Glossary Flashcards
Acronym
A new word made from the initial letters of all the words in a name or phrase.
Active voice
When the subject of the sentence is directly performing the verb e.g. Steve burst the bubble.
Affixation
The process of adding an affix before (prefix) or after (suffix) an existing word to change either it’s meaning or grammatical function
Anaphora
When a word, usually a pronoun, refers back to something or someone that has already been mentioned, e.g. Barrie can’t come because he’s ill
Antithesis
Type of rhetorical language where contrasting ideas or words are balanced against each other, e.g. It’s just too good from Green, and just too bad for the goalkeeper.
Antonyms
Words with opposite meanings
Article
A kind of determiner that shows if the reference to a noun is general (a/and) or specific (the).
Aspect
A verb’s aspect shows whether the action it refers to is already completed, or if it is still taking place.
Assimilation
When sounds next to each other in a spoken word or sentence are pronounced in a similar way to make them easier to say.
Assonance
When the main vowel sounds of two or more words that are close together in a text are similar or the same
Back- channelling
A kind of feedback in spoken language that supports the person speaking and shows that what is being said is understood.
Behaviourism
A theory of language acquisition that suggests children learn language through a process of imitation and feedback.
Abstract noun
A noun that refers to a concept, state, quality or emotion.
Audience
A person or group of people that read, view or listen to a text. A writer or speaker can aim to reach a certain type of audience by using specific literary techniques and language choices.
Auxiliary verbs
Verbs used before the main verb in a sentence to give extra information about it e.g. I have seen him.
