subject terminology

Question 1

simile

Answer 1

comparing something using like or as. He was as fast as a cheetah.

Question 2

metaphor

Answer 2

saying something is something else; a direct comparison, not meant literally

Question 3

extended metaphor

Answer 3

exactly the same as a normal metaphor, but you’ll see the same idea repeating over multiple sentences, lines, paragraphs (or stanzas). Think:

You’re a lion. When you speak, you roar. You’re the king of the jungle, the bravest of the beasts.

Question 4

personification

Answer 4

(or Anthropomorphism), applying human characteristics to objects, Gods or things. i.e. the angry sea.

Question 5

zoomorphism

Answer 5

Zoomorphism is when you give humans (or other things!) animal features, i.e. he growled with wolfish hunger

Question 6

pathetic fallacy

Answer 6

when human emotions are applied to things (often found in nature), i.e. the “angry sky” or “the wind whispered through the trees”. Usually done to set the tone or reflect the mood of characters.

Question 7

assonance

Answer 7

repeating vowel sounds (not necessarily rhyming though) – the house is out-rowed with the louts and crows

Question 8

anecdote

Answer 8

a short story from personal experience. Like that time you missed the bus, got soaked in the rain, then had to cycle all the way to school. You know?

Question 9

irony

Answer 9

– Something contrary to what you might expect. Alanis Morissette knows it (or not, as the case may be)

Question 10

onomatopoeia

Answer 10

words that sound like what they are. Bang, clap, thud….etc

Question 11

sibilance

Answer 11

a repeated ‘s’ sound – either at the start, or in the middle of words (N.B. ‘c’ can sometimes sound like an s!)

Question 12

colloquial language

Answer 12

informal or slang words and phrases (i.e. just how you’d speak everyday!). Think wanna rather than “want to”.

Question 13

connotation

Answer 13

Like word associations… think of a lovely word cloud, hovering over you.

Question 14

semantic field

Answer 14

When a group of words all link to one overall theme

Question 15

sensory detail

Answer 15

Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.

Question 16

euphemism

Answer 16

A polite way of saying something often taboo or controversial

Question 17

double entendre

Answer 17

When a word or phrase has two meanings, one of which is often rude. Shakespeare had loads of them!

Question 18

emotive language

Answer 18

Powerful describing words or adjectives

Question 19

figurative language

Answer 19

the creative use of words or phrases to create a special meaning, that isn’t literally what they say.

Question 20

evocative verb

Answer 20

A doing word which sounds particularly powerful . The cat slinked, crawled, darted – rather than just walked.
evoking or tending to evoke an especially emotional response

Question 21

allusion

Answer 21

making reference to people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art

Question 22

allegory

Answer 22

A type of writing in which the settings, characters, and events stand for other, often larger ideas. i.e. Animal Farm about capitalism vs. communism

Question 23

didactic

Answer 23

Intended to teach, instruct, or have a moral lesson for the reader. Think about Aesop’s Fables…. The tortoise and the Hare

Question 24

hyperbolic language

Answer 24

Exaggerating – it was the worst day ever in the history of the universe!

Question 25

hermatia

Answer 25

The character flaw of a powerful hero that leads to his tragic downfall. Think Macbeth - vaulting ambition

Question 26

tridactic listing or triplets

Answer 26

sanying things in 3

Question 27

motif

Answer 27

a recurring subject, image, theme or idea within a text (this could be articles, poetry, novels… you name it!).

Question 28

incongruent

Answer 28

When something just does not make sense at all.

Question 29

ambiguity

Answer 29

When something has an unclear meaning.

Question 30

oxymoron

Answer 30

Two opposites together. Loving hate, brawling love, Sweet sorrow

Question 31

juxtaposition

Answer 31

When two or more ideas are contrasted near (not necessarily next to) each other.

Question 32

antithesis

Answer 32

something (or someone) that’s the direct opposite of something (or someone) else.

Question 33

synonym

Answer 33

words that have equivalent meanings

Question 34

antonym

Answer 34

words that have contrasting meanings

Question 35

hypernym

Answer 35

words whose meanings contain other words, (eg animal contains dog, cat and fish).

Question 36

hyponym

Answer 36

words that can be included in a larger, more general category (eg the hyponyms car,
bus, aeroplane as a form of the hypernym transport)

Question 37

levels of formality

Answer 37

vocabulary styles including slang, colloquial, taboo, formal and frozen levels

Question 38

jargon

Answer 38

a technical vocabulary associated with a particular occupation or activity.