English revision Flashcards
Alliteration
This is where the first letter of a word is repeated in words that follow.
Assonance
This is where the same vowel sound is repeated but the consonants are different.
Colloquial language
This is language used in speech with an informal meaning.
Dialect
This is a version of a language spoken by people in a particular geographical area.
Dialogue
This is a conversation between two or more people - sometimes an imagined conversation between the narrator and the reader. Dialogue is important in drama and can show conflict through a series of statements and challenges, or intimacy where characters mirror the content and style of each other’s speech. It can also be found in the conversational style of a poem.
Dissonance
This is a discordant combination of sounds.
Enjambment
This is a device used in poetry where a sentence continues beyond the end of the line or verse.
Hyperbole
This is exaggerating for a purpose – it is not meant to be taken literally.
Imagery
This is where strong pictures or ideas are created in the mind of the reader.
Irony
This is where words or ideas are used humorously or sarcastically, to imply the opposite of what they mean.
Metaphor
This is where a word or phrase is used to imply figurative resemblance, not a literal or ‘actual’ one.
Monologue
An uninterrupted monologue can show a character’s importance or state of mind. Monologue can be in speech form, delivered in front of other characters and having great thematic importance, or as a soliloquy where we see the character laying bare their soul and thinking aloud.
Onomatopoeia
This is a word that sounds like the noise it is describing.
Oxymoron
This is where two words normally not associated are brought together.
Personification
This is where a human quality is attributed to a thing or idea.
Repetition
This is where a word or phrase is repeated to achieve a particular effect.
Rhythm
Many poems contain a repetitive beat or metre.
Simile
This is where a phrase establishes similarity between two things. Similes usually involve the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Tone
Tone is the creation of mood in a text, such as sadness, gloom, celebration, joy, anxiety, dissatisfaction, regret or anger. Different elements of writing can help to create these moods. For example, long sentences or verses, with assonance, tend to create a sad, melancholic mood. But short syllabic, alliterative lines can create an upbeat and pacy atmosphere.
Word choice
This can also be referred to as ‘register’. It refers to an author’s choice of language. Authors may use words commonly associated with a certain subject, experience or state of mind.
