allegory
-The device of using character and or story elements symbolically represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning
-in some Allegories for example, author may intend characters to personify abstraction like hope or freedom.
-Allegorical meaning
alliteration
-repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words
-although term is not used frequently and multiple-choice section, u can look for alliteration in any essay passage
-repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas,
allusion
-Direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as event, book, myth, place, work of art
-can be historical, literary, religious, topical, mythical
-May use multiple layers of illusion simultaneously
ambiguity
-multiple meanings of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage
-intentional or unintentional
anadiplosis
-repetition of last word of one clause at beginning of following clause
-fear is anger, anger is pain, pain is bad
analogy
-similarity or comparison between 2 different things or relationship between them
-can explain unfamiliar by associating it with its similarity to something more familiar
-can make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging
anaphora
-One of devices of repetition, in which same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences
-"it was __. it is ____"
-Shakespeare question.??
anecdote
-short narrative detailing particulars of interesting episode or event
-frequently refers to incident in life of a person
antecedent
-Word, phrase, clause referred to by pronoun
-AP language exam occasionally asks for antecedent of given pronoun in long, complex sentence or group of sentences
aphorism
-terse statement of known authorship which expresses general truth or moral principle
-if authorship is unknown, statement is generally considered to be folk proverb
- can be memorable summation of author's point
apostrophe
-figure of speech that directly addresses absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction (liberty, love)
-an address to someone or something that cannot answer
-talking to Love� or a dead person
atmosphere
-emotional mood created by entirety of literary work
-established partly by setting and partly by authors choice of objects that are described
-weather can contribute
-atmosphere foreshadows events
-can create a mood
clause
-grammatical unit that contains both subject and verb
-independent or main clause expresses a complete thought and can't stand alone as a sentence
-A dependent or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independen
colloquialism
-use of slang in informalities in speech or writing
-not acceptable for formal writing
-familiar, conversational tone
-includes local or regional dialects
coherence
-principle demanding that parts of any composition be arranged so that meaning of the whole me be clear and intelligible
conceit
-fanciful expression, usually inform of extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects
-displays intellectual cleverness as a result of unusual comparison being made
connotation
-nonliteral, associative meaning of a word
-implied, suggested meaning
-may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes
denotation
-dictionary Definition of word
diction
-Diction refers to writers word choices, especially with regard to correctness, clearness, effectiveness
-related to style
-for AP exam, you should be able to describe authors diction (formal/informal or ornate or plain)
didactic
-didactic literally means teaching
- didactic works have primary aim of teaching or instructing
-especially moral or ethical principles
epistrophe
-repetition at end of successive clauses
-hear no evil, see now evil, speak no evil
euphemism
-more agreeable or less offensive substitute for unpleasant word or concept
exposition
-in essays, one of four chief types of composition
-purpose of exposition is to explain something
- in drama, exposition is introductory material
-gives setting, creates the tone, introduces characters and conflict
extended metaphor
metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work
figurative language
-writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning
-usually meant to be imaginative or vivid
figure of speech
-device used to produce figurative language
-many compare dissimilar things
-include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, understatement
generic conventions
-describes traditions for each genre
-how to define each genre
-differentiate an essay in journalistic writing or autobiography and political writing
on AP exam, try to distinguish unique features of writers work from those dictated by convention
genre
major categories into which literary work fits
homily
literally means sermon
-any serious talk, speech, lecture involving moral or spiritual advice
hyperbole
-exaggeration or overstatement
-comic effect
-often produced irony
imagery
-sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstraction
inference/infer
-to draw a reasonable conclusion from information presented
invective
-emotionally violence, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language
irony/ironic
-contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
-verbal, situational, dramatic (horror movie)
loose sentence
-type of sentence in which main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses
-use of many of them = informal, relaxed, conversational
-loose style
metaphor
-figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity
metonymy
-figure of speech in which name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it
-"White House declared" instead of "Obama declared
mood
...
narrative
-telling of story or an account of event or series of events
onomatopoeia
-figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in sounds of words
oxymoron
-figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox
paradox
-statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity
parallelism
-refers to grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity
-religion of grammatical element such as preposition or verbal phrase
parody
work that closely imitates the style or content of another w the specific aim of comic effect and or ridicule
pedantic
bookish. lol u know that one
periodic sentence
-sentence that presents its central meaning in main clause at the end
-this independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone
personification
made to be like human
point of view
perspective
predicate adjective
-one type of subject complement -- an adjective, group of adjective, or adjective clause that follows a linking verbs
-it is predicate of a sentence and modifies/describes the subject
predicate nominative
-second type of subject compliment -- a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renamed the subject
-follows linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence
prose
-one of major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms
repetition
duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern
rhetor
term describes speaker who uses elements of rhetorical effectively in oral or written test
rhetoric
term describes principles governing art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively
rhetorical modes
-flexible term describes a variety, conventions, and purposes of major kinds of writing
-exposition: to explain and analyze information by presenting idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion
-argumentation: to prove validity of an idea, POV, by
sarcasm
-bitter, caustic language that meant to hurt or ridiculous someone or something
-May use irony is a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic
-witty, insightful
satire
-work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule
semantics
-branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their conversations, in relation to one another
style
-evaluation of some of choice is an author makes blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices
subject complement
-The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follows a linking verb and compliments, or completes, subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it
subordinate clayse
ALSO CALLED DEPENDENT CLAUSE
Word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any company and phrases or modifiers)
-unlike independent clause, subordinate clause cannot stand alone. Doesn't express complete thought
syllogism
-deductive system of formal logic that presents 2 premises (the first one called major in the second minor) that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion
MAJOR: all men r mortal
MINOR: bob Is a man
CONCL: therefore, Bon is mortal
symbol/symbolism
-anything that represents itself and stands for something else
-NATURAL symbol: objects in occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (dawn=second chance/hope)
-CONVENTIONAL symbol: invested with the meaning by a group (relig
syntax
-when author chooses to join words and phrases, clauses, sentences
-syntax = group of words; diction = individual words
theme
-Central idea or message about work, insight it offers into life
thesis
an expository writing, the thesis sentence is sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses authors opinion, purpose, meaning, or position
tone
-similar to mood
-Tone describes authors attitude toward material, audience, or both
-spoken language Vs. written language
transition
-Word or phrase that links different ideas (however, therefore)
trope
-artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas
-figure of speech involving a turn or change of sense: our use of the word in a sense other than its proper or literal one
-common tropes: metaphor, metonymy, personification, hyper
understatement
-ironic minimizing of fact
-understatement present something as less significant than it is
-opposite of hyperbole
undertone
-attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece
- under a cheery surface, a work may have threatening undertones
unreliable narrator
-untrustworthy or na�ve commentator on events and characters in a story
wit
-intellectually and using language that surprises and delights
-suggests speaker is a verbal power and creating perceptive remarks
- terse language that makes pointed statement
zeugma
-A trope
-One word (usually a noun or main verb) conference two other words not related in meaning
-"he maintained a business and his innocence.