Language Feature Definitions Flashcards
What does MITSL stand for? (poetry)
Meaning Imagery Tone Structure Language
What to identify for “Meaning”
5 things
What is the poem about?
Who is the speaker and who is being addressed?
Themes
Setting - time and place
Where does the piece get to from start to end?
What to identify for “Imagery”
1 thing
Language techniques (defined later)
What is the tone?
The way the author expresses their attitude in a piece of writing.
Examples of tone (17)
IANDSMAMU
JANDSIRP
Ironic, appreciative, nostalgic, dull, serious, mysterious, admiring, mocking, urgent, judgemental, angry, neutral, dismissive, scientific, ironic, reassuring, patronising
What to identify for “Structure”
6 things
Rhyme? - couplets or internal rhyme Rhythm? - how many syllables per line Stanzas - how many? Lines - how many are in each stanza? Do some stand out? Enjambment? or end-stopping? Form - does the poem have a shape?
What to identify for “Language”
(9 things)
PIAS WACKS
Patterns of words?
Intertextuality
Ambiguity?
Slang
Word order - unusual? Adjectives Connotations, double meanings Key words and phrases Style (explained later)
Define style
The way a writer uses language to convey meaning (ideas and tone)
Examples of style (8)
Concise, disjointed, scholarly, figurative, logical, rambling, verbose, technical
Define figurative language
Using language features (examples later) to make writing more interesting
Define syntax
Arrangement of words and phrases to create well formed sentences
Define diction
Language choices a writer makes to effectively convey an idea or a point of view - can help establish a distinct voice and style.
Define structure
Arrangement of story and how it is put together for the reader
Define point of view
The angle of considering things which shows is the opinion and feeling of the author or character
Define narrative style
When a narrator conveys the story and plot to the reader
Types of syntax
Compound sentence
Complex sentence
Simple sentence
Minor sentence
Types of diction
Formal Informal Colloquial Slang Abstract Poetic
Types of structure
Chronological: discussing things in order
Cause and effect: explaining a cause and its results
Problem and solution: presenting a problem and offering a solution
Compare and contrast: discussing similarities and differences
Classification-division: sorting information into topics and categories
Types of point of view
First person - ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘me’, ‘mine’
Second person - ‘you’, ‘yours’
Third person - ‘he, she, it’, ‘his, hers, its, theirs’
Types of narrative style
Anecdote
non-linear narrative
Rhyme
Language feature
Rhythm
Seen in “structure”
a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed verses
Assonance
Vowel sounds are repeated at the beginning or middle of nearby words
Sound clusters
Seen in “structure”
A group of sounds that is repeated throughout a sentence or a group of lines in a poem, not just at the beginning of of words
Repetition
Seen in “structure”
Repeating the same or nearly the same words for effect
Parallel construction
Seen in "structure" Using the same word class order twice (in same or two sentences) eg. "Into the valley, through the marsh, rode the hunting pair"
Triple construction
Seen in “structure”
Repeating three times a group of words that have the same pattern of word classes. Each group may not start with the same word/s
eg. “The government of the people, by the people, for the people”
Pun
Word play involving the use of a word with two different meanings or two words that sound the same but mean different things
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration
Litotes
Deliberate understatement
Simple sentence
Sentences with only one complete verb, though there may be more than one incomplete verb
eg. “Passing (incomplete) through the school, we saw (complete) the flames pouring (incomplete) out of the office”
Compound sentence
Sentences with a minimum of two complete verbs and each part of the sentence can stand on its own
eg. “We danced (complete) all night, then climbed (complete) the hill to see the sun rise”
Complex sentence
Sentences that have a minimum of two complete verbs; the part of the sentence that has one of those verbs, but cannot stand on its own, is called a subordinate clause
eg. “Although the sky was overcast, no snow fell that night”
Use of first and second person pronouns
First person singular - I, my, me, mine
First person plural - We, us, our, ours
Second person singular and plural - you, your, yours
Symbolism
Use of an object (concrete noun) to represent some emotion or belief system or other abstract noun
Euphemism
Use of a less harsh expression to avoid upsetting or offending people
Neologism
New word - an invented word
Emotive language
Choice of words which have specifically intended emotional effects or are intended to evoke an emotional response in the reader
Irony
Saying the opposite of what you mean
Allusion
A reference to another work
Bathos
abrupt and often ludicrous transition from the elevated to the ordinary (a form of anticlimax)
Pathos
a quality that evokes pity or sadness
Cliché
An expression that is commonly used in certain situations and has no originality. For example; “in the nick of time” or “don’t cry over spilt milk”
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence without pause onto the next line of a stanza
eg. A woman is not a basket you place
your buns in to keep them warm.
Genre
A style or category of literature or film marked by certain features
eg: Poetry, Fiction, Biography.
Jargon
Special language that is specific to a subject
Lexicon
Catalog or dictionary of terms
Satire
The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices.
Anthropomorphism
the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object
eg. talking animals
Antithesis
when two opposites are introduced together for contrasting effect
Superlative
of the highest quality or degree
