English Flashcards
What is a simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion ). Uses the words as or like.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.
What is a caesura
a pause near the middle of a line.
Enjambment
in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza
Tone and tone shift
Within a story there are shifts in the tone as the story progresses. These tone shifts are what makes the story exciting, taking the reader through a wide range of emotions. Tone is the attitude the poem or story is written in.
Iambic pentameter
Putting these two terms together, iambic pentameter is a line of writing that consists of ten syllables in a specific pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, or a short syllable followed by a long syllable.
Personification
Giving a non living thing human properties. An example is “the leaf danced in the wind”.
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.”the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’”
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.
Rythm
the measured flow of words and phrases in verse or prose as determined by the relation of long and short or stressed and unstressed syllables.
Repetition
the act or an instance of repeating or being repeated. : a motion or exercise (such as a push-up) that is repeated and usually counted. : mention, recital. repetitional.
onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle ).
“a relatively large number of bird names arise by onomatopoeia
Slang
a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.
Colloquial language
Colloquial language and expressions could be things like informal words, phrases, and slang words. They used by writers to create a sense of community and society. Often, the way an author speaks will translate into their writing.
Gibberish
Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense. It may include speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, or language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsiders.
