AP English Literature Vocabulary Terms 2016-2017 – Flashcards
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allusion
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a reference to a person. place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea EX: chocolate was her Achilles heel
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ambiguity
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a vagueness of meaning to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation EX: each of us saw her duck
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analogy
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a comparison that points out similarities between two contrasting things EX: you are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard
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anaphora
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the repetition at the beginning of clauses EX: I want my money right now, right here, all right?
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anecdote
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a very short tale told by a character in a literary work EX: A mother tells her son a story about a family vacation when she was growing up
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antagonist
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a character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the protagonist, produces tension or conflict EX: the joker in batman
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antecedent
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the noun that a pronoun replaces EX: Lily = she
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antithesis
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contrasting ideas or images through the use of parallel structure EX: Many are called, but few are chosen.
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aphorism
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brief saying embodying a moral, concise, statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words EX: The simplest questions are the hardest to answer.
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apostrophe
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when an absent person, abstract concept, or object is directly addressed EX: the star in twinkle little star
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archetype
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usage of any object or situation as it was originally made- big cliché, but one that never dies EX: the hero
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argument
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a form of writing that makes a claim for a particular opinion or idea and supports it with evidence EX: "social media has bettered society"
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aside
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a device in which a character in a drama makes a short speech which is heard by the audience but not by other characters EX: romeo speaks to the audience- reveals his thoughts
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assonance
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the repetition of vowel sounds in a literary work EX: Men sell the wedding bells
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asyndeton
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the omission of conjunctions that coordinate words and phrases EX: without looking, breathing, making a sound
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audience
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a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art
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balanced sentence
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a sentence that uses parallel structure and has clauses that are equally long and equally important EX: Light is faster, but we are safer.
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ballad
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a story in a poetic form, often tragic love
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bathos
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an event often occurring as serious then transitions into of little significance EX: MARY: John - once we had something that was pure, and wonderful, and good. What's happened to it? JOHN: You spent it all.
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blank verse
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poetry without rhyme, often resembles ordinary speech EX: Something there is that doesn't love a wall. That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
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caesura
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a pause in mid verse, often marked by punctuation EX: It is for you we speak, || not for ourselves:
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central idea
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the most important point in the authors text; the main idea
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characterization
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the way an author gives human-like qualities to a character to resemble an actual person EX: The patient boy and quiet girl were both well mannered and did not disobey their mother.
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chiasmus
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a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed EX: Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.
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clause
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a group of related words containing a subject that tells the readers what the sentence is about
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cliché
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overused, worn-out word or phrase; not literal EX: time will tell
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climax
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a structural part of a plot and is at times referred to a crisis EX: when Romeo & Juliet die
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colloquialism
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use of slang or phrases in a piece of writing EX: y'all
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comedy
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type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having cheerful endings
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complex sentence
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sentence that combines one independent clause with at least one dependent clause
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compound sentence
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sentence that combines a least two dependent clauses joined by a comma, semicolon, or conjunction
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conceit
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a kind of metaphor that compares two very unlikely things in a surprising and clever way EX: Marriage is like getting a root canal
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concrete poetry
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poem that visually resembles something found in the physical world EX:
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connotation
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a word's emotional content, not actual definition EX:
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consonance
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the repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowel sounds in words near each other in a line or lines of poetry EX:
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convention
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a characteristic of a literary genre that is understood and accepted by audiences because it has come to be recognized as a familiar technique EX:
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couplet
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a pair of rhyming lines in a poem EX:
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dactyl
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a three syllable foot consisting of near stress and two light stresses EX:
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declarative sentence
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statement that can be affirmative, negative, or neutral; all distinguished by different non-manual markers EX:
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deductive reasoning
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uses facts, rules, definitions, or properties to reach logical conclusions from given statements EX:
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denotation
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the literal meaning of a word EX:
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deus ex machina
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a device used in Greek plays in which a god was lowered to the stage to solve the problems of the characters EX:
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detail
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attention to or treatment of a subject in individual or minute parts EX:
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dialogue
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literary technique in which writers employ two or more characters to be engaged in conversation with each other EX:
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diction
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an author's word choice when writing EX:
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didactic
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writing that is preach-like or seeks overtly to convince a reader of a particular point or lesson EX:
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digression
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a message that departs from the main subject
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dissonance
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the use of harsh sounding, unusual, or impolite words in poetry to create a disturbing effect
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elegy
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a form of literature that can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of the deceased
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ellipsis
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literary device used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out
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end-stopped
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A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation
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epic
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An extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero that in generally larger than life and is often considered a legendary figure
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epigram
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A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement
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epigraph
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phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning
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epiphany
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the character's moment of realization or the character gaining knowledge
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epitaph
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an inscription on a tombstone
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epithet
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adjectives expressing a characteristic
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eulogy
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a writing to honor someone dead
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euphemism
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a less offensive way of saying something offensive
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exclamatory sentence
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a sentence with strong feeling
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expletive
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an exclamation or oath
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exposition
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device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers
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fable
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a fictional story that leads to a moral
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fantasy
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a story that contains an unreal world or unreal characters
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farce
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genre and the type of a comedy that makes the use of highly exaggerated and funny situations aimed at entertaining the audience
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figurative language
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a way of saying one thing but meaning another
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first person(pov)
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where the story is narrated by one character at a time
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fixed form
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A poem that may be categorized by the pattern of its lines, meter, rhythm, or stanzas
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flashback
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interjections of past events to provide background to current text
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flat character
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uncomplicated and doesn't change
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foil
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used to describe a character, it means that that character serves to highlight one or more attributes of another character, often the protagonist, by providing a contrast
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foreshadowing
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a warning or indication of a future event
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frame device
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a story with in a story
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free verse
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does not have to rhyme, stanzas may be different lengths, lines are usually different lengths, there is no metrical pattern
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genre
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a category of literary composition
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grotesque
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focuses on the human body, and all the ways that it can be distorted or exaggerated: its aim is to simultaneously elicit our empathy and disgust
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heroic couplet
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Two successive rhyming lines of iambic pentameter
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hexameter
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A line consisting of six metrical feet
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homily
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literally "sermon", or any serious talk, speech, or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice
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hubris
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extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about their downfall
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hyperbole
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the trope of exaggeration or overstatement
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hypothetical question
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A question, based on assumptions rather than facts, directed to an expert witness intended to elicit an opinion
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iambic pentameter
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A unit or foot of poetry that consists of a lightly stressed syllable followed by a heavily stressed syllable
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idiom
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term refers to a set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words
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image
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the "mental pictures" that readers experience with a passage of literature
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in media res
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describes a narrative that begins, not at the beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle — usually at some crucial point in the action
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inductive reasoning
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statement is derived using facts and instances which lead to the formation of a general opinion
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internal rhyme
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a poetic device which can be defined as metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhymes with each other
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invective
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A direct verbal assault; a denunciation
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irony
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Dramatic: Audience perceives something that a character in lit does not know. Verbal: When an author says one thing and means something else. Situational: Discrepancy between the expected result and actual results.
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jargon
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a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade
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juxtaposition
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When one theme or idea or person is paralleled to another
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legend
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a story or narrative that lies somewhere between myth and historical fact and which, as a rule, is about a particular figure or person
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limerick
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a humorous or nonsense verse of five lines; from limerick a country in Republic of Ireland where the form is said to have originated
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limited narrator
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the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character
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literal language
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the literal meaning of a word or phrase
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literary license
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when a poet or an author has got the freedom of changing the norms of a literary text and act differently and independently
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litotes
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A form of understatement in which positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form
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loose sentence
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One in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units
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lyric
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A poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker
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malapropism
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the act of using an incorrect word in place of one that is similar in pronunciation
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maxim
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maxim is a simple and memorable line, quote or rule for taking action and leading a good life
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metaphor
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a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics
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meter (iamb, trochee, dactyl, anapest)
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a unit of rhythm in poetry, the pattern of the beats
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metonymy
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type of metaphor in which an object is used to describe something that's closely related to it
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mood
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a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions
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motif
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any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story
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motivation
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a reason behind a character's specific action or behavior
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myth
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a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation
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narrator
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A person who tells a story; in literature, the voice that an author takes on to tell a story
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naturalistic
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literary genre that started as a literary movement in late nineteenth century in literature, film, theater and art
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non sequitur
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literary device which include the statements, sayings and conclusions that do not follow the fundamental principles of logic and reason
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octet
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the first 8 lines of a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet. Usually presents a situation, an idea, or a question
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ode
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a form of lyric poetry — expressing emotion — and it's usually addressed to someone or something, or it represents the poet's musings on that person or thing
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omniscient (point of view)
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literary technique of writing narrative in third person in which a narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story; godlike
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onomatopoeia
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a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting; zap, pow, bang
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overstatement
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an act of stating something more than it actually is in order to make the point more serious or important or beautiful
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oxymoron
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two contradictory words are together in one phrase. In fact
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parable
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a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson
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paradox
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a statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow
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parallel structure
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repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance
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parenthetical
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Set off within or as if within parentheses; qualifying or explanatory
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parody
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a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing
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pathos
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a quality of an experience in life or a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy and sorrow
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pedantic
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adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or. bookish
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pentameter
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literary device that can be defined as a line in verse or poetry that has five strong metrical feet or beats
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periodic sentence
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emphasis and can be persuasive by putting reasons for something at the beginning before the final point is made
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persona
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When a character or narrator through whom the author speaks in a literary work
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personification
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a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes
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plot
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literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story
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point of view
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refers to who is telling a story, or who is narrating it
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polysyndeton
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conjunctions (e.g. and, but, or) are used repeatedly in quick succession, often with no commas, even when the conjunctions could be removed
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prosody
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the study of meter, intonation and rhythm of a poetic work
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protagonist
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the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story
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pun
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a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings
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purpose
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the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic
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quatrain
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a verse with four lines, or even a full poem containing four lines, having an independent and separate theme
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realistic
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denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life
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resolution
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the conclusion of the story; the point in the plot at which the conflict comes to an end
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reversal
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any narrative in which there is an observable change in direction
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rhetoric
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a technique of using language effectively and persuasively in spoken or written form
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rhetorical question
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self-evident and used for style as an impressive persuasive device
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rhyme (interior, slant)
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a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs
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rhythm
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literary device which demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables particularly in verse form
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romantic
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a literary, artistic, and philosophical movement originating in the 18th century, characterized chiefly by a reaction against neoclassicism and an emphasis on the imagination and emotions
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round character
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complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader; very complicated, contrasts flat character
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sarcasm
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an ironic or satirical remark that seems to be praising someone or something but is really taunting or cutting
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satire
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a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule
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scan
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the process of analyzing a poem's meter
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scapegoat
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A person or group that is made to bear blame for others
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scene
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A dramatic sequence taking place within a single locale (or setting) on stage
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sestet
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consists of six lines that rhyme with a varying pattern
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setting
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the time and place in which the story takes place
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simile
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a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things
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simple sentence
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sentence containing only one independent clause and no dependent clauses
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solecism
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a grammatical mistake or intentional use of incorrect grammar in written language and speech
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soliloquy
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a popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character
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sonnet
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It means a small or little song or lyric; 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter
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speaker
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the voice behind the poem—the person we imagine to be saying the thing out loud
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stage direction
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Part of the script of a play that tells the actors how they are to move or to speak their lines
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stanza
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a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter or rhyming scheme
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stereotype
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An author's method of treating a character so that the character is immediately identified with a group
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stock character
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a stereotypical person whom audiences readily recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition
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steam-of-consciousness
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a narrative mode or device that depicts the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind
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structure
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The way that the writer arranges the plot of a story
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style
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the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text
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surrealism
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aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control
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syllepsis
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a rhetorical term for a kind of ellipsis in which one word (usually a verb) is understood differently in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies or governs
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syllogism
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a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion
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symbol
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A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning. The actions of a character, word, action, or event that have a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story
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synecdoche
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literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part
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synesthesia
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characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time
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syntax
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determines how the chosen words are used to form a sentence
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tautology
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a repetitive use of phrases or words which have similar meanings
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tetrameter
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When four beats are placed together in a line of poetry
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theme
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a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly
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thesis
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a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence
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tone
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an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience
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topic
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A subject of discussion or conversation; A subdivision of a theme, thesis, or outline
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tragedy
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the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances
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trite
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hackneyed, stereotyped, threadbare mean lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest
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turning point
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a moment when the course of events is changed
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understatement
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A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is; A statement which lessens or minimizes the importance of what is meant; Restraint or lack of emphasis in expression, as for rhetorical effect
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unreliable narrator
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a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised
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usage
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the way in which words or phrases are actually used, spoken, or written in a speech community
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vernacular
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using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
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absolute
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a word free from limitations or qualifications; argument—a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
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anadiplosis
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It refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause
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zeugma
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a literary term for using one word to modify two other words, in two different ways
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conduplicatio
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Figure of repetition in which the key word or words in one phrase, clause, or sentence is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases; repetition of a key word over successive phrases or clauses
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