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AP Literature - Lit Terms
Key terms to review for AP test.
31
English
12th Grade
05/06/2009

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Term
Allegory
Definition
story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities
Term
Alliteration
Definition
repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together
Term
Allusion
Definition
reference to someone or soemthing that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, etc..
Term
Ambiguity
Definition
deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work (more than one interpretation)
Term
Analogy
Definition
comparison made between two things to show how alike they are
Term
Antithesis
Definition
balancing words, phrases or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea
Term
Assonance
Definition
repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together
Term
Asyndeton
Definition
commas used without conjucation to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X,Y, and Z... the writer uses X,Y,Z
Term
Colloquialism
Definition
word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations
Term
Conceit
Definition
an elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startingly different
Term
didactic
Definition
form of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking
Term
farce
Definition
type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations
Term
figurative language
Definition
words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. (similes and metaphors)
Term
foil
Definition
character who acts as a contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting the hero
Term
foreshadowing
Definition
use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot
Term
hyperbole
Definition
figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement for effect. "I've told you a million times..."
Term
verbal irony
Definition
occurs when someone says one thing but means something else
Term
situational irony
Definition
you know what this is
Term
dramatic irony
Definition
often used on stage. character in the play thinks something is true, audience knows it is not
Term
juxtaposition
Definition
poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words or phrases are placed next to each other, creating an effect of surprise and wit
Term
metonymy
Definition
figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it "crown" for king
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
the use of wrods whose sounds echo their sense "pop" "zip"
Term
oxymoron
Definition
figure of speech that combines opposite of contradictory terms in brief phrase "jumbo shrimp" "bitter-sweet"
Term
parable
Definition
relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson about how to lead a good life
Term
paradox
Definition
statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth
Term
periodic sentence
Definition
sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements
Term
polysyndeton
Definition
sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a serioes
Term
soliloquy
Definition
a long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage
Term
synecdoche
Definition
figure of speech in which a part represents the whole "lose your wheels" wheels represents entire car
Term
vernacular
Definition
language spoken by people who live in a particular locality
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