q

analogy

A

comparing of two or more similar objects so as to suggest that if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well

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6
Q

anecdote

A

a short summary of a funny or humorous event

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7
Q

antagonist

A

person or thing opposing the protagonist or hero of the work

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8
Q

autobiography

A

author’s account or story of their own life

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9
Q

ballad

A

poem that tells a story and usually rhymes every other line

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10
Q

biography

A

story of a person’s life written by another

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11
Q

caricature

A

rep or imitation of a person’s features so exaggerated or inferior as to be comic or absurd

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12
Q

character

A

person in a story or poem

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13
Q

characterization

A

method an author uses to reveal his characters and their various personalities

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14
Q

cliche

A

word or phrase which is so overused that it is no longer effective in most writing situations (i.e. “busy as a bee”)

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15
Q

climax

A

high pt. or turning pt. in a work, usually the most intense part

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16
Q

comedy

A

lit. that is concerned with man’s inability to deal with reality. human errors or problems appear funny

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17
Q

concrete

A

word has as a referent a material object that can be heard, seen, felt, tasted, or smelled

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18
Q

conflict

A

colliding or clashing of thoughts, feelings, actions, or persons; the problems or complications in a story (i.e. man v. man…)

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19
Q

connotation

A

the emotions or feelings a word can arouse (i.e. negative associations w/ pig)

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20
Q

denotation

A

literal or dictionary meaning of a word

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21
Q

context

A

environment of the word; the words that surround a particular word and help to determine or deepen its meaning

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22
Q

denouement

A

resolution or outcome of a play or story

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23
Q

description

A

type of writing which sets forth the characteristics or qualities of the thing it is being written about

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24
Q

dialogue

A

conversation carried on by the characters in a lit. work

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25
Q

diction

A

author’s choice of words based on their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

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26
Q

archaic

A

words that are old fashioned and no longer sound natural when used

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27
Q

colloquialism

A

expression that is usually accepted in informal writing or speaking but not in a formal situation

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28
Q

profanity

A

language used to degrade someone or something that is regarded as holy or sacred

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29
Q

slang

A

language used by a particular group of people among themselves; also lang. which is used conversationally or informally to lend color and feeling

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30
Q

trite

A

expressions that have been overused to the point of losing their effectiveness

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31
Q

vulgarity

A

type of language that is generally considered common, earthy, crude, gross, and at times offensive

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32
Q

didactic

A

literary work that teaches something; oftentimes is a moral or religious statement

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33
Q

drama

A

form of lit. known as plays; also refers to type of serious play that is often concerned with the leading character’s relationship to society rather that with some tragic flaw within his personality

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34
Q

dramatic monologue

A

poem in which the character speaks either to himself or to another character in a way which reveals much about the character

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35
Q

elegy

A

formal poem mourning the death of a certain indiv.

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36
Q

empathy

A

when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and imagine how they must feel

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37
Q

epic

A

long narrative poem that tells of the deeds and adventures of a hero

38
Q

epigram

A

brief, witty poem or saying often dealing with its subject in a satirical manner

39
Q

epitaph

A

short poem or verse in memory of someone

40
Q

epithet

A

word or phrase used in place of a person’s name

41
Q

essay

A

piece of prose which expresses an indiv.’s point of view

42
Q

exaggeration

A

overstating or stretching the truth for literary effect

43
Q

exposition

A

writing which is intended to make clear or explain something which might otherwise be difficult to understand

44
Q

falling action

A

action of a play or story which works out the decision arrived at during the climax

45
Q

farce

A

lit. which has one purpose: to make the audience laugh

46
Q

figurative lang.

A

lang. which cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling

47
Q

figure of speech

A

lit. device used to create a special meaning through emotional and connotative use of words

48
Q

alliteration

A

repetition of initial consonant sounds

49
Q

assonance

A

repetition of vowel sounds

50
Q

blank verse

A

an unrhymed form of poetry that consists of ten syllables in which every other syllable is stressed; unrhymed iambic pentameter

51
Q

canto

A

division of a long poem

52
Q

caesura

A

pause or sudden break in a line of poetry

53
Q

consonance

A

repetition of consonant sounds

54
Q

end rhyme

A

rhyming of words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry

55
Q

foot

A

unit of meter that contains the combination of stressed and unstressed syllables

56
Q

antithesis

A

opposing or contrasting of ideas

57
Q

apostrophe

A

poetic device in which the poet talks to an absent person, place, or thing

58
Q

hyperbole

A

exaggeration or overstatement

59
Q

litotes

A

form of understatement in which something is expressed by negation of the contrary

60
Q

metaphor

A

comparing of two unlike things w/o using like or as

61
Q

metonymy

A

substituting of one word for another that is closely related to it

62
Q

personification

A

lit. device in which the author elevates an animal, object or idea to the level of a human

63
Q

simile

A

comparison between two unlike things using like or as

64
Q

synecdoche

A

using part of something to represent the whole

65
Q

flashback

A

returning to an earlier time in a story to make something in the present clearer

66
Q

foreshadowing

A

suggestion of what is to come later in the work by giving hints and clues

67
Q

form

A

the way a work is organized or designed

68
Q

genre

A

refers to the various types of lit.

69
Q

imagery

A

used to describe the words or phrases which bring forth a certain picture or image in the mind of the reader

70
Q

impressionism

A

recording of events or situations as they have been impressed upon the mind

71
Q

irony

A

using a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or normal meaning. three types: dramatic, verbal, and situational

72
Q

limerick

A

light, humorous verse of five lines with an AABBA rhyme scheme

73
Q

local color

A

use of details which are common in a certain region or section of the country

74
Q

malapropism

A

ludicrous misuse of words

75
Q

melodrama

A

exaggerated sensational form of drama which is intended to appeal to the emotions of the audience, as with many of the television soap operas

76
Q

mood

A

feeling a piece of lit. arouses in the reader

77
Q

moral

A

particular value or lesson the author is trying to get across to the reader

78
Q

motif

A

term for an often repeated character, incident, or idea in lit.

79
Q

myth

A

traditional story that attempts to explain or justify a certain belief

80
Q

narrator

A

person who is telling the story

81
Q

naturalism

A

extreme form of realism in which the author tries to show the relation of man to his environment

82
Q

parable

A

short, descriptive story whose purpose is to illustrate a particular belief or moral

83
Q

paradox

A

statement that is seemingly contrary to common sense yet is, in fact, true; a self-contradictory statement

84
Q

parallelism

A

repeating of phrases or sentences that are similar in meaning and structure

85
Q

parody

A

literary form that is intended to mock a particular literary work or its style; a burlesque or comic effect is created

86
Q

pathos

A

greek root meaning suffering or passion; usually applied to the part in a play or story that is intended to bring out pity or sorrow from the audience

87
Q

plagiarism

A

using someone else’s writing or ideas and trying to pass them off as your own

88
Q

plot

A

action in a story

89
Q

poetic justice

A

term which describes a character “getting what he deserves” in the end, especially if what he deserves is punishment

90
Q

narration

A

type of writing that relates an event or series of events; a story

AP English Language (1 decks)

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