a-level terminology

Question 1

archaic

Answer 1

words or phrases from an earlier period. E.g. thee

Question 2

asyndetic list

Answer 2

a list which does not use ‘and’

Question 3

audience

Answer 3

the readers or listeners of a text

Question 4

caesura

Answer 4

a pause or break created by a piece of punctuation in the middle of a line of poetry

Question 5

clause

Answer 5

part of a sentence usually separated by commas that contains at least a subject and a verb

Question 6

colloquialism

Answer 6

everyday, informal language

Question 7

complex sentence

Answer 7

Sentence with two or more clause linked by conjunctions such as ‘when,’ ‘although’ or ‘because’.

Question 8

context

Answer 8

The social or historical situation in which language is used; this includes audience and purpose.

Question 9

declarative sentence

Answer 9

a statement

Question 10

definite article

Answer 10

a part of speech, a determiner that refers to particular nouns

Question 11

diachronic change

Answer 11

changes in language over time

Question 12

diction

Answer 12

choice of words or vocab

Question 13

discourse

Answer 13

The way language is used in social situations, often referring to how it is structured.

Question 14

discourse markers

Answer 14

Words or phrases that give structure to speech or writing, ‘signposting’ the reader or listener in how the discourse moves from one subject to the next.

Question 15

elision

Answer 15

The omission of a sound or syllable, often joining two words together with an apostrophe.

Question 16

ellipsis

Answer 16

running together of words or omission of parts of words

Question 17

enjambment

Answer 17

the continuation of a sentence of one line of poetry on the next with out punctuation

Question 18

font

Answer 18

specific style of typography and formation of letters

Question 19

genre

Answer 19

class or category of text which has certain conventions

Question 20

grammar

Answer 20

the study of how words and their component parts combine to form sentences

Question 21

graphology

Answer 21

the layout of the text with use of features such as typography or bullet points

Question 22

homophone

Answer 22

words of similar or identical pronunciation but with different spelling and meaning

Question 23

imperative sentence

Answer 23

a command

Question 24

indefinite article

Answer 24

a part of speech a determine that refers to unspecific nouns

Question 25

intensifier

Answer 25

a word that intensifies the meaning of an adjective or adverb

Question 26

interrogative sentence

Answer 26

sentence that asks a question

Question 27

intertextuality

Answer 27

the way one text relies on, or refers to another for its meaning

Question 28

iron

Answer 28

mismatch or discrepancy between what is written and what is meant

Question 29

lexis

Answer 29

a word, or choice of words

Question 30

lexical field

Answer 30

diction that draws from a similar field of meaning or. vocabulary.

Question 31

metaphor

Answer 31

direct comparison between two things

Question 32

modal verb

Answer 32

auxiliary verb that suggests necessity or possibility

Question 33

monosyllabic work

Answer 33

a word composed on one syllable

Question 34

non fluency features

Answer 34

where a speaker does not speak completely fluently

Question 35

non verbal utterance

Answer 35

an utterance which though it does not use words still covers meaning

Question 36

paralinguistic features

Answer 36

Non-verbal aspects of communication that work alongside language to convey meaning

Question 37

personification

Answer 37

Form of metaphor that attributes human qualities to an inanimate object.

Question 38

phatic talk

Answer 38

Talk which has little intrinsic meaning, but is used to be polite or to be sociable.

Question 39

phonetic spelling

Answer 39

spelling words how they are pronounced

Question 40

phonology

Answer 40

actual sounds of words and effects they produce

Question 41

politeness marker

Answer 41

word or phrase used which introduces politeness

Question 42

polysyllabic word

Answer 42

a word containing more than one syllable

Question 43

pragmatics

Answer 43

The study of what is implied and understood by language use in context.

Question 44

pre modifier

Answer 44

Use of a modifying word before another word often a noun or verb.

Question 45

pronoun

Answer 45

part of speech used in place of using a noun

Question 46

prosodic features

Answer 46

vocal aspects of speech that contribute to meaning

Question 47

register

Answer 47

Features characteristic of particular type of language or situation, often linked to levels of formality.

Question 48

rhetorical question

Answer 48

a question without an expected answer

Question 49

salutation

Answer 49

opening of a letter

Question 50

semantics

Answer 50

the study of the meanings of words

Question 51

simile

Answer 51

a comparison between two things using words ‘like’ or ‘as’

Question 52

slang

Answer 52

non standard language often used to create group identity

Question 53

standard English

Answer 53

Vocabulary and grammar of English generally considered ‘correct’

Question 54

subordinate clause

Answer 54

A group of words that has a subject and a verb, but cannot stand alone as a sentence, often providing additional information. Usually linked with conjunctions such as ‘although’ or ‘because’.

Question 55

syndetic list

Answer 55

list that includes ‘and’

Question 56

syntax

Answer 56

structure of words in a sentence

Question 57

transcript

Answer 57

a written version of real speech

Question 58

typography

Answer 58

A subsection of graphology, typography covers everything to do with the presentational features of written text.