AP Language and Composition Literary and Rhetorical Terms List

Terms Definition
Allegory a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor
Alliteration a pattern of sound that includes the repetition of consonant
sounds
Allusion a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in
history or another work of literature
Ambiguity doubtfulness or uncertainty about the intention or meaning of
something. It usually refers to a statement that is subject to
more than one interpretation
Analogy compares two things, which are alike in several respects, for the
purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult
idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to
some familiar one.
Anaphora the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of
successive phrases, clauses, or sentences, commonly in
conjunction with climax and with parallelism:
Antecedent An antecedent is the word(s) to which a pronoun refers.
Antithesis establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas
by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel
structure.
Aphorism a brief, pithy, usually concise statement or observation of a
doctrine, principle, truth, or sentiment.
Apostrophe interrupts the discussion or discourse and addresses directly a
person or personified thing, either present or absent. Its most
common purpose in prose is to give vent to or display intense
emotion, which can no longer be held back:
Atmosphere The mood the reader gets from the setting, the characterization
and the tone of the narrator.
Caricature Literary work or cartoon that exaggerates the physical features,
dress, or mannerisms of an individual or derides the ideas and
actions of an organization, institution, movement, et
Clause a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
Colloquialism 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; the implied,
suggested meaning
Denotation the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any
emotion, attitude, or color
Diction referring to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices,
 especially with regard to their
correctness, clearness, or effectiveness
Didactic from the Greek, literally means "teaching"
Euphemism a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally
unpleasant word or concept
Expletive A word or phrase conveying no independent meaning but added
to fill out a sentence or metrical line.
Extended a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or
metaphor throughout a work
Figurative writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning
language and is usually meant to
be imaginative and vivid
Figure of speech a device used to produce figurative language
Genre the major category into which a literary work fits
Homily "sermon", or any serious talk, speech, or lecture providing
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/infer to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
Invective an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using
strong, abusive language
Irony/ironic the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really
meant
Verbal irony words literally state the opposite of speaker's true meaning
Situational irony events turn out the opposite of what was expected
Dramatic irony facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the
reader or audience or other characters in work
Loose sentence a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed
by dependent grammatical
units
Metaphor a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly
unlike things or the substitution of
one for the other, suggesting some similarity
Metonymy the name of one object is substituted for that of another
closely associated with it (e.g. "the White House" for the
President)
Mood grammatically, the verbal units and a speaker's
attitude(indicative, subjunctive, imperative);
literarily, the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a word
Narrative the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of
events
Onomatopoeia natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words (eg buzz,
hiss)
Oxymoron author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest
a paradox
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
Parallelism the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words,
phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural
similarity
Parody a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with
the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule
Pedantic an adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that
is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

Periodic sentence a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at
the end
Personification a figure of 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 (first person, third
person omniscient, or third person limited omniscient)
First person “I”
Third Person relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns
such as "he" or "she.
Third person the material is presented from the point of view of a character, in
limited third person.
Third person knows everything, may reveal the motivations, thoughts and
omniscient feelings of the characters, and gives the reader information
Prose genre including fiction, nonfiction, written in ordinary language
Repetition The return of a word, phrase, stanza form, or effect in any form
of literature.
Rhetoric the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently,
and persuasively
Rhetorical appeal
Logos is the use of logic to persuade your audience
Ethos the guiding beliefs, standards, values and ideals that
characterize a group, a nation, or an ideology.
Pathos writer or speaker's attempt to inspire an emotional reaction in
an audience--usually a deep feeling of suffering, but sometimes
joy, pride, anger, humor, patriotism, or any of a dozen other
emotions
Rhetorical modes the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of
writing
Exposition provide some background and inform the readers about the
plot, character, setting, and theme of the essay/story or motion
picture.
 Argumentation A form of discourse in which reason is used to influence or
change people’s ideas or actions
Description Any careful detailing of a person, place, thing, or event
Narration The kind of writing or speaking that tells a story.
Rhetorical figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its
question persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply
Sarcasm involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or
ridicule someone or something
Satire a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions
and conventions for reform or ridicule
Style an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in
blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary
devices
Syllogism a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises
(first "major," second "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound
conclusion (eg All men are mortal, Socrates is a man, Socrates
is mortal)
Symbol/symbolism anything that represents or stands for something else
Synecdoche figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail
for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as society for high society),
the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus
for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the
material for the thing made (as boards for stage)
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 in expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or
group of sentences that directly express the author's opinion,
purpose, meaning, or proposition
Tone similar to mood, describes the author's attitude toward his
material, the audience, or both
Transition a word or phrase that links different ideas
Understatement the ironic minimalization of fact, presents something as less
significant than it is
Litotes figure of speech in which affirmative is expressed by the
negation of the opposite.
Meiosis consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one
means with less force than the occasion warrants - an
understatement
Wit intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights
Zeugma two different words linked to a verb or an adjective which is
strictly appropriate to only one of them.