English Language Devices Flashcards
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word
Connotation
The thoughts, feelings, meanings we associate with a word.
Semantic field
Words that all link to one particular topic.
Verbs
A doing word, process or happening.
Adjectives
A word that describes a noun
Pronouns
I, you, he, she, we, they.
Abstract noun
A noun is a name or label.
A concrete noun is something you can hold: table, chair, bag.
An abstract noun is something intangible: holiday, anger, dream.
Imagery
Visually descriptive or figurative language.
Sensory Language
Language and descriptions using the five senses: sight, smell, touch, sound, taste.
Simile
Saying something is like something else.
Metaphor - Direct
Saying something is something else.
Metaphor - Implied
Comparing two things that are not alike without actually mentioning the original thing being compared.
Personification
Giving human-like features and feelings to non-human things.
Symbolism
Where one thing is used to represent something else: a rose to represent love.
Zoomorphism
Giving animal-like features, actions to non-human things.
Pathetic fallacy
Giving emotions to things that are not human, often using weather to create atmosphere.
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words.
Sibilance
The repetition of the ‘s’, ‘sh’, ‘z’ sounds in closely connected words.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds in closely connected words.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds in closely connected words.
Onomatopia
Words that mimic the sound they represent.
Contrast
Opposites placed close or across a text to highlight differences or change.
Juxtaposition
Two things being seen or placed close together with a contrasting effect: light next to dark.
Oxymoron
Contradictory terms appear together to create one overall meaning: He was falsely true.
Atmosphere
The general feeling created by the poem.
Mood
The feelings of the reader towards the presented topic: nostalgic, optimistic, joyful, sympathetic.
Tone
The feelings of the poet or speaker towards the presented topic: tragic, harmonious, hopeless, intriguing.
Linking phrases
Used to show effect when writing an analytical paragraph: to accentuate, to imply, to highlight, to illustrate, to show, to emphasise.
Speaker
The voice of the poem, like a narrator. Sometimes this is the poet, other times not.
Direct adress
Speaking directly to the reader using the pronoun ‘you’.
Message
The main idea or story that the poet intends to convey.
Emjabment
One line or stanza flows to the next without any punctuation at the end of the line.
Stanza
Paragraph or section in poetry.
Rhetorical question
A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
Caesura
A punctuated pause in the middle of a line of poetry: : ; - .
Rhyme
Words with the same sound pattern: gloom and room.
Iambic Pentameter
10 syllable heart-beat-like rhythm: da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM.
Sentence structure
The length of sentences.
The way sentences are formed: passive, active, simple, compound, complex.
Triplet
Three phrases in succession.
Foreshadowing
Offering hints at future events.
Asyndetic listing
A list where there is no conjunction (and).
Polysyndetic
A list where all the items are separated with ‘and’.
Repetition
When the same word or phrase recurs throughout a text.
