AP Lit Terms

(in poetry) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

• metaphor

• enjambment

• allusion

• simile

an expression designed to call something (literary work, historical event, person) to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

• allusion

• alliteration

• assonance

• apostrophe

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

• elegy

• hyperbole

• satire

• epic

take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force. Macbeth did this

• usurp

• uncrown

• unsettle

• unkempt

A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a preexisting work or a sequel.

• Prequel

• Rising action

• Genre

• Memoir

What is a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something?

• simile

• onomatopoeia

• diatribe

• illustrate

a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite

• dirge

• burlesque

• parody

• pun

A dominant theme or central idea

• Motif

• Figurative language

• Denoument

• Elegy

What is the definition of 'diction'?

• The linguistic choices a writer makes to convey an idea or point of view

• The diction of the collective work

• Language that is literal and straightforward

• Language that is poetic and metaphoric

an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal

• catharsis

• anecdote

• caricature

• cadence