English Language Flashcards
What’s assonance
The same vowel sound is repeated but the consonants are different
What’s dissonance
A discordant combination of sounds. Not in harmony or accord, harsh
What’s oxymoron
Two words normally not associated are brought together
What’s pathos
Language that evokes feelings of pity/sorrow
Alliteration
First letter of word repeated in the words that follow
What’s colloquial
Language that is used in speech with an informal meaning
What’s dialect
The version of language spoken by particular people in a particular area
What’s imagery
Compares something real with something imaginary
What is irony
The humorous or sarcastic use of words or ideas, implying the opposite of what they mean
What’s a soliloquy
A monologue where the Character is thinking ‘aloud’, shows their true feelings
What’s register
A common thread in the authors choice of language, usually reflects something
What’s pathetic fallacy
Personification where the emotions are given to the setting, an object or the weather
What’s allegory
A story with a double meaning, one primary and one secondary (hidden)
What’s allusion
A subtle or indirect reference to another thing
What’s consonance
Repetition of consonants throughout a sentence or phrase
What’s a didactic
A text that instructs the reader or is obviously delivering a moral message
What’s disjunction
A conjunction (eg but or yet) that dramatically interrupts the rhythm of a sentence
What’s an ellipsis
Dramatic pause …, creates tension or suggest words can’t be spoken
What’s a euphemism
A mild expression used to replace a harsh one
What’s figurative language and sound devices, and what do they do?
Metaphors, personification etc, and consonance, onomatopoeia etc.
They have a powerful impact as they work on our senses to strengthen the subject matter of the text
What are fractured/truncated sentences
Incomplete sentences used to increase tension or urgency, or reflect the way people speak to each other
What’s imperative voice
Forceful use of the verb at the start of sentence or phrase
What’s intertextuality
A text makes a reference to other texts. This may be explicit, implied or inferred
What’s modality
The force the words are delivered at. High modality = forceful. Low modality = gentle.
What are Plosive consonants
Harsh sounds in a sentence or phrase.
What’s sibilance
Repetition of ‘s’ – can sounds melodious and sweet or cold and icy.
What’s syntax
Sentence structure
Short, simple sentences or truncated sentences create tension, haste or urgency; compound or complex sentences are slower, often feature in formal texts.
