English Exam Content Flashcards
Metaphor
Figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as.
The moon was a ghostly galleon.
Simile
A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance.
She’s strong as an ox.
My pulse, like a drum / beats
Imagery
Imagery refers to the use of figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in a way that appeals to our physical senses. Although we often think of imagery as visual, it often evokes a variety of senses and can evoke multiple senses at once
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats.
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
I am so hungry I could eat all the food here.
My brother said that he had a million things to do when he was actually sitting idly.
Amrita carried home a ton of papers that she had to grade before Friday.
Rory went on forever about the city she lived in.
Irony
A figure of speech that occurs when a speaker or character says one thing but means something else, or when what is said is the opposite of what is expected, creating a noticeable incongruity.
When T.S. Eliot’s insignificant and ineffectual character Prufrock asks “Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?”
Juxtaposition
Placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences.
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
All’s fair in love and war.
Personification
Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or an idea.
The tired old car coughed and wheezed and crawled down the street.
AND
Science-fiction novels were his constant companions.
Repetition
Intentionally using a word, phrase, or sentence structure two or more times in close proximity.
And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Allusion
Brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to another work of art or literature.
Her smile is like kryptonite to me.
AND
Be careful not to open Pandora’s box!
Foreshadowing
be a warning or indication of (a future event).
Symbolism
Symbolism is the use of words or images to symbolize specific concepts, people, objects, or events. It is the idea that things represent other things
What we mean by that is that we can look at something — let’s say, the color red — and conclude that it represents not the color red itself but something beyond it: for example, passion, or love, or devotion.
Comma splices
an instance of using a comma to link two independent clauses (which should instead be linked by a colon, semicolon, or conjunction), as in he loves cooking, he’s great at making curries.
Sentence fragments
A sentence fragment is a sentence that is missing either its subject or its main verb. Incorrect: Went to the store yesterday.
Fused sentences
A run-on sentence occurs when two independent clauses run together without proper punctuation or appropriate conjunctions. Incorrect: Helen cooked dinner therefore Ralph will wash the dishes. Correct: Helen cooked dinner; therefore, Ralph will wash the dishes.
Active voice
In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. Carmen sings the song.
Passive voice
In a sentence using passive voice, the subject is acted upon; he or she receives the action expressed by the verb. The agent performing the action may appear in a “by the…” phrase or may be omitted. The ball was thrown by the pitcher.
Parallel structure
Not Parallel
My best friend took me dancing and to a show.
Parallel
My best friend took me to go dancing and to see a show.
Subject
The subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that is performing the action of the sentence. The subject represents what or whom the sentence is about. The simple subject usually contains a noun or pronoun and can include modifying words, phrases, or clauses.
Example: Jennifer walked to the store. In this sentence, the subject is “Jennifer” and the verb is “walked.” Example: After lunch, I will call my mother. In the sentence, the subject is “I” and the verb is “will call.”
Predicate
The predicate of a sentence describes either what the subject is doing or the state of the subject. The predicate must always contain a verb, but it can also include objects, either direct or indirect, and different types of modifiers, such as adverbs, prepositional phrases, or objects.
Noun In the sentence “The child threw the ball,” the subject is “the child” and the predicate is “threw the ball.” Verb she has predicated her theory on recent findings by other astronomers Adjective In “the sun is hot,” “hot” is a predicate adjective.
Object
Now, let’s look at the sentence “The police gave him a warning.” In this case the pronoun “him” is receiving something (a warning), so that’s the object of a sentence.
Dependent clause
A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate. (E.g. Charlie eats a shoe)
Dependent: A group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. (E.g. but he was still unable to complete the project)
Independent clause
A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate. (E.g. Charlie eats a shoe)
Independent: A group of words that contains a subject, a verb, and expresses a complete thought. (E.g. Andrew worked all night)
Noun
Person, place, animal, thing, concept. (E.g. freedom, or Kentucky.)
Pronoun
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun, often to avoid the need to repeat the same noun over and over. Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, things, concepts, and places. (E.g. “her” or “him”)
Verb
Action word (e.g. to run)
Adverb
An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb. (E.g. “quickly”, or “steadily”)
Adjective
Descriptive word (e.g. shiny)
Conjunction
a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause (e.g. and, but, if ).
Preposition
A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. (E.g. in, at, among, with, and on)
Article
“The” is a definite article because it’s identifying a specific noun. For example, saying you went to the zoo and saw the elephant would imply that you saw the only elephant at the zoo. You’re referring to a specific elephant. “A” and “an” are indefinite articles.
