Language, Structure and Form Flashcards
Imperative verb
The imperative verb is an action a speaker or writer wants someone else to do.
E.g open the window!
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
E.g violent mimd, violent smile, violent joke
anadiplosis
repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause
E.g our doubt is our passion, our passion is our task
antithesis
a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
E.g keep your mouth closed and eyes open
epistrophe
the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
E.g of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the eart
foregrounding
A literary technique that’s employed in order to draw attention to a specific part of aE.g. I’ll only, and I mean only, forgive her when she apologizes.
foreshadowing
A warning or indication of a future event
E.g It was a dark and stormy night” foreshadows trouble, danger, and mayhem.
juxtaposition
By putting two separate things or concepts together, you can create contrast.
E.g sweet sea
motif
A recurring theme, subject or idea
E.g
oxymoron
When 2 opposite words are side by side
E.g small giant
paradox
a statement that contradicts itself. For example, the statement “I am not lying”
pathetic fallacy
the attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature E.g angry clouds; cruel winds
repetition
Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis
e.g I have to practice my times tables over and over and over again so I can learn them.
semantic/ lexical field
a lexical set of semantically related items, for example verbs of perception.
E.g ocean, waves, sea, tide, blue, storm, wind, sails
symbol
something that represents something else
E.g Red roses symbolize love.
tricolon
A sentence with three clearly defined parts of equal length, usually independent clauses.
E.g to describe a person: Tall, dark, slumped
allusion
“Chocolate cake is my Achilles heel.” The allusion here is to “Achilles’ heel,” or the Greek myth about the hero Achilles and how his heel was his one weakness. In this case, the speaker’s “weakness” is chocolate cake.
intertextual reference
The main plotline of Disney’s The Lion King is a take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
metaphor
A comparison without using like or as
E.g thesnow is a white blanket
persdonification
giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea
similie
A comparison using “like” or “as”
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
“Sugar, shit, shush”
assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
E.g killed, cold, culled
consanance
Consonance is a stylistic literary device that repeats the same consonant sound within a group of words.
E.g Paddy’s potatoes were prepared to perfection
mimetic rhyme
the imitative representation of nature and human behavior in art and literature
E.g the mimetic pattern on the wings of a bird might look just like the pattern on tree bark
onomatopoeia
a word is used to represent a sound.
E.g ‘pop’,
plosives
Consonant sounds that form a small explosion when spoken eg ‘b’, ‘p’, ‘t’, ‘d’
E.g pat, kid, bag
sibilance
A type of alliteration in which the “s” sound is repeated.
blasphemy
speech which offends religious sentiments
colloquialism
informal language
E.g gonna wanna
connotations
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
denotations
the literal meaning of a word
emotive language
Deliberate use of language by a writer to instill a feeling or visual.
euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
E.g passed away
hyperbole
exaggeration
E.g I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
imagery
Literal imagery uses descriptive words that mean exactly what they say. For example: “The grass was green, and the flowers were red
irony
if it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say, “What a beautiful day!”
pun
a humorous play on words
alternate rhyme
Lines of poetry where the rhyme is on every other line (abab)
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
caesura
A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.
couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
free verse
Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme
iambic pentametre
A rhythm made up of ten syllables; five of which are stressed
monosyllables
a word of one syllable
e.g but
prose
written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.
rhyming couplet
a pair of lines that rhyme
scansion
the rhythm of a line of verse
stichomythia
dialogue in which two characters speak alternate lines of verse
asyndeton
a literary device that excludes conjunctions
hypophora
raising a question then proceeding to answer it
imperative sentence
A sentence that requests or commands.
parallelism
Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other
polysndeton
Deliberate use of many conjunctions
rhetorical question
A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.
anagnorsis
recognition or discovery on the part of the hero; change from ignorance to knowledge
antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.
anticipation
excitement about something that’s going to happen
aside
a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage
audience
the listener, viewer, or reader of a text
catharsis
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
climax
the turning point of the story
denouement
an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
dramatic irony
when the audience is aware of something that a character isn’t
hamartia
tragic flaw
dialogue
Conversation between two or more characters
perspective
POV
plot
sequence of events in a plot
protagonist
the main character
retrospective
Looking backward over a period of time
scene
a division of an act into smaller parts
soliloquy
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage
tension
tragedy
a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
tragic hero
A literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy
verisimilitude
the appearance of being true or real
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
atmosphere
the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or creative work.
“the hotel has won commendations for its friendly, welcoming atmosphere”
blazon
display prominently or vividly.
“they saw their company name blazoned all over the media”
shifts
A change in time, place, setting, character’s tone, punctuation, etc.
tone
Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character
extended metaphor
A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.
zoomorphism
Applying animal characteristics to humans
e.g John barked at me
diction
A writer’s or speaker’s choice of words
double entendre
A word/ statement/ phrase with double meaning
didactic
Any text that is obviously delivering a moral message
disjunction
A conjunction that dramatically interrupts rhythm of sentence to introduce contrast
figurative language
Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling. (hyperbole, simile, metaphor)
in media res
in or into the middle of a sequence of events as in a literary narrative as opposed to slowly building up to action
register
refers to the level of sophistication of a piece of language
modality
The certainty with which a speaker uses their language
e.g HIGH MODALITY = certainty
LOW MODALITY = uncertainty
periphrasis
The use of indirect and circulatory speech or writing
circumlocutory
speaking as if to avoid the subject
satire
use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices.
tmesis
Intentionally breaking a word into two parts for emphasis
e.g fan-f***ing-tastic
anachronism
Something out of place in time
E.g a caveman watching TV
