AP Vocabulary Set #1
Vocab Set #1 for AP English III: Language & Composition
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Allegory
Allegory - a literary device where characters, story elements, or entire stories are used symbolically to represent abstractions, in addition to their literal meanings; for example, in addition to being a “real person,” a character may also allegorically represent an idea, like hope or innocence
Caricature - a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person or thing’s distinctive physical features or defining characteristics
Figurative Language
Figurative Language - writing or speech that is not meant to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid; e.g. metaphor, simile, understatement; hyperbole
Litotes
Litotes - (pronounced almost like “little tee”) a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite; e.g. “not a bad idea”
Parody
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Parody - a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule; it often exploits peculiarities of an author’s style and expression
Satire
Satire - a work that targets and ridicules social vice and folly or social constructs and institutions for censure and reform; the effects of satire are varied, depending on the writer’s goals, but effective satire is often humorous, thought-provoking, and insightful about the human condition
Theme
Theme - the central idea or message of a work; the insight a text offers that extends beyond the text itself; theme is usually left unstated in a work of fiction or poetry but may be explicitly stated in nonfiction, especially in expository and argumentative writing
Appositive
Appositive - a word or phrase that modifies the noun that precedes it by renaming or restating it in some way; also called a “noun phrase”
Gerund
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