English Techniques Flashcards
Iambic Pentameter definition
Each line has ten syllables, and they are arranged in five pairs where the first syllable is soft and the second is strong.
Prose definition
A conversational way of speaking which doesn’t have a set rhythm or structure.
Verse definition
Verse always has a set rhythm and structure.
Rhyming Couplets definition
Two lines written in iambic pentameter that end in the same sound, or a rhyme, often used to sum up the end of a character’s speech.
Antithesis definition
The act of positioning two opposites together.
Allusion definition
Reference to a person, place or event usually without explicit identification. Used to establish tone, contrast two objects or juxtaposition of reference.
Soliloquy defintion
A speech in which a character, who is usually alone on the stage, expresses thoughts aloud. Specifically the character’s most intimate thoughts and feelings directly to the audience.
Metaphor definition
A figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but share some characteristics.
Simile definition
A comparison of unlike things using “like” or “as”.
Personification definition
Giving human attributes to inanimate objects
Objectification definition
The act of treating a person as an object or giving them inanimate characteristics.
Symbolism definition
Use of words, places, characters, or objects that mean something beyond what they are on a literal level.
Motifs definition
Recurring themes, that help shape the storyline and guide the reader through the piece.
Dramatic Irony definition
When the audience has knowledge that the characters in the play do not have.
Assonance definition
Repetition of a vowel sound, highlighting emotion in characters.
Alliteration definition
Repetition of constant sound at the beginning of a word, highlighting action in characters.
Consonance definition
Repeats consonance sounds anywhere within consonants.
Onomatopoeia definition
The sounds of the words imitate their subject.
Sibilance definition
Repetition of the ‘s’ sound.
Monologue definition
A long speech given by one person in a play, movie, or book. It’s when a character talks a lot by themselves, sharing their thoughts or feelings.
Media res definition
Starting the story in the middle of the action, rather than at the beginning.
Duologue definition
A conversation between two people, used to describe a scene in a play or script where only two characters are speaking to each other.
Imagery definition
Conjures vivid pictures or association in the mind and adds a symbolic and visual dimension to the play.
