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GAMSAT Vocab > Language Techniques > Flashcards

Language Techniques Flashcards

1
Q

Alliteration

A

Same consonant at the beginning of each word
- She sells seashells by the seashore

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2
Q

Assonance

A

Repetition of similar vowels in successive words
- The rain in Spain

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3
Q

Allusion

A

Hint at something and expect the other person to understand what we are referencing
- Chocolate is his Kryptonite

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4
Q

Ad Hominem

A

Appealing to personal considerations rather than to reason
- All murderers are criminals, but a thief isn’t a murderer, and so can’t be a criminal

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5
Q

Ad Populem

A

Words or expressions determined to be popular with people

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6
Q

Anaphora

A

Repetition of a word or phrase to begin successive clauses
- Get busy living or get busy dying

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7
Q

Apostrophe

A

Indicates omission of one or more letters

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8
Q

Anastrophe

A

Syntax inversion that changes the order of a sentence’s structure for effect
- ‘I like apples’ becomes ‘apples I like’

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9
Q

Antithesis

A

Juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas for balance

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10
Q

Apposition

A

Two noun phrases next to each other that refer to the same person or thing
- [NP1] The living room, [NP 2] the biggest room in the house

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11
Q

Archaism

A

Use of an outdated expression
- Behold

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12
Q

Antagonist

A

Someone who offers opposition

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13
Q

Asyndeton

A

Omission of conjunctions (and / or) where they would be used
- I came, I saw, I conquered

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14
Q

Ambiguity

A

Unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning

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15
Q

Anachronism

A

Locating something at a time when it couldn’t have existed

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16
Q

Analogy

A

Drawing comparison to show similarity
- Life is like a box of chocolates

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17
Q

Aphorism

A

Concise, instructive saying / expression
- He who hesitates is lost

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18
Q

Bathos

A

Change from a serious subject to a disappointing one

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19
Q

Cacophony

A

Loud confusing disagreeable sounds

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20
Q

Caricature

A

Representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect

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21
Q

Catharsis

A

Releasing of emotional tensions

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22
Q

Chiasmus

A

Reversal of the order of words in a two part sentence
- Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure

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23
Q

Circumlocution

A

Indirect way of expressing something
- Twice five miles of fertile ground

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24
Q

Cliche

A

An expression that was once innovative but has lost its novelty due to overuse
- Red as a rose

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25
Contradiction
Opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
26
Colloquialism
Expression that seeks to imitate informal speech - Y'all - Gonna
27
Consonance
Specific repetition of the same consonant sound anywhere in word or sentence - Mike likes his new bike.
28
Circular Reasoning
Restating a claim instead of supporting it
29
Connotation
Use of a word to suggest a different association than its literal meaning - She was feeling blue
30
Couplet
Stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse
31
Deus Ex Machina
Individual appears unexpectedly to solve a difficulty
32
Double Entendre
Word or phrase with two meanings of which one is indecent
33
Dialectic
Arriving at the truth by exchange of logical arguments
34
Discourse
Extended verbal expression in speech or writing
35
Denotation
Literal meaning / definition of a word - Dead = not living
36
Elision
Omission of a sound between two words - Fish n Chips
37
Ellipsis
Use of '...' to show a pause in a thought or to create suspense
38
Encomium
Formal expression of praise
39
Enjambment
Continuation from one line of verse into the next
40
Epigraph
Quotation at the beginning of a piece of writing
41
Equivocation
Ambiguous language to conceal the truth, avoid commitment
42
Epithet
Descriptive word or phrase
43
Eponym
Name of something is derived from a person - Adam's apple
44
Eristic
Characterised by debate or argument
45
Euphemism
Inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one - 'Passed away' instead of 'died'
46
Euphony
Pleasing or harmonious sounds
47
Foreshadowing
The act of providing vague advance indications
48
Flashback
Transition in a story to an earlier event
49
False Analogy
Two things compared unfairly
50
Free Verse
Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
51
Figurative
Not literal
52
Hyperbole
Extravagant exaggeration - Her brain is the size of a pea
53
Hypothesis
Message expressing opinion based on incomplete evidence
54
Imagery
Ability to form mental pictures of things or events
55
Irony
Use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning - The police station gets robbed
56
Invective
Abusive language used to express blame or censure
57
Inversion
Altering sentence structure, may make the sentence sound grammatically incorrect - Never a day had she missed her lessons
58
Jargon
Technical terminology characteristic of a particular group
59
Juxtaposition
Positioning two things close together with contrasting effect - You're making a mountain out of a molehill
60
Litotes
Understatement for rhetorical effect - 'Not the sharpest tool in the shed' instead of 'stupid'
61
Literal
Limited to the explicit meaning of the word
62
Maxim
A saying widely accepted on its own merits, general truth - Actions speak louder than words
63
Metaphor
Figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity to an object - Her eyes were diamonds
64
Mood
Characteristic state of feeling
65
Metonymy
Substituting the name of a feature for the name of the thing - Wall Street - The White House
66
Mimesis
Process of imitation or mimicry
67
Narrator
Someone who tells a story
68
Non Sequitur
Statement doesn't logically follow on from a previous statement / claim - Mary bakes the best cakes in town. She should run for mayor
69
Neologism
Newly invented word or phrase - Mansplain
70
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate the sound they denote - Boing - Clap
71
Oxymoron
Conjoined contradictory terms - Old news - Deafening silence
72
Point of View
Mental position from which things are perceived
73
Protagonist
Principle character
74
Personification
Attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas - The wind howled in the night
75
Pun
Humorous play on words - This vacuum sucks
76
Paradox
Statement that contradicts itself - This is the beginning of the end
77
Parallelism
Using similar words / elements to emphasise similar ideas in a sentence - Easy come, easy go
78
Parenthesis
Message that departs from the main subject
79
Parody
Composition that imitates / misrepresents a style
80
Pleonasm
Using more words than necessary to express meaning - I saw it with my own eyes
81
Repetition
Act of doing or performing again
82
Rebuttal
Speech act of refuting by offering a contrary argument
83
Red Herrings
Writer brings up an irrelevant point to distract the reader
84
Rhyme
Correspondence in the final sounds of two or more lines - Clue and blue
85
Rhythm
Interval during which a recurring sequence occurs
86
Stanza
Fixed number of lines forming a unit of a poem
87
Speaker
Someone who expresses in language
88
Sarcasm / Satire
Witty language used to convey insults or scoen
89
Setting
Physical position of something
90
Simile
Uses a comparison to describe - As busy as a bee
91
Syllogism
Reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises - If A is true then B is true
92
Synecdoche
Using part of something to refer to the whole thing - Pour me a glass of bubbly
93
Symbol
Something visible that represents something invisible
94
Syllable
Unit of pronunciation
95
Tautology
The saying of the same thing twice over in different words - HIV virus
96
Thesis
Unproved statement advanced as a premise in an argument
97
Trope
Language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense - The damsel in distress
98
Theme
Subject matter of a conversation or discussion
99
Tone
General character or attitude of a place, piece of writing etc
100
Understatement
Something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
101
Plot
Main events devised and presented as an interrelated sequence
102
Verisimilitude
Having the appearance of being true or real - Hogwarts
103
Zeugma
Rhetorical use of a word to govern two or more words - She broke his car and his heart

GAMSAT Vocab (3 decks)

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