AP ELAC Terms

mood

1st meaning is grammatical--indicative mood=factual sentences "Joe eats too quickly" ; subjunctive mood=express conditions contrary to fact "If I were you, I'd get another job" ; imperative mood=commands "Shut the door!"--2nd meaning is literary, set by tone and events

style

2 purposes: 1. evaluation of the sum of an author's diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices ; 2. classification of authors to a group or comparison of an author to similar authors

zeugma

a trope; one word governs two other words not related in meaning; "He maintained a business and his innocence"

transition

a word or phrase that links different ideas

pedantic

adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

undertone

an attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece

invective

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

unreliable narrator

an untrustworthy or naive commentator on events and characters in a story (example: huck finn)

symbol/symbolism

anything that represents itself and stands for something else ; 3 categories ... 1. natural=things from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them ; 2. conventional=those invested with meaning by a group (cross=christianity) ; 3. literary=found in a variety of works and are generally recognized

trope

artful variation from expected modes of expression to thoughts and ideas, figure of speech involving change of sense, use of a word in a sense other than its proper or literal one (metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, etc.)

oxymoron

author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox; "cruel kindness"

personification

author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions

sarcasm

bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something; may use irony

semantics

branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another

syllogism

deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion; major: all men are mortal ; minor: socrates is a man ; conclusion: socrates is mortal

generic conventions

describes traditions for each genre; they help to define each genre

figure of speech

device used to produce figurative language; apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, etc.

allusion

direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably common known; can be historical, literary, religious, topical, mythical, etc.

repetition

duplication of any element of language

atmosphere

emotional mood 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; it can foreshadow events and create a mood

conceit

fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

prose

fiction and nonfiction; in prose the printer determines the length of the line, in poetry the poet determines

apostrophe

figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love; an address to someone or something that cannot answer

hyperbole

figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement; often has a comic effect and produces irony

metaphor

figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things

clause (independent and dependent)

grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

wit

intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights; usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement; means quick perception

understatement

ironic minimizing of fact; presents something as less significant than it is

homily

literally means "sermon"; any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

genre

major category into which a literary work fits; basic=prose, poetry, drama;

extended metaphor

metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

euphemism

more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept; may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement

ambiguity

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

onomatopoeia

natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words

predicate adjective

one type of subject complement; an adjective, or group of adjective, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb (describes subject)

epistrophe

opposite of anaphora, repetition at the end of successive clauses

point of view

perspective from which a story is told; 1st person="I" ; 2nd person="he/she/it" ; 3rd person omniscient narrator presents thoughts and actions of all characters ; limited omniscient presents the feelings of only one character

coherence

principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible

exposition

purpose is to explain something; the introductory material

anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause; yoda talk

anaphora

same expression is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences

predicate nominative

second type of subject complement; noun that renames subject

imagery

sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions

periodic sentence

sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end; "ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout!"

anecdote

short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event; most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person

analogy

similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them; can make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging

rhetor

speaker who uses elements of rhetoric effectively in oral or written test

paradox

statement that is self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some truth

aphorism

terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle; can be a memorable summation of the author's point

tone

the author's attitude toward his material

theme

the central idea or message of a work , the insight it offers into life

irony/ironic

the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true; 1. verbal (words=opposite of true meaning) 2. situational (events turn out opposite of expected) 3. dramatic (facts unknown to character but known to reader)

parallelism

the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity

connotation

the implied, suggested meaning of a word; may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

denotation

the literal, dictionary definition of a word

metonymy

the name of one object is substituted for that of another costly associated with it; saying "The White House declared" instead of "the President declared"

rhetoric

the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

alliteration

the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words; can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage

thesis

the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position

narrative

the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events

rhetorical modes

the variety, conventions, and purposes of major kinds of writing; 1. exposition=to explain ; 2. argument=to provide the validity of an idea ; 3. description=create a visual picture ; 4. narration=to tell a story

syntax

the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses and sentences; syntax = group of words while diction = individual words

subject complement

the word or clauses that follows a linking verb and completes the sentence by either 1. renaming it 2. describing it

diction

the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

inference/infer

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented (most direct, most reasonably answer)

loose sentence

type of sentence in which independent clause comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses

colloquial/colloquialism

use of slang or informalities in speech or writing; give a conversational, familiar tone; include local or regional dialects

allegory

using characters and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning; usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence

subordinate clause

word group containing both a subject and verb but cannot stand alone; does not express a complete thought

antecedent

word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

parody

work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule

satire

work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule

didactic

works with the primary goal of teaching

figurative language

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid