AP English Lit Terms
About this set
Created by:
rowemargar on October 23, 2011
Classes:
Clare and John and Maggie and David
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
82 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Allegory (S) | symbolism that represents a greater concept on a smaller scale |
| Alliteration (S) | the repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of consecutive words or syllables |
| Allusion (S) | a reference to an element of popular culture, common knowledge, etc. |
| Ambiguity (S) | purposeful use of words to promote different meanings, interpretations, connotations |
| Anecdote (S) | a short account of an interesting event |
| Assonance (S) | a repetition of vowel sounds within a sentence or phrase |
| Colloquialism (S) | the use of ordinary, everyday speech rather than formal language |
| Conceit (S) | an elaborate or unusual comparison, especially one using metaphors, simile, hyperbole, and contradiction |
| Connotation (S) | the thoughts and feelings associated with a word that may be different from its denotation |
| Consonance (S) | a special type of alliteration in which the repeated pattern of consonants is marked by changes in intervening vowels |
| Denotation (S) | the dictionary definition, literal meaning of a word |
| Ellipsis (S) | the artful omission of a word implied by a previous clause, also three periods used as a punctuation mark |
| Epiphany (S) | sudden flare into revelation of an ordinary object or scene, alter the entire world view |
| Euphemism (S) | using a comparatively milder description instead of its original, unsympathetic form |
| Hyperbole (S) | an obvious and intentional exaggeration |
| Imagery (S) | strongly descriptive language used to describe something and create a picture in the audience's mind |
| Irony (S) | a contradiction between what is said and what is meant, incongruity between action and result |
| Juxtaposition (S) | close placement of literary phrases to stress similarities and differences |
| Litotes (S) | a form of understatement in which negative statements create effect |
| Loose Sentence (S) | (cumulative sentence) the main idea is elaborated on by the addition of modifying clauses/phrases |
| Metaphor (S) | a comparison without the use of like or as |
| Metonymy (S) | the substitution of one word or phrase for one that it is closely associated with |
| Mood (S) | the reader's perception of the literature |
| Motif (S) | any element, subject, idea that is consistently present through the entire body of literature |
| Onomatopoeia (S) | words whose sound is very close to the sound they are meant to depict |
| Overstatement (S) | exaggeration used for an intended effect |
| Oxymoron (S) | juxtaposition of two words with opposition meanings |
| Paradox (S) | a statements that seems contradictory but is actually true |
| Parenthesis (S) | any use of punctuation that changes the pacing the sentence |
| Periodic Sentence (S) | moves towards something important at the end |
| Persona (S) | the character the speaker creates when he or she writes or speaks |
| Personification (S) | the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects |
| Satire (S) | use of sarcasm, irony, or ridicule in criticism |
| Simile (S) | a comparison using the words like or as |
| Symbolism (S) | frequent use of words, places, characters, or objects that mean something beyond what they are on a literal level |
| Synecdoche (S) | uses a part of something to refer to the whole, the whole of something to refer to just a part, something specific to refer to a more general topic, something general applied to a more specific case |
| Tone (S) | the author's attitude towards the topic |
| Understatement (S) | lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect |
| Zeugma (S) | connection of two different things with the same grammatical construction, usually the same verb with two different meanings |
| Anachronism (R) | an error in chronology, placing an event, person, item, or language expression in the wrong period |
| Anadiplosis (R) | repeating the last word of a clause at the beginning of the next clause |
| Antimetabole (R) | the repition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast |
| Antithesis (R) | a direct opposite, stark contrast |
| Aphorism (R) | a short, astute statement of general truth |
| Apposition (R) | the renaming of a nearby noun or pronoun by a word or phrase |
| Asyndeton (R) | leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses |
| Chiasmus (R) | author introduces words/concepts in a particular order, then later repeats those terms or similar ones in reversed or backwards order. doesn't have to be the same exact wording |
| Climax (R) | artistic arrangement of a list of items so that they appear in a sequence of increasing importance |
| Concession (R) | agreement and acknowledgement that an opposing argument might be true |
| Counterargument (R) | an argument that denies the validity of an opposing argument |
| Deductive Reasoning (R) | using a general concept to determine smaller examples |
| Epanalepsis (R) | repeating a word from the beginning of a clause or phrase at the end of the same clause or phrase |
| Epistrophe (R) | a repetition of words or phrases at the end of successive clauses |
| Ethos (R) | demonstration of authority, trustworthiness, credibility, and good character |
| Inductive Reasoning (R) | a series of specific examples leads to a general conclusion |
| Logos (R) | demonstrating logic with facts, statistics, and clear, rational ideas |
| Parallelism (R) | an agreement in the language used in particular pieces of writing |
| Pathos (R) | engages an emotional response by using strong language |
| Polysyndeton (R) | the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions |
| Rhetorical Question (R) | a question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer, the author knows the answer |
| Tricolon Crescendo (R) | three parallel clauses placed side by side in order to create a dramatic effect, with the most powerful at the end |
| Anaphora (R) | the repetition of the same word or groups of words at the beginnings of successive clauses |
| Anastrophe (R) | an inversion of the traditional word order |
| Logical Fallacy | errors in reasoning that render an argument invalid, can be used on purpose by the author |
| Ad Hominem | the target person's characteristics are attacked, instead of the argument |
| Ad Populum | misconception that a widespread occurrence of something is assumed to make an idea true or right |
| Appeal to Tradition | justification for not changing it rather than the correctness of an argument itself |
| Begging the Question | taking for granted something that really needs proving |
| Circular Reasoning | tying to prove one idea with another idea that is too similar to the first idea; in such an error, logic moves backwards in its attempt to move forward |
| Either/Or Reasoning | tendency to see an issue as having only two sides |
| False Analogy | gaps in the similarities between two things, depends on what parts you are including in the analogy |
| Faulty Authority | the person who is supposed to be an authority has no credentials in that area-quoting someone who has no authority in a field |
| Hasty Generalization | drawing a general and premature conclusion on the basis of only one or two cases |
| Ignoring the Question | refusing to answer a question |
| Non Sequitor | an inference or conclusion that does no follow established premises or evidence |
| Oversimplification | take a very complex issue and try to make it simpler |
| Pedantry | a display of narrow-minded and trivial scholarship; an arbitrary adherence to rules and forms |
| Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc | assuming that an incident that precedes another is the cause of the second incident |
| Propaganda | writing or images that seek to persuade through emotional appeal rather than through logical proof; written or visual texts that describe or depict using highly connotative words or images-favorable or unfavorable- without justification |
| Slippery Slope | employing effects that are the worst case scenario |
| Straw Man | attacking someone else's argument that is similar but not the some to the person who you are really trying to criticize |
| Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right | using another person's wrong doings to justify your own |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.