TERMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPOSITION 5/6 AP

Language/Diction: ambiguous, alliteration, diction, colloquialism, aphorism, emphasis, connotation,

denotation, euphemism, jargon, cliché, figurative, literal, ironical, metaphorical, understated,
overstated (hyperbole), redundant, Biblical, formal, informal, non-standard, pedantic, verbose,
allegorical, paradoxical, oxymoron, onomatopoeia, didactic, restrained, idiom, semantics, analytical,
euphony, cacophony, vivid, vernacular, distorted, emphatic, nostalgic, contentious, prose, invective

Syntax: parallel construction, transitions, clause, phrase, periodic, loose, antecedent, subordinate,
independent, rhetorical question, staccato, fragment
Syntactical Terms: antithesis, anastrophe, asyndeton, apposition, anaphora, ellipsis, parenthesis,
polysyndeton
Sentence Structure: simple, compound, complex, primer prose, purple prose, periodic, basic, loose,
cumulative sentence, nominative absolute, interrupted sentence, balanced sentence, passive voice,
active voice, parataxis

Narrative Devices/Techniques: plot, sub-plot, exposition, initial incident, conflict, rising action,
crisis, climax, falling action, happy/unhappy ending, denouement, chronological, flashback, stream of
consciousness, deus ex machina, interior monologue, manipulation of time, parallel incidents,
juxtaposition, allegorical, homily, parody,) first person, third person, omniscient, limited omniscient)
point of view, foreshadow, epigram

Organization/Rhetorical Structure/Features: cause/effect, description, classification,

comparison/contrast, cause and effect, process analysis, exemplification, definition, narration,
chronological, order of importance, argumentative, persuasive, expository, illustrative, anecdote,
extended metaphor, analogy, definition, satiric, allusion, spatial, reflective, least to most important,
concrete, commentary, objective/subjective, parallel paragraph

Argument: formal, assertion, thesis, claim, summary, definition of terms, analogy, syllogism,
enthymene, deductive, inductive, premise, faulty assumption, false dilemma, equivocation, begging
the question, argument ad hominem, red herring, non sequitur, least to most important in organization,
conclusion, inference, rebuttal, fallacy, false analogy, ipse dixit, bandwagon

Persuasion/Devices: invective, ironical, informal, emotional, “charged words”, ethos, pathos, non-
standard, assent, non sequitur, subjective, promote action, ethical appeal

Selection of Detail/Imagery/Figures of Speech: concrete/abstract, distorted, natural, atmosphere,

mood, tone, visual, auditory, tactile, romantic, conceit, vivid, metonomy/synecdoche, metaphorical,
simile, sensual, personification,

Attitude/Tone: (playful, serious, businesslike, ironic, formal, ornate, somber, objective,

condescending, sardonic, resigned, ribald, emphatic, didactic, brash, accepting) tone words on tone
list!

Figurative Devices: conceit, simile, metaphor, apostrophe, allusion, personification, metonomy,

synecdoche, figurative language, figure of speech

Irony: verbal, situational, dramatic, (varies according to genre)

Point of View: omniscient, limited omniscient, first person, second person?, objective, major/minor
character

Poetic Form, Structure: prosody, sonnet, blank verse, free verse, fixed form, elegy, epic, iambic
pentameter, couplet, rhyme scheme, stanza, line, end-stopped, enjambed, heroic couplet, caesura, run-
on line, use of dash, ellipsis, line placement, departure from pattern, volta, meditation description,
romantic, narrative, ballad, haiku

Word Play: (meaning) oxymoron, understatement, hyperbole, pun (sound) alliteration, euphony,
cacophony, onomatopoeia, assonance

Presentation of Character: flat, round, character foil, contrasting character, dynamic, static,
(direct/indirect presentation) protagonist/antagonist

Dramatic Terms: acts, scenes, line, dialogue, aside, soliloquy, hubris (tragedy) tragic flaw, deus ex
machina, catharsis, dramatic irony, comedy, tragedy, parody, satire, pathos, complication, fable,
existential, theatre of the absurd, classicism, neo-classicism, dramatic monologue, realism
(verisimilitude), metaphysical, existential, melodrama, naturalism, scansion, Freytag’s Pyramid