Litterary Terms and Glossary for AP Language and Composition

The subject of the sentence performs the action. Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house

An indirect reference to something the reader is supposed to be familiar.

A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts. (Do not confuse with persona)

A brief recounting of a relevant episode

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. An AP question might read: "What is the antecedent for "it"?

Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world

when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat. The “gatekeeper scene” in Macbeth is an example of comic relief.

Word choice

Ordinary or familiar type of conversation

Implied meaning of a word

The literalmeaning of a word

The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession (Chem talk)

• 1. Language or dialect of a particular country.
• 2. Language or dialect of a regional clan or group.
• 3. Plain everyday speech

A term used to describe litterature that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.

A folk saying with a lesson. “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

A story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory.

A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle “God helps them that help themselves,” and “A watched pot never boils.”

• The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author. “The whole
• day, rain, torrents of rain.” The term ellipsis is related to ellipse, which is the three periods used to show
• omitted text in a quotation.

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.“Physically challenged,” in place of “crippled.”

writing that is not meant to be taken literally.

• a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables“America is to the world as the
• hippo is to the jungle.”

Exaggeration. “My mother will kill me if I am late.”

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally. “I got chewed out by my coach.”

Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words. “My feet are popsicles.”

Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. “Relations between London and Washington have been strained,”

A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa. “The cattle rancher owned 500 head.” “Check out my new wheels.”

Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things. “My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.”

a description involving a crossing of the senses “A purplish scent filled the room.”

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human. “The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill.”

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

The major category into which a literary work fits.

Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death.

Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind.

A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.

When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.

When you say something and mean the opposite

When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't

Found in the plot of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it makes you laugh because it's funny how things turn out. (For example, Johnny spent two hours planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. or when he finally did manage to sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day).

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.

The atmosphere created by the literature

a recurring idea in a piece of literature.

When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together (stupid smart person)

The speed or tempo of an author’s writing

A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.“You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job.”

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.“I came, I saw, I conquered.”

When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed. “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words,“The butler killed the lights, and then the mistress.”

Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence.

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.

A fictional mask that tells the story or narrator

A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore

• The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.
• From the molten-golden notes

• The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.
• Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door

• The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.
• Snap, rustle, boom, murmur

• When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line.
• To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!

• When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly . they are merely similar.
• I sat upon a stone, / And found my life has gone.

• When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.
• Roses are red, violets are blue, / Sugar is sweet, and so are you.

• The pattern of a poem
• a b a b c d c d:

In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllable(s). unhappiness

A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.

Poetry that doesnt have much meter or rhyme.

• Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
• Shall I compare thee to a summer.s day?

A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Usually divided into three quatrains and a couplet.

• When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions
• “I walked the dog, and fed the cat, and milked the cows.”

When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way. “My dog has a fur coat and pants!”

The art of effective communication.

The relationships, in any piece of writing, between the writer, the audience, and the subject.

Question not asked for information but for effect.

Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature.

A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded.

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect.

a group of words that expresses a complete thought.

A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning (Bob, the lumber yard worker, spoke with Judy, an accountant from the city

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale.

Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

When the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements.

When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence.

Contains only one independent clause.

States an idea

Issues a command

Sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who, whom, and whose

The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes

Anything that represents or stands for something else.

Grammatical arrangement of words

The central idea or message of a work

The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion

A writer's attitude toward his subject

a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used.

a piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion

the end result of the argument

Pursuading the audiance using ethos, logos, and pathos.

credibility

emotional

logical

Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint

an if-then statement

both cannot be true, one of them must be false.

an example that runs opposes a generalization

An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion.

A fallacy is an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning

Latin for "against the man

everyons else is doing it

mischaracterizes his opponent's view, and then defeats the mischaracterized argument

Claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren't

Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no exceptions.

Assuming that because two things happened, the first one caused the second one.

A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.

A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.

The assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme possible outcome.

An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth of the conclusion.

• 1.the line of reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid
• 2.that the premises are true.

Not every argument is fully expressed

the conclusion logically follows from the premises.