English Techniques Flashcards
Onomatopeia
Words that sound the same as what they represent
Alliteration
The use of the same letter at the beginning of words that are close
Personification
Give an inanimate object human characteristics
Simile
Describing something as or like
Repitition
To use the same word/phrase more than once
Metaphor
Comparing two things by saying they are each other
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence without a pause
beyond the end of a line
Rhythm
Descibes the beat of the poem
Rhyme
When lines of poetry end with the same sounds
Stanza
Groups of lines in a poem (a verse)
Assonance
When vowel sounds within words are the same or
very similar
Pivot
Point at which poem changes mood, time, etc.
Caesura
A pause within a line of poetry to give emphasis
Irony
Use of words or phrases that are often sarcastic and
or humorous
Fricatives
Soft, breathy sounds: s, z, th, f
Plosives
Hard, explosive sounds: p, t, k, b, g, d
Sibilance
Sounded with a hissing effect, for example s, sh
Superlative
Expressing the highest or a very high degree of a
quality
Juxtaposition
Two things being seen or placed close together with
contrasting effect
Foreshadowing
Be a warning or indication of (a future event)
Lexical set
A group of words with the same topic, function or
form
Archaisms
Words that are very old or old-fashioned
End focus
The most important information in a clause or
sentence is placed at the end
