AP Vocabulary

a metrical foot with two syllables equally accented

author's own life story

line in poetry that ends with punctuation

the literary classics

a protagonist who is NOT a hero

writing or speech not meant to be taken literally

a form of rhyme where the look rather than the sound is important

long narrative

harsh, unpleasant sounds; discordance

slang; expressions which are informal and not always grammatically correct, but accepted

focuses on impaired characters

two extremes in a continuum of intermediate possibilities

word choice

a line of four metrical feet

the part of a plot in which the entanglement caused by the conflict is developed

a line of two metrical feet

a pair of rhyming lines written in the same meter

brief statement which expresses an observation on life

two successive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter

repetition for rhetorical effect

Japanese poetry with three lines

the structure, shape, pattern, etc. of a piece of literature

character who provides a contrast to another character

an approach to literature which emphasizes reason, harmony, balance, and clarity

a narrative with stories embedded within the story

unrhymed poetry with lines of varying lengths

lyrical poem about death

repetition in successive clauses which are usually parallel in syntax

a line of six metrical feet

addressing someone or something as though present

the noble qualities of human beings

pause, for effect

a story performed onstage

sound device; repetition of beginning consonant sounds

whatever hasn't been proven wrong is right

the character who is in conflict with the main character

assertions made based on facts

a struggle between opposing forces

word choices that appeal to the ear

an engraving on a tombstone

words that sound better than what they mean

last consonants rhyme, vowel sounds don't

a totally ridiculous comedy

witty saying at the end of a poem

two syllables with an accent on the last

the emotional implications that a word may carry

unable to be touched; not concrete

a line of one metrical foot

irony where the audience is aware of something that the character isn't

the resolution of a plot after the climax

the turning point - the final showdown - the part we wait for with bated breath

an anticlimax which is unintentional

line of verse that carries over into the next line without pausing

a line of five metrical feet

a poem that reveals a "soul in action" through the speech of one character

something out of its place in time or history

conversation between two or more characters

a thought that contradicts itself

double rhyme

speech peculiar to a region

rhyme that comes at the ends of lines of verse

a device where the author shows scenes that happened before the opening scene in a work

seize the day

begins and ends the same

the exact meaning of a word

presentation of events that prepare for later events

a novel showing the development of the main character from childhood to maturity

an unexpected character, device, or event introduced suddenly to resolve a situation

where the layout of the poem suggests the topic

the repetition of consonant sounds

a metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables

a concept or value that cannot be seen

figure of speech which makes a brief reference

a line of three metrical feet

opposite of utopia

the vague expression of an idea

imaginitive writing, breaking away from reality

a work which strives to provoke laughter

the raw, emotional (base) side of man

a category of literature

novel with magic, mystery, horrors, and chivalry

"to the man"

a story composed orally and passed down by word of mouth

revealing the personality of a character

the events in between the climax and the denouement

a unit of meter

a character who is not fully developed by the author

the comparison of two things

the climax

main character with strength or moral character

metrical verse with no ending rhyme

almost a climax, and then not

an extended metaphor

a story where animals make a moral point

seize the day

a group of attitudes which emphasize existence

point of view using "I"

a poem about morning

an awakening or sudden insight

nickname or appellation

the basic foot of dipodic verse

the omission of conjunctions

a form of verse to be sung or recited

when the author analyzes reasons for a chain of events

Poem that teaches instead of sounding pretty

introductory material of a story

assuming the answer

pity and fear for the downfall of a hero

a fictional tale with fantasy and magic and imagination

feelings of understanding for a character

a statement delivered by an actor where the other characters don't hear him

two syllable word with accent on the first syllable

pompous, elevated language

meter having two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable

when something funny interrupts a serious literary work

larger than life presence

similarity or repetition of a vowel sound in two or more words

three syllable word with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

a brief quotation at the beginning of a book or chapter

opposite of cacophony

fatal flaw