Language Techniques Flashcards
Personification
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Give an intimate object a human feeling or characteristic
E.g. the tree danced happily in the breeze
Alliteration
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Using the same first letter for two words next to each other
E.g. the sizzling sausages
Onomatopoeia
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Words that create the effect of something moving or happening
E.g. pow, bang, splash, trickle, creak or vroom
Simile
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When the words “like” or “as……as” are used to describe something as something else
E.g. the night was as cold as the arctic
Metaphor
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When you give something imagery or characteristics to describe it as though it is something else
E.g. the carnivorous sun and kind moon
Sibilance
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Sibilance is a figure of speech in which a hissing sound is created within a group of words through the repetition of “s” sounds
E.g. the slimy snake slithered away
Rhetorical Queastion
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A question that is not meant to be answered to create effect, most effective in speeches
E.g. do you like to mistreat your kids?
Hyperbole
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Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
E.g. he vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles
Imagery
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When you describe something with words that can be imagined in your head
E.g. the leaves were heart shaped with a tint of red
Noun
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A noun is a word that refers to an object or thing.
E.g. “the dog ran towards the chicken”
Verb
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A verb is a doing word which means it is a motion or movement
E.g. “The girl ran away from home”
Adjective
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An adjective is a descriptive word used to modify a noun or noun phrase
E.g.”The small, sharp pencil”
Adverb
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An adverb is used to describe a verb but it isn’t a verb itself
E.g. “She sprinted cautiously”
Repetition
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A word or phrase used 2 or more times within a close proximity to create effect
E.g. “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”
Oxymoron
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A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear
E.g “The same difference”
Pronoun
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A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun and there are 5 types of pronouns
E.g. “He, she, I, me, herself, you, it, they, each, few, many, everybody”
Abstract Noun
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A noun denoting an idea, quality or state rather than a concrete object. It expresses qualities that can’t be seen, heard, touched, tasted or smelt.
E.g. “Liberty, anger, freedom, love”
Proper noun
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A specific name for a person, place or thing. The first letter is always capitalised.
E.g. “Paris, Joe, Billy, Germany”
Collective noun
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A collection of things taken as a whole
E.g. “A group of people, a pack of wolves, a flock of sheep”
Assonance
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A resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words
E.g. “Oh, how the evening light fades over the lake”
Dialect
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A rather particular form of language which is peculiar to a specific region or group
E.g. North American “hello” South American “howdy”
Dialogue
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A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or film
E.g. “Lisa” said Kyle “I need help moving this box”
Dissonance
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Lack of agreement or harmony between people or things
Use of impolite harsh or impolite and unusual words in poetry
E.g. A baby crying A person screaming An alarm going off
Enjambment
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Builds drama in poetry. The end of the first line isn’t the end of a thought but rather a cliff hanger
E.g. “The good Morrow
I wonder by my troth”
Irony
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The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humans or empathetic effect
E.g. “Don’t go overboard with the gratitude,” he rejoined with heavy irony
Monologue
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A long speech by one actor in a play or film
E.g. A long speech about a characters emotions
Colloquial Language
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Words or expressions used in ordinary language by common people
E.g. “a bit, yeah, yeet”
Pathos
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A quality that evokes pity or sadness
E.g. “Teenager begging for a brand of jeans”
Rhyme
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Correspondence of sound between words or endings of words
E.g. “lake and bake, sad and mad”
Rhythm
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The measured flow of words and phrases in a verse or prose
E.g. “twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house”
Caesura
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A break between words within a metrical foot
E.g.”to be or not to be”
Symbolism
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To convey the hidden meaning to the reader or listener
E.g. “black represents death”
Semantic field
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A lexical set of semantically related items, for example verbs of perception. Used to keep image in the readers head
E.g. “Water” is divided into subfields like ocean, bay, cove
Preposition
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Where or when something is in relation to something else
E.g. “After, before, on, under, inside”
Article
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Word used to modify a noun by specifying it
E.g. “Lets read the book”
