Lexis - Individual Words Flashcards
Noun
A word used to to denote a class of object/ a type of thing
Concrete noun
A noun denoting a material object
Abstract noun
A noun denoting a ‘thing’ that is abstract - that cannot be measured or perceived by any of the senses - eg idea
Proper noun
A noun that denotes a particular named thing eg “London”
Compound noun
When 2 or more words are conjoined together to make a new word with its own meaning eg “sunflower”
Unifying pronoun
Pronouns that create a sense of unity or togetherness eg “we”
Dehumanising pronoun
Pronouns that remove the sense of humanity from a person/character eg “it”
Possessive determiner
Words that denote ownership
Pre-modifying adjective
A word that precedes a noun and describes it
Post-modifying adjective
A word that follows a noun and describes it
Comparative adjective
A type of adjective that is used to compare differences - always end in “er” eg “bigger”
Superlative adjective
Used to describe something which is at the upper or lower limit of its quality eg “easiest”
Dynamic verb
Words that denote actions or processes eg“runs”
Stative verb
A verb that expresses a state of being rather than a dynamic action eg “to know”
Present participle verb
A verb that ends in ‘ing’
Imperative verb
A verb that gives an order or a command eg “stop”
Adverb
A word that describes an action
Adverbial
A small group of words that describes an action - it can describe how the action takes place, where the action takes place and when it takes place
Monosyllabic
1 syllable
Oath / profanity
An offensive expression used to express anger or other strong emotions
Negator
The words “no”, “not”, “nor” and “neither”
Archaic Lexis
Old fashioned words that used to be common in England
Colloquial lexis
Words that have more of an informal tone eg “cheers” instead of “thank you”
Lexical repetition
The repetition of a single word in a text
Diacope
When a writer repeats a word or phrase with one or more words in between eg “to be or not to be”
Taboo lexis
Words that are typically deemed immoral or inappropriate in every day language
Polyptoton
The repetition of a word but in its different forms eg “holy of holiest”
