AP Midterm Terms Flashcards
alliteration
the repetition of a similar consonant sound in words in sentence; usually the sound at the beginning of the sentence
allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference
amorous
showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire
anaphora
A rhetorical device where a word, or group of words, is repeated in consecutive clauses
apostrophe
a writer or a speaker detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech; ex; the dagger speech
argumentative
a tone that argues a point, like persuasive but more combattive
assonance
the close repetition of middle vowel sounds between different consonant sounds; ex. fAde/pAle; pEt/wEst
atmosphere
the setting, people in the setting, everything that sets the scene for the story to be told in
bathos
When a writer who is intending to be pathetic, exceeds a limit and descends into the ridiculous. An exaggerated form of PATHOS
caricature
a ludicrous or grotesque version of ones self, almost like a visual parody of that person
carnal
relating to physical, especially sexual, needs and desires
colloquial
language used in familiar and casual conversation as opposed to more elaborate words most frequently found in literature
concrete diction/abstract diction
the concrete way it is written vs the writing that speaks on things other than the five senses
couplet
a pair of lines in meter, used to separate the stanza of poetry, they each have an end that implies only a grammatical pause, but not the end of the sentence
coy
playfully shy
craven
lacking in courage, cowardly
denotation/connotation
the concrete definition of a word
vs
the loose, more casual or more often associated definition of that word
dialogue
words spoken between two characters
diction
style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words
digressive
something that wanders away from the main topic, distracts from the development of the main point and the plot
ex; Updike’s excessive writing
dramatic monologue
a type of poetry where a single character is overheard, revealing a dramatic situation
elegy
a poem of serious reflection, usually for the lamenting of the dead
euphemism
a mild or indirect word often substituting another, in order to make something look less harsh
evocation
the action of bringing forth something through writing, like an idea or a memory
