AP Lit Terms

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words

A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.

Writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, and organization.

A character providing contrast of another character's qualities

When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly – they are merely similar

Pair of rhyming lines written in the same meter.

Pause for effect in the middle of a poetry line

Implied meaning or associations rather than literal meaning of a word.

Vivid description that appeals to reader's five senses.

An 8 line stanza (in a poem)

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.

When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.

Commonly recurring literary devices, motifs or clichés in creative works. (star-crossed lovers)

A poem usually personal of grief or mourning

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Reference to something outside of the text with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Usually divided into 2 quatrains and a couplet.

The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.

A concrete object, actions, character...representing abstract ideas

Poem written in a song-like stanza form

Example: She didn’t love often, but when she loved, she loved ferociously.

A very typical example of a certain person or thing, acting as a symbol/motif in literature.

Word choice, particularly as an element of style.

Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words.

When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

a fictional tale explaining heroes, gods, nature

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human

When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within the same single line.

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.

Extreme exaggeration

The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice.

Poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme.

When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally.

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story

The central idea or message of a work, or the "meaning of the work overall"