AP Lang Exam Literary Terms Flashcards
(50 cards)
Allegory
symbols are used to convey a hidden meaning
ex.) the tortoise and the hare (literal level and symbolic level)
Alliteration
repetition
ex.) “she sells seashells”
Allusion
an indirect reference
ex.) “he’s the einstein of our generation”
Ambiguity
a word that has multiple meanings
ex.) big - large, fat, popular
Anaphora
form of parallel syntax
ex.) “I have a dream… I have a dream… I have a dream”
Antecedent
the noun that refers to the pronoun
ex.) (Addison) is cool. She has blue hair
Antithesis
flipping the sentence
ex.) fair is foul, foul is fair
Aphorism
a short statement that offers a deeper meaing
ex.) actions speak louder than words
Apostrophe
talking about someone that isn’t in the room
ex.) “Mrs. williams, you need to do your work”
Cacophony
a combination of loud sounds
ex.) shouting vendors, distant sirens, crowded square
Caricature
exaggeration of a characters features
ex.) caricature drawings that you get at art shows/events
Catharsis
use of strong feelings to make the reader feel emotion
ex.) Romeo and Juliet
Clause
subject and verb
ex.) Addison got married last week
Colloquialism
use of slang
ex.) “soccer” instead of football
Connotation
something suggested by a word/thing
ex.) she is feeling “blue”
Diction
word choice
Digression
going off topic
ex.) Thorsby
Ethos
makes the audience trust the speaker
Euphemism
polite word to refer to something that people find upsetting or embarrassing
ex.) “let someone go”
Foil
characters that are opposites and bring out the good/bad in each other
ex.) the brave chief caught the burglars in the bank robbery
Foreshadowing
warning of a future event
ex.) clouds getting dark before a storm
Genre
a specific type of writing
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements that aren’t meant to be taken literally
ex.) “I’m so hyper I could run a marathon”
Imagery
the ability to form mental images of things/events
ex.) “glittering white, the blanket of snow covered everything in sight”
