AP Lang Vocab

  1. Anaphora
    The device of using characters and/or story elements symbolically to represent and abstraction in addition to the literal merning.
  2. Alliteration
    The repition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.
  3. Allusion
    The direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
  4. Ambiguity
    The multiple meanings, wither intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase or passage
  5. Analogy
    A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An Analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similartiy to something more familiar.
  6. Anaphora
    The repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of succesive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses, especially for rhetorical or poetic effect.
  7. Antecedent
    The word, phrase, or clause reffered to by a pronoun.
  8. Antithesis
    The rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences.
  9. Aphorism
    A terse statement of known authorship which generally expresses a general truth or a moral principle.
  10. Apostrophe
    A figure of speech that directly adresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.
  11. Atmosphere
    The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the authors choice of objects that are described. Frequently, atmoshphere foreshadows events.
  12. Clause
    A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone, a dependent clause cannot.
  13. Colloquial/Colloquialsim
    The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.
  14. Conceit
    A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or supervising analogy between seemingly dissimilat objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.
  15. Connotation
    The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word.
  16. Denotation
    The strict, literal, Dictionary definition of a word. Contains no implied meanings.
  17. Diction
    Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.
  18. Didactic
    Literally means "teaching". Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially of moral or ethical principles.
  19. Euphemism
    Euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.
  20. Extended Metaphor
    A metaphor developed at great length, occuring frequently in or throughout a work.
  21. Figurative Language
    Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.
  22. Figure of Speech
    Device used to create figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include, for example, apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox. simile, and understatement.
  23. Genaric Conventions
    Describes/Defines the traditions for each genre.
  24. Genre
    The major catagory in which a literary work fits.
  25. Homily
    Literally means "sermon" but informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
  26. Hyperbole
    Uses extreme and deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
  27. Imagery
    The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.
  28. Inference/Infer
    To draw a resonable conclusion from the information presented.
  29. Invective
    An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong abusive language.
  30. Irony
    The contrast between what is stated and what is meant. There are three major types 1. Verbal Irony - the words literally state the oppisite of what was the writer's/speaker's true meaning. 2. Situational- events turn out the opposite of what was expected. 3. Dramatic -facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or a piece of fiction but known to the audience or other characters
  31. Loose Sentence
    Type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, sollowed by the dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.
  32. Metaphor
    Uses implied comparison of semmingly unlike things or the substitution of one thing for the other, suggesting some similarity.
  33. Metonomy
    A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely related with it.
  34. Mood
    Two meanings, 1. Grammatical and deals with verbal units and a speakers attitude uses Indicative, Subjunctive, and Imperative. 2. The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.
  35. Narrative
    The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.
  36. Onomatopoeia
    Figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sound of words.
  37. Oxymoron
    Figure of speech in which the author groups apparantly contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
  38. 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.
  39. Parallelism
    Framing sentences or phrases to give them structural similarity.
  40. Parody
    A work that imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
  41. Pedantic
    An Adjective that describes words, phrases, or the general tome that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.
  42. Periodic Sentence
    A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. The independent clause is preceded by a clause that cannot stand alone.
  43. Personification
    a figure of speech in which the author endows inanimate objects with human attributes and emotions
  44. Point of view
    the perspective from which a story is told. Also the author's point of view/ attitude.
  45. Predicate adjective
    One type of subject complement, an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. it modifies or describes the subject.
  46. Predicate Nominative
    The second type of subject complement, a noun, group of nouns, or nour clause that renames a subject. it follows the same patten as the Predicate Adjective.
  47. Prose
    One of the major divisions of genre, refers to fiction and non-fiction, because they are written in normal language and more closely resemble normal speech. Technically anything that isn't poetry or drama is prose.
Author
tsnyder2012
ID
72111
Card Set
AP Lang Vocab
Description
Contains Vocabulary which is recommended to know for the AP Lang exam
Updated