Semantic patterns Flashcards
figurative language
Figurative language includes words or expressions that deviate from their literal
or ordinary meanings to create a more vivid or expressive effect
‘Walk good’ (used idiomatically as
a farewell, similar to ‘take care’ or
‘goodbye’)
irony
Irony occurs when a speaker or writer states one thing but means another,
typically the opposite of what they have stated. This can be achieved via sarcasm,
understatement or backhanded compliments.
Oh, great. Another SAC. Just what I needed. (sarcasm)
metaphor
A metaphor uses one semantic domain to help explain another semantic domain.
Love is a battlefield. (makes a comparison to suggest love can be
challenging)
oxymoron
An oxymoron is created when contradictory words or phrases are used in
combination to create a contrasting effect. The juxtaposition of contradictory
elements can evoke irony, humour or emphasise a paradoxical situation
bittersweet
simile
A simile compares elements using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to highlight their similarities.
She slept like a baby.
hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves exaggerated statements or claims
that are not meant to be taken literally.
If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.
personification
Personification is a pattern that attributes human qualities, characteristics or
actions to non-human entities or inanimate objects.
The old house groaned under the weight of its history. (the house gains the
human ability to groan, conveying a sense of weariness)
animation
Animation is the technique of bringing inanimate objects or fictional characters
to life through language based around motion and expression.
The words danced off the page and leaped into my imagination.
puns
Puns are a form of lexical ambiguity that exploits multiple meanings for an intended
humorous or rhetorical effect.
I used to ride my bike every day but had to stop. It made me too tired. (given
the vowel similarities between ‘two’ and ‘too’,
lexical ambiguity
Lexical ambiguity refers to the existence of two or more possible meanings within
a single word.
She visits the bank regularly. (financial bank, or river bank?)
