Master essential literary devices, critical vocabulary, and FRQ task verbs for the AP Literature and Composition exam.
20 cards
Front
Diction
Back
The specific word choices an author makes to establish tone, character, or atmosphere. On the AP exam, analyze how shifts in diction (from formal to informal, abstract to concrete) signal changes in a speaker's attitude or a narrative's meaning.
Front
Imagery
Back
Language that appeals to the physical senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste). Effective analysis requires connecting specific images to the work's larger themes, such as how visual imagery might symbolize clarity or distortion in a character's perception.
Front
Point of View
Back
The perspective from which a narrative is told. Distinguish between first-person (subjective, potentially unreliable), third-person limited (focalized on one character), and third-person omniscient (all-knowing narrator). Analyze how the POV restricts or controls the reader's information.
Front
Figurative Language
Back
Language that departs from literal meaning to create effects or emphasize ideas. This includes metaphors (direct comparison), similes (comparison using like/as), personification (human traits to non-human), and hyperbole. Analyze *why* an author uses a specific comparison to convey complex emotions.
Front
Syntax
Back
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. Look for sentence structure variety: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. Analyze how punctuation (dashes, semicolons) and sentence length (telegraphic, loose, periodic) control pacing and meaning.
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