AP English Literature and Composition
Literary Terms 2024
Absolute - a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best", "all", "unique",
"perfect")
Adage - a familiar proverb or wise saying
Ad Hominem Argument - an argument attacking an individual's character rather
than his or her position on an issue
Allegory - a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent
abstractions
Alliteration - the repitition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
Allusion - a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the
author assumes the reader will recognize
Analogy - a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
,AP English Literature and Composition
Literary Terms 2024
Anaphora - the repitition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines
or sentences
Anecdote - a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
Antecedent - the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
Antithesis - a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
Aphorism - a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea,
often using rhyme or balance
Apostrophe - a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or
imaginary person, or some abstraction
Archetype - a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature
and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to
evoke a response
, AP English Literature and Composition
Literary Terms 2024
Argument - a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
Asyndeton - a construction in which elements are presented in a series without
conjuctions
Balanced Sentence - a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off
against each other to emphasize a contrast
Bathos - insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to
evoke pity
Chiasmus - a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is
structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary")
Cliche - an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has
worn off
Colloquialism - informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal
writing
Literary Terms 2024
Absolute - a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best", "all", "unique",
"perfect")
Adage - a familiar proverb or wise saying
Ad Hominem Argument - an argument attacking an individual's character rather
than his or her position on an issue
Allegory - a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent
abstractions
Alliteration - the repitition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
Allusion - a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the
author assumes the reader will recognize
Analogy - a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
,AP English Literature and Composition
Literary Terms 2024
Anaphora - the repitition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines
or sentences
Anecdote - a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
Antecedent - the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
Antithesis - a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
Aphorism - a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea,
often using rhyme or balance
Apostrophe - a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or
imaginary person, or some abstraction
Archetype - a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature
and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to
evoke a response
, AP English Literature and Composition
Literary Terms 2024
Argument - a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
Asyndeton - a construction in which elements are presented in a series without
conjuctions
Balanced Sentence - a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off
against each other to emphasize a contrast
Bathos - insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to
evoke pity
Chiasmus - a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is
structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary")
Cliche - an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has
worn off
Colloquialism - informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal
writing
