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AP Lit - Other Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| rhetorical devices | Literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression. |
| deductive reasoning | Reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case. |
| frame device | A story within a story. |
| surrealism | An artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtapositions and lack of conscious control. |
| parallelism | The use of corresponding grammatical and syntactical forms. |
| literary license | Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (intentional sentence fragments, for example). |
| myth | A traditional story presenting supernatural characteristics and episodes that help explain natural events. |
| chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed. |
| romantic | A term describing a character or literary work that reflects the characteristics of the literary movement beginning in the late 18th century that stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism. |
| structure | The arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work. |
| malapropism | The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar. |
| parenthetical | A comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain. |
| syntax | The manner in which words are arranged into sentences. |
| metonymy | Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it. |
| narrator | The one who tells the story; may be first or third person, limited or omniscient. |
| parody | A humorous imitation of a serious work. |
| tautology | Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding. |
| archetype | A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response. |
| expletive | An interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity. |
| maxim | A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage. |
| riddle | A question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum. |
| scapegoat | A person or group that bears the blame for another. |
| epiphany | A moment of sudden revelation or insight. |
| ad hominem argument | An argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue. |
| asyndeton | A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions. |
| idiom | An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect. |
| motif | A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works. |
| juxtaposition | Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast. |
| bathos | Insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity. |
| solecism | Nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules. |
| didactic | Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing. |
| homily | A sermon, or a moralistic lecture. |
| cliche | An expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off. |
| style | The choice a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work. |
| aphorism | A concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance. |
| rhetoric | The art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner. |
| analogy | A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way. |
| implication | A suggestion an author or speaker makes without stating it directly. |
| vernacular | The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage. |
| trite | Overused and hackneyed. |
| compound sentence | A sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions. |
| simple sentence | A sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause. |
| limerick | Light verse consisting of five lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines (each consisting of three feet) rhyme, and the second and third lines (each consisting of two feet) rhyme. |
| antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. |
| hubris | Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy. |
| pathos | The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity. |
| non sequitur | An inference that does not follow logically from the premises. |
| epigraph | A saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of work. |
| exclamatory sentence | A sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark. |
| absolute | A word free from limitations. |
| inference | A conclusion one draws based on premises or evidence. |
| syllogism | A three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise. |
| hypothetical question | A question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition. |
| epitaph | An inscription on a tombstone or burial place. |
| anaphora | The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences. |
| polysyndeton | The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions that is necessary or natural. |
| syllepsis | A construction in which one word is used in two different senses. |
| pedantic | Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship. |
| declarative sentence | A sentence that makes a statement or declaration. |
| rhetorical question | A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer. |
| concrete details | Details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events. |
| jargon | The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession. |
| cumulative sentence | A sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases. |
| epithet | A term used to point out a characteristic of a person. |
| dilemma | A situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives. |
| fantasy | A story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters; a fantasy may be merely whimsical, or it may present a serious point. |
| paraphrase | A restatement of a text in a different form of in different words, often for the purpose of clarity. |
| synesthesia (or synaesthesia) | Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another. |
| oxymoron | An expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined. |
| philippic | A strong verbal denunciation. |
| eulogy | A formal speech praising a person who has died. |
| foreshadowing | The presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work. |
| legend | A narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements. |
| adage | A familiar proverb or wise saying. |
| inductive reasoning | Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances. |
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s1ushie
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