Caroline's+terms

AP Term List

__Abstract__-A style (in writing) that is typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points

__Alliteration__-The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in “she sells sea shells”). Although the term is not frequently in the multiple-choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage

__Allusion__-A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion

__Ambiguity__-The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

__Amplify__-Amplification refers to a literary practice wherein the writer embellishes the sentence by adding more information to it in order to increase its worth and understandability. When a plain sentence is too abrupt and fails to convey the full implications desired, amplification comes into play when the writer adds more to the structure to give it more meaning

__Analogy__-A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging

__Analysis-__breaking down something into its parts to see how it works

__Aphorism__-A short and usually witty saying

__Antagonist-__a character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works again the main character, or protagonist, in some way. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be an person. It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after." In fact, the antagonist could be a character of virtue in a literary work where the protagonist represents evil

__Antecedent__-The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

__Apocryphal__-Writings or statements of questionable authorship or authenticity

__Apostrophe__-A figure of speech wherein the speaker talks directly to something that is nonhuman, or absent __Argument__-a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work

__Atmosphere__-The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood

__Audience-__The people that will read your work

__Author__-the writer/creator of a piece or work

__Bathos-i__s a descent in literature in which a poet or writer--striving too hard to be passionate or elevated--falls into trivial or stupid imagery, phrasing, or ideas. Alexander Pope coined the usage to mock the unintentional mishaps of incompetent writers, but later comic authors and poets used bathos intentionally for mirthful effects. One of the most common types of bathos is the humorous arrangement of items so that the listed items descend from grandiosity to absurdity. In this technique, important or prestigious ideas precede an inappropriate or inconsequential item

__Bombastic-__Grandiloquent, pompous speech or writing

__Bucolic-__of or characteristic of the countryside or country life; rustic

__Candid/Candor__-Honest, open

__Character-__a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Characters are extremely important because they are the medium through which a reader interacts with a piece of literature. Every character has his or her own personality, which a creative author uses to assist in forming the plot of a story or creating a mood. The different attitudes, mannerisms, and even appearances of characters can greatly influence the other major elements in a literary work, such as theme, setting, and tone. __*Dynamic-__ (characters) that experience changes throughout the plot of a story. Although the change may be sudden, it is expected based on the story’s events. __*Static-__ (characters) that does not experience basic character changes during the course of the story.

__Clause__-A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing.

__Cliché__-an overused, worn-out, hackneyed expression that used to be fresh but is no more

__Climax__-arranging words, clauses, or sentences in the order of their importance, the least forcible coming first and the others rising in power until the last

__Complex Syntax__-long sentences with deeply nested dependent clause structures

__Concrete__- Existing in a material or physical form; real or solid; not abstract

__Conflict__-the drama between 2 opposing forces around which a story develops; conflict -creates tension and propels a story forward

__Content__-the what

__Connotation-__The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

__Content__-things or substances in an enclosed space, such as topics, ideas, statements, or facts in a book, document, letter, etc.

__Context-__The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning. The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting

__Contrast__-a relationship between two different discourse segments

__Cynical-__Being contemptuous of the motives or virtues of others-mocking and sneering

__Denotation-__the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. (Example: the denotation of a knife would be a utensil used to cut; the connotation of a knife might be fear, violence, anger, foreboding, etc.)

__Description-__A rhetorical strategy using sensory details to portray a person, place, or thing

__Dialect__-The language of a particular district, class, or group of persons. The term dialect encompasses the sounds, spelling, grammar, and diction employed by a specific people as distinguished from other persons either geographically or socially

__Dialogue-__vocal exchange between two or more characters. One of the ways in which plot, character, action, etc. are developed.

__Diction__-Related to style, diction refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

__Discursive__-Discursive writing attempts to give both sides of a topic or issue. Etymologically, it goes "back and forth" across a subject, covering all aspects or points of view

__Disparate__-Containing or composed of dissimilar or opposing elements __Dystopic__-Polar opposite of utopia. A society in which social and/or technological trends have contributed to a corrupted or degraded state

__Epigram__-a short poem with a witty or satirical point

__Epigraph__-quotation or motto at beginning of book or chapter. Epigraph relates to content of work in which it is quoted

__Essay__-a short literary composition on a particular theme or topic, usually in prose and generally thoughtful and interpretative. This type of writing is devoted to the presentation of the writer’s own ideas and generally addresses a particular aspect of the subject.

__Eulogy__-Speech or written work paying tribute to a person who has recently died; speech or written work praising a person (living, as well as dead), place, thing, or idea

__Euphemism-__ From the Greek for “good speech,” euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying “earthly remains” rather than “corpse” is an example of euphemism

__Exposition-__A statement or type of composition intended to give information about (or an explanation of) an issue, subject, method, or idea.

__Extended Metaphor-__A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

__Figurative Language__-a technique in writing in which the author temporarily interrupts the order, construction, or meaning of the writing for a particular effect. Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid

__Figures of Speech__- a device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.

__Foreshadowing__-the technique of giving hints or clues that suggests or prepare for events that happen later in work; creates suspense

__Formal (Tone)__-helps establish the writer's respect for the audience and suggests that the writer is serious about his or her topic

__Former/Latter__-The former is the first of two people or things just mentioned; the latter is the second of those things or people

__Framed Narrative__-A story within a story, within sometimes yet another story __Hyperbole__-A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

__Ignominy__-Great personal dishonor or humiliation, shameful or disgraceful action, conduct, or character

__Imagery-__The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing.

__Imply__-to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated

__Iconoclast__-One who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions, one who destroys sacred religious images

__Idiosyncrasies-__A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.

__Inference/Infer__-To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it’s unlikely to be the correct answer

__Informal (Tone)__-the style of writing in which the narrator or the person who is telling the story uses a casual tone of writing

__Interpolation__-a passage inserted into a text by some later writer, usually without the authority of the original author; or the act of introducing such additional material

__Irony__-the effect of language in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated; what should be is what it isn’t

__Ironic/Irony__-The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. Irony is often used to create poignancy or humor. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language: (1) Verbal irony – when the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) meaning (2) Situational irony – when events turn out the opposite of what was expected;when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen (3) Dramatic irony – when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work.

__Juxtaposition__-a device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another

__Memoir__-An autobiographical sketch--especially one that focuses less on the author's personal life or psychological development and more on the notable people and events the author has encountered or witnessed

__Metaphor__-a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. Metaphorical language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful.

__Metonymy-__A term from the Greek meaning “changed label” or “substitute name,” metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, a news release that claims “the White House declared” rather than “the President declared” is using metonymy

__Misogyny-__Hatred of women

__Mitigate__-Make less severe, serious, or painful

__Motif-__in literature, a recurring image/word/action/phrase/object that appears throughout an author’s work or body of work and speaks to a theme

__Narration-__In composition studies, one of the traditional modes of discourse that recounts an event or a series of related events

__Novel__-a fictional prose narrative, usually long enough to be published in a book by itself

__Objective__-existing independent of mind; belonging to the sensible world and being observable or verifiable especially by scientific methods; expressing or involving the use of facts; derived from sense perception.

__Onomatopoeia__- A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur

__Oratory__-he rendering of a formal speech delivered on a special occasion, characterized by elevated style and diction and by studied delivery. Sometimes the term simply means an eloquent address

__Oxymoron__-figures of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined

__Paradox__-a statement that seems contradictory, unbelievable, or absurd but that may actually be true in fact

__Parallel Structure__-technique of showing that words, phrases, clauses or larger structures are comparable in content and importance by placing them side-by-side and making them similar in form __Parallelism__-Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning “beside one another.” It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader’s attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.

__Parod__y-A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author’s expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.) Well-written parody offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written parody offers only ineffectual imitation. Usually an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being parodied in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, parodies take on a life of their own and don’t require knowledge of the original

__Periodic Sentence__-sentence that postpones the main idea to the end, adding information at the beginning to build interest or tension

__Persona__-Author’s voice/identity

__Personification-__ A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. Personification is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.

__Perspicuity__-clearness or lucidity, as of a statement

__Point of View__-Point of view is the perspective or angle from which a story is told

__Pretentious-__attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed: a pretentious literary device

__Pretext__-A reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason

__Rhetoric__-art of speaking and writing effectively (building solid arguments, arranging material effectively, using appropriate style for purpose, content, audience, etc.)

__Satire__-A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, satire is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the satirist: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects of satire are varied, depending on the writer’s goal, but good satire, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.

__Senescence-__growing old

__Sentimental__-Dealing with feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia in an exaggerated and self-indulgent way

__Setting-__the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation occurs. Settings include the background, atmosphere or environment in which characters live and move, and usually include physical characteristics of the surroundings. Setting enables the reader to better envision how a story unfolds by relating necessary physical details of a piece of literature. A setting may be simple or elaborate, used to create ambiance, lend credibility or realism, emphasize or accentuate, organize, or even distract the reader.

__Short Story-__a prose narrative that is brief in nature. The short story also has many of the same characteristics of a novel including characters, setting and plot. However, due to length constraints, these characteristics and devices generally may not be as fully developed or as complex as those developed for a full-length novel

__Simile__-a comparison, usually using “like” or “as”, of two essentially dissimilar things, as in “coffee as cold as ice” or “he sounded like a broken record”

__Simple Syntax__-relatively uncluttered grammatical construction (short sentences, relatively few subordinate clauses)

__Skeptical__-doubting or having doubts

__Style__-a group of different aspects of writing that have to do with the writer's way of saying something (as opposed to the ideas or content of the text)

__Subjective-__relating to or determined by the mind as the subject of experience; characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind; phenomenal; arising out of or identified by means of one’s awareness

__Subtext__-text in between the lines, the implication

__Suspense__-Anxiety or apprehension resulting from an uncertain, undecided, or mysterious situation

__Symbol__-something concrete- object/action/place- that stands in for something abstract like a theme or idea

__Synecdoche__-a form of a metaphor; when a part of something is used to signify the whole, the whole represents the part, the container represents the thing being contained, or the material from which an object is made stands for the object itself

__Synesthesia__-when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another. In literature, synesthesia refers to the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image.

__Syntax__-The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words.

__Theme__-The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly state, especially in expository or argumentative writing.

__Tone__-Similar to mood, tone describes the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author’s tone. There is formal tone and informal tone.

__Transition__-In a piece of writing, the passing from one subject or division of a composition to another. A good prose style accomplishes transition between sentences; paragraphs and chapters by proceeding smoothly and logically from one point to the next, so that the relationships appear clear and natural.

__Underscore__-to emphasize

__Understatement__-the ironic minimalizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.

__Utopic__-An ideal society in which social, legal, and political justice and perfect harmony exists

__Venerable__-Accorded a great deal of respect, esp. because of age, wisdom, or character

__Visage__-Appearance; aspect