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AP Language Terms
AP Language and Composition Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words |
| Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known. May be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion. |
| Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, or a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. |
| Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two things or the relationship between them |
| Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun |
| Antithesis | The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite |
| Aphorism | A statement (of known authorship) which expresses a general truth or a moral principle |
| Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love |
| Atmosphere | The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice or objects that are described |
| Caricature | A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's features |
| Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb |
| Colloquial | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing |
| Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word |
| Denotation | The strict, literal definition of a word |
| Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices |
| Didactic | Intended or inclined to teach, preach, or instruct, often excessively. |
| Euphemism | More agreeable/less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept |
| Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work |
| Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid |
| Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language (Apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synedoche, understatement) |
| Generic Conventions | Describes traditions for each genre; help define each genre |
| Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. Basic divisions: prose, poetry, drama |
| Homily | "Sermon"; In can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice |
| Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement |
| Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions |
| Inference | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented |
| Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language |
| Verbal Irony | When words literally state to opposite of the writer's meaning |
| Situational Irony | When events turn out the opposite of what was expected |
| Dramatic Irony | When facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the audience or other characters |
| Litotes | A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech using implies comparison of seemingly unlike things; or the substitution of one for the other |
| Metonymy | A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it |
| Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura or a work |
| Narrative | The telling of a story or an account or an event |
| Onomatopoeia | Buzz, howl |
| Oxymoron | Jumbo shrimp, holy war |
| Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth |
| Parallelism | Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. Also called parallel structure. |
| Anaphora | A sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition or words or phrases at the beginning or successive lines or sentences (I Have a Dream Speech) |
| Parody | Weird Al |
| Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish |
| Personification | A figure or speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions |
| Point of View | The perspective from which a story is told |
| Prose | One of the major divisions of genre, refers to fiction and nonfiction |
| Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language |
| Rhetoric | Describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively |
| Rhetorical Modes | Describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing: exposition, argumentation, description, narration |
| Exposition | To explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion |
| Argumentation | To prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader |
| Description | To recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described |
| Narration | To tell a story or narrate an event or series of events |
| Sarcasm | Involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something; may use irony |
| Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule |
| Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another |
| Style | An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices |
| Subject Compliment | The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence |
| Syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion |
| Symbolism | Anything (usually something concrete such as an object, action, character, or scene) that represents itself and also stands for something more abstract |
| Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole, or the whole for a part. |
| Synesthesia | When one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another |
| Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences |
| Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life |
| Thesis | The sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or position |
| Tone | The author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both |
| Transition | A word or phrase that links different idea |
| Understatement | Presents something as less significant than it is |
| Wit | Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights |
| Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. |
Created by:
kctwirler1
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