AP Language & Literature Terms

Personification The assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts. An

example: Wordsworth's "the sea that bears her bosom to the moon."
Antithesis The presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by
phrase, clause, or paragraphs. "To be or not to be . . ." "It was the best of
times; it was the worst of times . . ." "Ask not what your country can do for
you, ask what you can do for your country . . ."
Oxymoron From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," ___ is a figure of speech wherein
the author groups apparently contradictory terms. Simple examples include
"jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness."
Sarcasm From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," ___ involves bitter, caustic
language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may
use irony as a device.
Synecdoche A figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. "All
hands on deck" is an example.
Hyperbole a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

Anaphora Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more

sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make
the writer's point more coherent.
Euphony The pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work.

Theme The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually,
__ is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the __ may be directly
stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing.
Metonymy A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name" __ is
a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of
another closely associated with it. For example: a news release that claims
"The White House declared" rather than "The President declared"
Paradox A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common
sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.
Transition A word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from
sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.
Onomatopoeia A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of
words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum.
Cacophony Harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary word.

Metaphor A direct comparison between dissimilar things. "Your eyes are stars" is an
example.
Symbol Generally, anything that represents, stands for, something else. Usually, a
___ is something concretesuch as an object, action, character, or scene
that represents something more abstract.
Begging the Question Often called circular reasoning, __ occurs when the believability of the
evidence depends on the believability of the claim.
Invective An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive
language.
Understatement The opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or
humour where one writes or says less than intended.
Either-or reasoning When the writer reduces an argument or issue to two polar opposites and
ignores any alternatives.
Homily This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any
serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
Pedantic An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly
scholarly, academic, or bookish.
Causal Relationship In __, a writer asserts that one thing results from another. To show how
one thing produces or brings about another is often relevant in establishing
a logical argument.
Equivocation When a writer uses the same term in two different senses in an argument.

Imagery The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse

emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, __ uses terms
related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or
olfactory. For example, a rose may present visual __ while also representing
the colour in a woman's cheeks.
Euphemism A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that
might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a
common __ for "he died." They are also used to obscure the reality of the
situation.
Figure of Speech A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar
things. Examples are apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy,
oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and
understatement.
Irony The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The
difference between what appears to be and what actually is true.
Satire A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and
convention for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work
aims to reform humans or their society, ___ is best seen as a style of writing
rather than a purpose for writing. The effect of __, often humorous, is
thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.
Alliteration The repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a
peck of pickled peppers."
Epigraph The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.
Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two. One of them is "You are all
a lost generation" by Gertrude Stein.
Periodic Sentence A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.
The independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand
alone. The effect is to add emphasis and structural variety.
Narrative The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Ethos An appeal based on the character of the speaker. An __-driven document

relies on the reputation of the author.
Situational Irony a type of irony in which events turn out the opposite of what was expected.

Consonance Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close

proximity.
Pathos An appeal based on emotion.

Syllogism From the Greek for "reckoning together," a __ is a deductive system of

formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound
 conclusion.
Logos an appeal based on logic or reason

Verbal Irony In this type of irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's
true meaning
Anecdote A story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a
point.
Abstract Language Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific
things, people, or places.
Ad Hominem In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the
opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man."
Denotation the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

Cumulative Sentence which begins with the main idea and then expands on that idea
with a series of details or other particulars
Dramatic Irony In this type of irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or
a piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in
the work
Parody A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific
aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
Connotation the interpretive level or a word based on its associated images rather than
its literal meaning.
Repetition The duplication, either exact or approximate, or any element of language,
such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.
Syntax The grammatical structure of prose and poetry.

Assonance Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Voice Can refer to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship
between a sentence's subject and verb (active and passive). The second
refers to the total "sound" of the writer's style.