Word choice Flashcards
What is a descriptive language that creates vivid pictures, and what effect does it have?
eg. The sun, a blazing ball of fire, sank below the horizon
Imagery
-engages the reader’s senses
-making the text more immersive.
What are the 6 types of imagery?
Visual = sight
Auditory = sound
Olfactory = smell
Gustatory = taste
Tactile = touch
Kinesthetic = movement
Organic = internal sensations and emotions
What is comparing two things without “like” or “as”, and what effect does this have?
eg. Her eyes were the ocean
Metaphor
-adds depth to descriptions, creates a vivid image or idea
-helps to make the text more engaging and interesting
What is comparing two things using “like” or “as”, and what effect does this have?
eg. He was as fast as a cheetah
Simile
-helps the reader visualise and understand concepts by linking them to familiar things
What is giving human qualities to non-human things, and what effect does this have?
eg. The wind whispered through the trees
Personification
-creates vivid, relatable imagery
-adds emotion or movement to descriptions
What is extreme exaggeration, and what effect does this have?
eg. I’ve told you a million times!
Hyperbole
-emphasises emotions
-makes descriptions more dramatic/interesting
- adds humour
What is contradictory words placed together, and what effect does this have?
eg. bittersweet, deafening silence
Oxymoron
-highlights contrast or complexity
-making the reader think deeper about meaning.
What is placing two contrasting ideas close together, and what effect does this have?
eg. The beauty of the flower against the decay of the ruins
Juxtaposition
-emphasises differences
-create tension
-highlights a theme
What is using weather/nature to reflect emotions, and what effect does this have?
eg. The angry storm raged as she cried
Pathetic fallacy
-creates mood and atmosphere
-linking emotions to the setting
-makes text more interesting/enganging
What is a group of words related in meaning, and what effect does this have?
eg. warfare: blood, battle, sword, defeat
Semantic field
-reinforces a theme
-making the writing more cohesive
-groups ideas together
What is using one word literally and then metaphorically in the same sentence, and what effect does this have?
eg. She broke his car and his heart
Zeugma
-creating a unique linguistic style
-makes the text more engaging and interesting
-can also add humour to the text
What is an idea, concept and imagery used to represent something other than its literal meaning, and what effect does this have?
eg. broken mirror = bad luck, white = purity
,red = danger, black = evil
Symbolism
-adds depth and hidden meanings to a text
-can make the text more engaging and interesting
-creating connections
What is a mild or less direct way of expressing something harsh or unpleasant (sugar-coating taboo topics), and what effect does this have?
eg. She passed away, he was let go
Euphemism
- makes harsh or unpleasant ideas more palatable
-softens difficult or uncomfortable ideas, making it more acceptable/less offensive
- add humour to the text
What is using a lesser term to describe something significant or important, and what effect does this have?
eg. It’s just a scratch (referring to a serious injury)
Meiosis
-minimises the importance
-adds irony
-creates humour and emphasis
What is a specific type of understatement that uses double negatives to express a positive idea, and what effect does this have?
eg. She’s not bad (meaning “She’s good”)
Litotes (type of meiosis)
-softens the impact of a statement
-adds subtle emphasis
What is using one part of speech as another, like using a noun as a verb, and what effect does this have?
eg. dinner was tabled for 8 PM, she googled it
Anthimeria
-adds creativity, surprise, or emphasis by bending grammatical rules
-creates humour
-makes it interesting
What is the blending of senses or describing one kind of sensation in terms of another, and what effect does this have?
eg. feeling blue, smelling trouble, gave him a cold look, soft blue
Synesthesia
-creates vivid, multi-sensory images
- more intense and engaging for the reader
What is a figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole or vice versa, and what effect does this have?
eg. She got some new wheels (referring to car)
Synecdoche
-creates vivid imagery
-deepens the meaning by using a specific detail to represent a broader concept
What is using two words connected by “and” to express a single, complex idea,
Hendidys
