language in shakespeare Flashcards
blank verse
Lines in a poem that don’t rhyme, usually in iambic pentameter - five two-syllable feet per line.
prose
written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.
“a short story in prose”
imagery
The use of language to create images and pictures in the reader’s mind.
simile
A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to create a vivid image. For example, as big as a whale, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
personification
A type of imagery in which non-human objects, animals or ideas are given human characteristics.
alliteration
Repetition of a sound at the beginning of consecutive words, such as ‘the big, bold, blue sea.’
assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds in consecutive or nearby words, such as ‘the sound was loud’.
metaphor
An imaginative way of describing something by associating it with something else. A metaphor differs from a ‘simile’ as it is not a straight comparison (with the use of the words ‘like’ or ‘as’). A good metaphor creates a vivid picture – for example, ‘my life is a roller coaster’.
onomatopoeia
The sounds of words to express or underline their meaning, eg ‘crunch’, ‘pop’.
word play
a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement.
puns
A play on words, relying on similar sounding words or two meanings of one word.
slang
a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal.
hyperbole
Over-the-top exaggeration for effect.
oxymoron
A phrase combining two or more contradictory terms, often used for emphasis - eg. ‘deafening silence’.
anaphora
The repetition of the same word, or words, at the start of successive lines or phrases.
