Glossary of Language terms Flashcards
Abbreviation
shortened form of a word
Accent
distinctive way of pronouncing a language
Acronym
series of initials that stand for a much longer group of words
Allegorical
symbolic representation of abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete forms
Alliteration
repetition of the initial letter in adjacent words
Analogies
similar concepts for the purpose of clarification and example
Antithesis
words balanced to create contrast
Argumentative
designed to convince reader to accept a particular view
Assonance
repetition of the vowel sound in neighbouring words
Autobiography
account of a person’s life written by him/herself
Bathos
lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous: anti-climax
Biography
account of a person’s life written by someone else
Blurb
publisher’s brief description of a book, printed on the back cover
Brainstorm
immediate thoughts and associations for a particular topic
Brochure
pamphlet containing illustrations and information about a product or service
Chronological
arrangement of events in order in which they occurred
Clause
group of words containing a finite verb
Cliche
well-known and overused phrase
Climax
point of great intensity in a narrative text
Collate
collect and combine information from two or more sources
Collocation
habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with another word; fixed phrase
Colloquialisms
everyday spoken language
Commentary
a descriptive account of an event as it happens
Complex sentence
sentence consisting of one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses
Compound adjective
two or more adjectives linked by a hyphen to describe the same noun
Compound sentence
sentence formed from two simple sentences using “and”, “but”, “so” or “or”
Connective
joining word used to form compound or complex sentence
Context
surrounding parts or setting of a text
Coordination
joining of two sentences to make one using the connective “and”, “but”, “so” or “or”
Cue cards
notes to help speakers remember a speech
Denotation
literal dictionary meaning of a word
Description
attempt to enable the reader to visualise something
Dialect
form of a language, including grammatical variations, peculiar to a specific region or social group
Dialogue
spoken words between two people; speeches by characters in a narrative or drama text
Direct speech
speech reproduced exactly as it was spoken, in inverted commas
Discourse markers
adverbials at the start of paragraphs to indicate direction of the discussion
Discursive
discusses something informatively from different viewpoints
Dramatic irony
when audience knows more than the character concerned
Editorial
newspaper or magazine editor’s published comment on a topical issue
Embedded clause
a subordinate clause within a sentence, usually marked by commas
Emotive
language evoking an emotional reaction
Empathy
ability to identify with the experience and feelings of someone else
Euphemism
tactful or evasive way of referring to something controversial or distasteful
Explicit
stated clearly
Figurative
non-literal use of language
Finite verb
verb that has a subject
Flyer
leaflet distributed to advertise an event or product
Genre
category of speech or writing
Gist
main ideas contained in a text or speech
Gothic
fictional horror or mystery in medieval-type setting
Grammatical item
word with no independent meaning which facilitates syntax
Hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration to make a point
