AP English Language and Composition Terms

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

• Paradox

• Personification

• Point of View

• Repetition

The use of language that can either be bitter and cruel or witty and insightful, may contain irony, can be meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.

• Sarcasm

• Synesthesia

• Theme

• Thesis

The central idea or message of a work that offers the insight into life or the human condition; may be stated or unstated.

• Sarcasm

• Synesthesia

• Theme

• Thesis

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

• Sarcasm

• Synesthesia

• Theme

• Thesis

The author's attitude toward the subject, material, audience, or any combination thereof.

• Tone

• Transition

• Understatement

• Wit

The ironic minimizing of fact, presenting something as less than or less significant than it is.

• Tone

• Transition

• Understatement

• Wit

Created throughout a literary work, established partly by setting and author's choice of objects described. Can be used to foreshadow events or help to create mood.

• Allusion

• Alliteration

• Antecedent

• Atmosphere

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

• Denotation

• Clause

• Connotation

• Diction

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word.

• Denotation

• Clause

• Connotation

• Diction

A device used to produce figurative language. Ex: Hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, etc.

• Figurative Language

• Figure of Speech

• Generic Conventions

• Hyperbole