AP Literary Terms

The major unit of a drama or play.

• Act

• Scene

• Plot

• Script

A contemporary story that is told in many rumored versions that have little basis in fact.

• Allegory

• Ballad

• Fable

• Urban Legend

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

A short poem that seeks to ridicule a thought or event using witticism of sarcasm.

• Limerick

• Epigram

• Epic

• Couplet

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

A recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature.

• Trait

• Motif

• Metaphor

• Idiom

When the whole is represented by naming only one of its parts.

• Synecdoche

• Character

• Connecting

• Chliche

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry

• Rhythm

• Consonance

• Alliteration

• Repetition

A lyric poem of some length, usually of serious or meditative nature.

• Legend

• Myth

• Ode

• Sonnet

A form of Japanese poetry with three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables per line.

• Folktale

• Folklore

• Haiku

• Elegy

A character that serves as a contrast or conflict to another character.

• Foil

• Antagonist

• Protagonist

• Caricature

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

A comparison of two or more like objects that suggests they are alike in other ways as well.

• Hyperbole

• Analogy

• Evaluating

• Extended Metaphor

Tags

CCSS.W.11-12.2D