English Vocab Basic Flashcards
Aesthetics
the formal study of art and language, especially in relation to the idea of
be
Allegory
a story or a narrative, often told at some length, which has a deeper meaning
below the surface (e.g. George Orwell`s Animal Farm)
Allusion
a reference to another event, person, place, or work of literature. The allusion is usually implied rather than explicit, and often provides another layer of meaning to what is being said
Ambiguity
Use of language where the meaning is unclear or has two or more possible
interpretations. It could be created through the weakness of the writer`s expression, but
often it is deliberately used by writers to create layers of meaning in the mind of the reader.
Ambivalence
The situation where more than one possible attitude is being displayed by
the writer or poet towards a character, theme, idea, event, etc.
Anachronism
As a noun: A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.
As an action: attributing something to a period to which it does not belong
Anaphoric reference
When a word or phrase refers to something mentioned earlier in the text
Antithesis
Contrasting ideas or words that are balanced against each other (e.g. “To be, or not to be” - Shakespeare`s Hamlet”)
Archaism
Use of language that is old-fashioned and no longer exist in common usage
Ballad
A narrative poem that tells a story (traditional ballads were songs) usually in a
straightforward way. The theme is often tragic or contains a whimsical, supernatural, or fantastic element.
Bias
Often supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way by
allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment
Caricature
A character described through the exaggeration of the features that he or she possesses
Cataphoric reference
A type of referencing that points forward in the text (e.g.
Those were the days my friend.)
Catharsis
A purging of emotions such as takes place at the end of a tragedy
Censorship
The practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing unacceptable parts.
Cliche
A phrase, idea, or image that has been over-used so that it has lost so much of
its original meaning, impact, and freshness
Cohesion
Links and connections that unite the elements of discourse or text
Coinage
The creation and addition of new words to the existing word stock
Collocation
two or more words that frequently appear together as part of a set
phrase . They are often well known and predictable, and many could be described as
idioms or cliches (e.g. safe and sound).
Colloquial
an informal quality in speech or writing, often characterized by the use of
slang or non-standard features
Command
the type of sentence in which someone is told to do something
Communicative purpose
the reason why a piece of writing has been written or a speech made (e.g. to entertain, to explain, to persuade, to argue)
Compound
a word made up of at least two free morphemes (e.g. babysitter)
Conceit
an elaborate, extended, and sometimes surprising comparison between things
that, at first sight, do not have much in common
Connotation
the associations attached to a word in addition to its dictionary definition
Context
the social circumstances in which speech and writing takes place
Contraction
a shortened word (e.g. isn`t)
Contextual framework
the application of a particular socio/historical standpoint
used to analyze a text
Conversation analysis
a study of the key features in informal spoken interaction,
with a view to determining the following: (1) turn-taking; (2) constructing sequences of
utterances across turns; (3) identifying and repairing problems; (4) employing gaze and
movement
Critique
A detailed analysis and assessment of something, esp. a literary, philosophical, or political theory.
Critique
A detailed analysis and assessment of something, esp. a literary,
philosophical, or political theory
Culture
refers to the following ways of life, including but not limited to:
(1) Language :
the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated medium of expression.
(2) Arts & Sciences : the most advanced and refined forms of human expression.
(3) Thought : the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand the world around them.
(4)Spirituality : the value system transmitted through generations for the inner well-being of human beings, expressed through language and actions.
(5) Social activity : the shared pursuits within a cultural community, demonstrated in a variety of festivities and life- celebrating events.
(6) Interaction : the social aspects of human contact, including the give-and-take of socialization, negotiation, protocol, and conventions.
Declarative
A grammatical mood that expresses a statement (e.g. I am a hardworking
student.)
Deixis
words that can be interpreted only with reference to the speakers position in
space or time. These are known as deictic forms and fall into three main types:
(1) personal deixis, including the use of such pronouns as you or I that identify who is taking part in the discourse;
(2) spatial deixis, showing the speakers position in relation to other people or objects, e.g. this, that, here;
(3) temporal deixis, relating the speaker to time,using words such as tomorrow, now, yesterday.
Demonstrative
a term used to describe determiners or pronouns that distinguish one
item from other similar ones (e.g. this, that, these, those)
Dénotation
The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feeling or ideas that the word suggests.
Dialect
A language variety marked by a distinctive grammar and vocabulary, used by
people with a common regional or social background
Dialogue
Language interaction between two or more people
Diction
The choice of words that a writer makes
Didactic
a term describing a work that is intended to preach or teach, often containing a
particular moral or political point
Direct speech
the actual words spoken by a person, recorded in written form using
speech marks or quotation marks
Discourse
Any spoken or written language that is longer than a sentence
Elegy
a meditative poem, usually sad and reflective in nature
Euphemism
a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word
(e.g. to pass away replaces to die)
Elision
The omission of an unstressed syllable so that the line conforms to a particular
metrical pattern (e.g. oer, een)
Ellipsis
The omission of a part of a sentence, which can be understood from the context
(e.g. I`d like to go to the concert but I cant (go to the concert). )
Etymology
The study of the history or origins of words
Exophoric reference
a type of referencing that points beyond the text, where the
reader or listener has to make a connection with something outside the text (e.g. The fish
was this big.)
